A landmark exhibition in Mumbai has opened a new chapter in global art discussions by bringing together the powerful stories of Indian Modernism and Arab Modernism for the first time. The exhibition, titled Resonant Histories, is being held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) and will run until 16 February 2026.

Organized in collaboration with the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah and the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) in Mumbai, this show presents over 40 rare artworks, creating a meaningful dialogue between two rich artistic traditions shaped by history, migration, and decolonization.

🔹 A First-of-Its-Kind Collaboration

This is the first exhibition to directly explore shared ideas between Indian and Arab artists of the 20th century.
The Barjeel collection has loaned its works to JNAF for the first time, marking an important moment in regional art partnerships.

Curators aim to highlight the visual, emotional, and ideological connections that shaped artists across both regions during times of political change and cultural awakening.

🔹 Shared Visual Language Across Borders

One of the exhibition’s strongest themes is the striking similarity in artistic expression:

• The intense, sculpted faces painted by Syrian artist Marwan Kassab-Bachi echo the haunting human forms created by Indian master F.N. Souza.

• These shared styles reflect the common feeling of searching for identity in a post-colonial world.

These connections show how artists, even without meeting, often responded to the same global events, emotions, and struggles.

🔹 Visions of Freedom: Art in the Shadow of Empire

The opening section, “Visions of Freedom”, brings together powerful works that explore the harsh realities of independence movements.

Key highlights:

• Chittaprosad Bhattacharya’s bold black drawings show starving citizens in newly independent India, underscoring the painful gap between freedom and survival.

• A dark green, almost black oil painting by Krishen Khanna captures the violence of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

• Khanna, who was born in present-day Pakistan and now lives in India, celebrated his 100th birthday this year.

Nearby, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai is hosting a separate centenary show for him.

🔹 Connecting Regional Struggles

These Indian works are placed next to powerful Arab artworks that reflect the ongoing displacement in the Middle East:

• Abdul Qader Al Rais’s painting Waiting (1970) shows the uncertain lives of refugees.

• Naim Ismail’s Al Fiddaiyoun (1969) uses bold geometric patterns to represent Palestinian resistance.

Curator Suheyla Takesh notes that these works remain deeply relevant today, as conflict and displacement continue to shape communities.

🔹 Non-Aligned Movement: A Bridge of Cultures

The exhibition also reveals hidden stories of cultural exchange between Arab and Indian artists during the era of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

Arab artists often visited India, absorbing its styles, traditions, and colors.
A strong example is:

• Nazek Hamdi’s artwork The Lotus Girl (1955), which draws inspiration from Bengali folk art.

To highlight this connection, curators placed Hamdi’s work next to paintings from the Bengal School, showing how closely their themes and styles align.

🔹 A Starting Point for New Research

JNAF director Puja Vaish explains that the exhibition marks the beginning of deeper study into shared artistic histories.

She says:

“This exhibition is a starting point. Once you show one example, you open the door for many more discoveries. This is how art history grows.”

The goal is to inspire further exploration into regional connections that have been understudied for decades.

🔹 The Road Ahead: Including All of South Asia

While Resonant Histories is an important milestone, a truly inclusive regional show must also involve artists from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other parts of South Asia.

A fitting example is Zainul Abedin, who visited Palestine, Syria, and Jordan in 1969 at the invitation of the Arab League.
His powerful Freedom Fighter watercolours mirror the same energy seen in Arab works of the time.

Abedin later used this style during the Bangladesh Liberation Movement, showing how art connects liberation struggles across borders.

⭐ Conclusion

Resonant Histories succeeds in opening a new dialogue between Indian and Arab Modernism.
It highlights shared histories, shared emotions, and shared artistic journeys shaped by empire, conflict, identity, and hope.

This exhibition sets the foundation for deeper regional collaboration and shows how art continues to resonate across cultures, long after the political borders were drawn.