At the intersection of heritage and contemporary art, From India to Venice brings a 400-year-old devotional tradition from Rajasthan into dialogue with one of the world’s most storied cultural cities. Opening on Wednesday, 6th May at Palazzo Barbaro as a satellite event coinciding with the Venice Biennale, the exhibition is presented by Pooja Singhal, Founder of Pichvai Tradition & Beyond.
Conceptualised and developed in collaboration with art historian and curator Elizabeth Royer, who lives between Paris and Venice, and Michele Codoni, the exhibition positions the Pichwai tradition of Nathdwara within an international contemporary framework. What emerges is not a translation of tradition, but an expansion of its visual and conceptual language.
Originating in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, Pichwai paintings are traditionally hand-painted textile works created to be hung behind the idol of Shrinathji, a revered child form of Lord Krishna. These intricate compositions depict temple rituals, seasonal cycles, mythological narratives, and sacred geographies with remarkable detail and devotion. Over centuries, the practice has remained deeply rooted in ritual life, preserving both its spiritual purpose and technical precision.
Over the past decade, Pooja Singhal has worked closely with artisan communities in Nathdwara to both preserve and evolve this lineage-based practice. Through Pichvai Tradition & Beyond, she has helped sustain a structured atelier model in which master artists train younger practitioners, ensuring continuity while allowing space for experimentation in material, scale, and form.
From India to Venice builds on this evolving vocabulary by engaging with one of the most significant visual frameworks within the Pichwai tradition: the temple map. Historically used to depict the haveli of Shrinathji and the sacred town of Nathdwara, these architectural compositions are reimagined in the exhibition through the lens of Venice itself. In doing so, the works create a visual bridge between two culturally rich, water-bound cities, translating geography through the grammar of devotion.
The exhibition features ten large-scale works that reinterpret this mapping tradition, positioning Venice as both subject and symbolic counterpart. Rather than replicating the original forms, the works extend their logic—where sacred space, ritual movement, and architectural rhythm become tools for reading a new urban landscape.
Alongside these are works in khakha, the preparatory drawing method used by Pichwai artists to structure large compositions. These detailed line-based studies reveal the underlying architectural intelligence of the tradition, offering insight into how complexity is constructed through disciplined visual planning. A large textile sketch work further expands this exploration, drawing connections between miniature painting traditions and the fluid movement of figures reminiscent of the Venetian Carnival.
By placing these works within Palazzo Barbaro, a historic Venetian setting, the exhibition deepens its central inquiry: how does a living tradition travel, adapt, and remain rooted while entering new cultural terrains? Rather than treating Pichwai as a historical artefact, the presentation frames it as a dynamic, evolving language—one that continues to respond to time, place, and context.
Building on Singhal’s earlier presentations in India and abroad, From India to Venice continues her exploration of immersive formats that extend Pichwai beyond the frame of painting. In Venice, this approach finds a particularly resonant setting, where layered histories of trade, art, and cultural exchange mirror the cross-cultural dialogue at the heart of the exhibition.
Ultimately, From India to Venice is not only an exhibition of artworks, but an unfolding conversation between two artistic worlds—one rooted in devotional practice, the other in architectural splendour—meeting through a shared language of form, rhythm, and imagination
Exhibition Details: From India to Venice
Venue: Palazzo Barbaro, Fondamenta Narisi, 2840, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Venice Biennale Press Preview: Tuesday 5th May, 09:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Exhibition Dates: Wednesday 6th May – Monday 6th July
Opening Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Hours: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (strictly by appointment only)
