A multidisciplinary exhibition titled Inheritances of Light, Geographies of Loss, curated by Myna Mukherjee, is underway at Travancore Palace, from January 12 to 14.
Organised in association with the Embassy of the Netherlands, the exhibition is hosting a special cultural delegation, including directors of the Mauritshuis Museum and the Drents Museum, the Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ambassador of the Netherlands to India.
The show explores light as a cultural inheritance, tracing its influence from Dutch masters Rembrandt and Vermeer to Raja Ravi Varma and contemporary Indian artists. Light is presented not only as illumination but also as memory, witness, rupture and resistance, connecting colonial histories, spiritual vocabularies and contemporary artistic sensibilities.
The opening features a panel discussion, Light Between Empires: Reimagining Dutch–Indian Artistic Dialogues Today, with museum directors, curators, artists and scholars examining cross-cultural exchanges between Dutch and Indian painting traditions, from Mughal miniatures inspired by Rembrandt to contemporary responses to light and realism.
The inauguration concludes with a special presentation by India’s couturier JJ Valaya on Mughal couture, textiles and craftsmanship, followed by a conversation with the curator.
When: January 12-14; 10 AM–6 PM
Where: Travancore Palace, New Delhi
