Reimagining Diaspora
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Non-Residency’ Exhibition Debuts at Jaipur’s City Palace
This August, the historic City Palace in Jaipur opens its doors to a groundbreaking contemporary art exhibition titled non-residency, curated by Los Angeles-based gallerist Rajiv Menon. Running from August 9 to September 8, 2025, at the Jaipur Centre for Art, this landmark show marks the first time a single gallery has been invited to curate an exhibition at the opulent palace—a significant moment for both Indian and global art communities.
Non-Residency brings together the work of 16 internationally acclaimed artists of Indian origin, including Rajni Perera, Chitra Ganesh, Baseera Khan, and Shyama Golden. These artists—many of whom are based in the diaspora—use a range of mediums to explore identity, displacement, belonging, memory, and hybridity. Through painting, sculpture, digital art, and installation, they delve into the complexities of being connected to India from afar, creating new narratives that challenge conventional ideas of home and heritage.
More than just a group show, Non-Residency serves as a conceptual inquiry into what it means to live beyond borders—both physically and metaphorically. The exhibition takes the idea of “non-residency” and reframes it not as an absence or lack, but as a rich, generative space where cultures intersect and evolve. In doing so, it positions diasporic identity not as something fragmented or diluted, but as an aesthetic language in its own right.
Menon’s curatorial vision is both ambitious and deeply personal. Having worked extensively with artists from the South Asian diaspora, he sees Non-Residency as a chance to present these voices in dialogue with India’s own art traditions, within the grand and symbolically charged setting of the City Palace. “The palace has historically been a site of confluence—of cultures, aesthetics, and power. What better place to reflect on how diasporic identities are reshaping the cultural narrative of India today?” says Menon.
Among the standout works are Rajni Perera’s speculative portraits of post-human beings navigating alternate futures shaped by colonialism and climate change; Chitra Ganesh’s vibrant reinterpretations of myth and femininity through a queer, feminist lens; and Baseera Khan’s architectural sculptures that echo themes of exile, migration, and reclaiming space. Shyama Golden’s bold, symbolic imagery blends digital aesthetics with traditional motifs, questioning how technology mediates our sense of self and ancestry.
Each artist offers a unique yet interconnected perspective on what it means to inhabit multiple worlds. Their works are at once deeply rooted in personal experience and expansive in their cultural resonance. Together, they present a compelling argument for rethinking how we understand Indian identity—particularly in an era of increasing global movement and digital connection.
Beyond its artistic scope, Non-Residency also carries broader implications for how institutions engage with diasporic communities. By situating the exhibition in Jaipur’s iconic City Palace, Menon not only amplifies the visibility of diasporic voices within India, but also invites a new kind of cultural dialogue—one that is inclusive, forward-thinking, and unafraid to interrogate history.
For visitors, the show offers a rare opportunity to witness the dynamism of contemporary diasporic art in one of India’s most historically significant locations. It is a celebration of in-betweenness, hybridity, and the creative power that arises when artists resist categorization and reclaim the narrative of what it means to belong.
