The City Palace in Jaipur is quintessentially Indian, or at least presents an image of a picturesque Indianness that leads one to imagine maharajas and elephants in the courtyards, evoking images of sweltering summer days and monkeys frolicking in trees. In contemporary India, this image feels not only dated but perhaps a little racist. One might then question, how does contemporariness express itself in Indian culture? And by extension, how do those who have long since emigrated from the motherland—non-residents—understand this culture? Is the fact of non-residency simply a tax category, or is there something more productive to be gleaned from the experiences of diaspora, always aspiring to one or the other culture, never fully either, and certainly not fully welcome to—or understood by—both. “Identity is not as transparent or unproblematic as we think,” Stuart Hall notes in his essay Cultural Identity and Diaspora (1996). “We should think instead of identity as a production, which is never complete, always in process and always constituted within, not outside representation.” With these words, Hall, along with Homi Bhabha, the postcolonial scholar best known for his writings on multiculturalism, provides the philosophical spine to Non-Residency, a group exhibition curated by Rajiv Menon, founder of Los Angeles–based Rajiv Menon Contemporary at the recently opened Jaipur Centre for Art (JCA).

Both India and the Indian diaspora are confronting similar questions around India's presence on a global cultural landscape. There's serious hope and enthusiasm about seeing India as an agent of cultural influence on the world stage, and I hope this show can demonstrate how the diaspora is essential in that process. – Rajiv Menon

For Menon, who founded Rajiv Menon Contemporary in 2023 with the intention of spotlighting artists from South Asia and the diaspora, the show is a bridge. A means to explore the contemporary aesthetics of the Indian diaspora and establish a dialogue between the ‘non’ - and the resident Indian art market. “I ultimately hope the show can break down the boundaries between South Asia-based artists and diasporic ones. I have constantly felt a deep cultural rift between the diaspora and the motherland, and I hope the exhibition can confront and bridge those gulfs,” Menon notes in conversation with STIR. “Both India and the Indian diaspora are confronting similar questions around India's presence on a global cultural landscape. There's serious hope and enthusiasm about seeing India as an agent of cultural influence on the world stage, and I hope this show can demonstrate how the diaspora is essential in that process,” he continues, firmly cementing the idea that diasporic culture should be as much a part of contemporary cultural discourse in India as outside it.

It’s a symbolic homecoming for the 14 artists who present their work in a gallery located just off one of the courtyards in Jaipur City Palace. Among them, they showcase works spanning painting, sculpture and textiles, each in their own way a quiet resolution of what home has come to mean. The memory of a faraway home, only tangible in faded photographs, becomes the subject of New York-based artist Melissa Joseph’s What We Leave Behind (2025), whose origins lie in Kerala. The felt tapestry renders a photo of her family against the landscape of Kerala, the fuzzy texture adding to the impression of an old memory. This tactility is also evident in Guyanese-born American artist Suchitra Mattai’s tapestry, woven from old sarees, Set free (2024), which hangs opposite Joseph’s felt work, peeking from behind an arch.

The woman in Mattai’s textile installation is only depicted figuratively, with this blurred perspective mirrored in other works throughout the gallery space. For instance, San Francisco-based Anoushka Mirchandani’s untitled portrait of a woman in a gauzy saree. There is something familiar, yet alien, in these depictions, in some way mirroring diasporic experiences of the homeland. An alienness is most pronounced in Jersey-based (and Mumbai-born plus Singapore-raised) Sahana Ramakrishnan’s evocative canvas, The People Under the Sea (2025). Meant to portray the myth that links belugas with humans, it asks viewers to seek a kinship that transcends binaries. It’s a critical position, being able to exercise grace and compassion for something strange. It asks if we can make and hold space for an ‘other’, if we can break bread together.

This sense of kinship is also amplified by Dehradun-born New York-based artist Ricky Vasan’s Thanksgiving (2025), where blurry figures—seemingly congregating to stave off their longing for home during the festive season—sit around a communal table, sharing food (and unheard laughter). While Vasan’s work is particularly realist in its depiction, many of the works on display embrace a surrealist tone. For instance, Maya Seas’ Dreamscape (in prayer) feels quite poignant, with tiny figures (presumably a mother and siblings) playing in a nebulous, half-remembered landscape. Similarly, Morphing Walk / Cobra Talk by Rajni Perera also plays into an otherworldliness, with a room divider painted to show a cheetah devouring a cobra, underscoring her fascination with the natural world. The only other sculptural work on display is Keerat Kaur’s The Source, which the artist has noted was inspired by her visits to Rajasthan. The delicate clay pomegranate is embellished with beadwork and tiny painted figures, motifs taken from the source (or India).

Establishing a fertile dialogue between both ‘cultures’ was crucial to the show, and is all the more important for JCA. Founded by HH Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur and Noelle Kadar, the institution hopes to amplify the cultural richness of Jaipur—long known for its meticulous craftsmanship and design—to a larger audience, and showcase how an aesthetic sense of the traditional (visually as well as through craft) can transform contemporary tastes. As Kadar notes to STIR, “For me, there is something powerful in seeing bold, current work come alive in such a historic setting. JCA is more than a venue for exhibitions; it’s a platform for inclusivity and dialogue, where audiences ranging from local artisans to global collectors can connect with art in new ways.”

With his exhibition, Menon seems to assert that there are indeed many thriving worlds in the dash between non and resident. These not only reflect on what their India was, but how that India has since changed (or what they think of it). While it is Menon’s first project in the country, it feels grounded—while still being vibrant—to what his gallery’s ethos has come to be. “In recent years, artists from the Global South have been treated like trends. You'll often hear collectors and advisors rather callously refer to certain parts of the world as ‘hot’ or ‘in’, and this often leaves incredibly talented, significant artists at the mercy of market tastes,” he notes, speaking about the often tokenistic representation of South Asian artists on the global stage. Elaborating on his aspirations for more equitable representation, he continues, “I hope my gallery does more than just present South Asian artists, instead shifting the landscape more broadly, bringing these voices to the centre of the dialogue.”