BENGALURU, India, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “Public art in India does no longer undergo from an absence of intent. It suffers from an absence of follow-via.” This insight anchored the Zinnov Foundation’s Art work Conference 2026, held at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, which introduced collectively artists, researchers, curators, policymakers, and civic practitioners to pass the dialog on public art previous visibility and in direction of long-duration of time public price.
The conference used to be attended by over 110 participants, reflecting solid unfriendly-sector pastime. The Foundation used to be honoured by the presence of famed traffic alongside side Mr. Sudhakar Rao IAS. Chairman, Public Affairs Centre and Faded Chief Secretary, Authorities of Karnataka, and Mr. Sujit Kumar Chowdhury, IPoS (Retd.), Directosr, Public Affairs Centre. Together, the gathering positioned art in public spaces no longer as a decorative afterthought, nevertheless as civic infrastructure that requires blueprint, care, and continuity.
“Art work in public spaces shapes how we journey our day after day environments. But for it to if truth be told matter, it needs depth, study, and care,” mentioned Heena Pari, Chair, Zinnov Foundation. “Thru this conference, alongside with our study and academic initiatives, we’re dedicated to building stronger files frameworks and note-led conversations—in insist that art in public spaces can radically change more inclusive, sustainable, and indispensable, starting up with the spaces and communities spherical us and building outward over time.”
During movie screenings, study launches, and practitioner dialogues, a decided message emerged: India does no longer need more art placed in public spaces; it needs higher programs to commission, care for, and care for public art. Whereas policy cues exist — alongside side the 1–2% allocation norm and cultural intent at some level of Excellent Metropolis missions and previous— implementation remains uneven. Relaxed-led procurement, lowest-designate selection, and the absence of long-duration of time upkeep planning most continuously undermine inventive quality and public relevance, resulting in excessive expenditure with miniature civic return.
To address these gaps, the Foundation issued an Birth Demand Be taught Papers in October 2025, intelligent scholars and practitioners to leer the legacy of public art in India and the disconnect between policy intent and on-floor implementation. The winning study papers by Shatavisha Mustafi and Tejal Kamble had been announced and released on the conference and are now printed as launch-get hold of admission to resources on the Zinnov Foundation web build of dwelling. The study initiative used to be conceptualised and completed in partnership with Gayatri Sinha, Founder-Director of Extreme Collective.
Notice used to be foregrounded via an artist–curator roundtable that examined materials and strategies for art in public spaces, with some extent of interest on build of dwelling stipulations, ecology, sustainability, and neighborhood context. The discussion introduced collectively artists and curators Arunkumar H G, Shanthamani Muddaiah, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Poojan Gupta, Teja Gavankar, Anjani Khanna, Heena Pari, and Yamini Telkar. A summary of key insights has been printed by the Foundation, alongside with a panel discussion reflecting on lived experiences of working in public spaces at some level of India.
“The Zinnov Foundation Art work Conference and Be taught Lab had been conceived as interconnected platforms—bringing collectively study, inventive note, policy pondering, and lived journey,” mentioned Yamini Telkar, Director – Public Areas Initiative, Zinnov Foundation. “By constructing space for serious inquiry and practitioner-led dialogue, the Foundation targets to toughen how public art is imagined, commissioned, and sustained, ensuring long-duration of time public price.”
The conference also marked the open of the Zinnov Foundation’s Academic Video Series on Art work in Public Areas. The first movie, Lalbagh: Ecology as Art work in Public Station, examines Lalbagh Botanical Garden as a living public space fashioned by ecology, historical previous, care, and collective memory. The movie used to be produced in collaboration with ArtHistory+.
As Indian cities proceed to densify and urge, the conference reframed art in public spaces no longer as a cultural luxury, nevertheless as a democratic note — one measured no longer by scale or permanence, nevertheless by engagement, memory, and shared ownership.
For the Zinnov Foundation, Art work Conference 2026 marks a starting up level. The Foundation will proceed to put up study, amplify its public education initiatives, and work with partners to toughen commissioning and stewardship devices for public art at some level of India.
About Zinnov Foundation
The Zinnov Foundation stands on the forefront of reimagining lived environments via its groundbreaking Public Areas Initiative. Following the a success open of their entire Steerage Chronicle for art in public spaces, the Foundation has established a four-pillar methodology to remodel landscapes. Their methodology encompasses raising consciousness about the importance of accessible public spaces, assimilating networks of artists and city planners, providing educated advisory services, and taking narrate action via imposing art initiatives and conducting study.
What distinguishes the Zinnov Foundation is its holistic vision of constructing inclusive, sustainable public spaces that support as catalysts for neighborhood engagement and city revitalization. By bringing collectively various stakeholders from the deepest sector, civil society, and artistic fields, the Foundation is building an ecosystem that can presumably translate their guidance framework into tangible enhancements in city existence. Their dedication extends previous theoretical approaches to handy implementation, with initiatives starting from academic outreach to fingers-on creation of art installations that toughen public spaces while reflecting neighborhood identification and cultural richness.
Extra files is on hand at https://zinnovfoundation.org/publicspaces/.
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