Adjaye Associates, the firm of UK-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, has been selected amidst over 45 applicants to design the new home of the privately-funded, non-profit Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi, which will likely become a leading cultural institution in the country.
In addition to displays from the museum’s 6,000-strong collection of modern and contemporary art from India and the Subcontinent, the new centre will also includes spaces dedicated to art exhibitions and performance, based on a ‘Veil of Triangles’ concept echoing the sacred geometries of trees and mountains. Founder and chairperson Kiran Nadar said Adjaye’s design ‘creates a cinematic experience for visitors, who encounter artworks and artists as they move from the street through the atrium and up through the building to the lush rooftop garden’.
An avid art collector and philanthropist, Nadar opened the KNMA back in 2010 in a bid to make modern and contemporary art accessible to larger audiences. In addition to the various collaborations shaping the museum’s exhibitions and public programmes, the museum is also the main commissioner of the Indian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, this year curated by KNMA’s chief curator Roobina Karode (read our interview with Karoode here).
14 May 2019
