New Delhi's Gallery District Just Got Bigger: Inside Shrine Empire's New Space

There is a soon-to-open reading salon. There is a coffee collaboration with Cafe Carrado. There are open floor plans and soaring ceilings and 20 artists gathered together under one roof. And yet, when Shefali Somani, co-founder of Shrine Empire, talks about moving her gallery to a larger space in Defence Colony, what strikes you is not the square footage or the amenities themselves. Rather, it's the co-founder's noble intentions.

Founded in 2008 by Anahita Taneja and Shefali Somani, Shrine Empire has spent nearly two decades championing South Asian artists whose practices emphasise process, research, and conceptual rigour. This move—from their intimate Defence Colony space to a larger one, just steps away—signals growth in the same direction.

"We have always envisioned Shrine Empire as a space that fosters dialogue and community-building, and the new design brings this intention to the forefront," Shefali Somani tells Robb Report India.

But here's the question worth asking: Why would a gallery that's been invited to participate in Art Basel HK, Art SG, Artissima, and Art Dubai choose to deepen its roots in a neighbourhood rather than expand its reach elsewhere? The answer lies in the community.

The decision to remain in Defence Colony, rather than migrate to a more prestigious or spacious neighbourhood, reveals something essential about how the founders think. Over the years, the area has organically evolved into an unofficial art district. Today, almost a dozen galleries find a home here, with walkthroughs and conversations spilling from one space to another at regular intervals. The community here, much like the galleries themselves, is a well curated one.

"The neighbourhood has organically evolved into a vibrant gallery district, with around a dozen galleries contributing to a shared ecosystem," Somani says. "It's one of the most dynamic sites for contemporary art in the city."

The Inaugural Exhibition

The inaugural exhibition, titled प्रक्रिया / Process, gives a voice to such eclectic communities. Twenty artists—spanning mediums, generations, and geographies—have gathered under one roof. There's Sarker Protick documenting life in a brothel in Bangladesh, Tayeba Begum Lipi working with textiles and identity, and Divya Singh exploring abstraction, among others. Each represents a distinct practice, carved out of their own methodology.

"The significance of प्रक्रिया / Process as the inaugural exhibition lies in bringing together our roster of artists across mediums and generations," Somani explains. "Each artist represents a distinct and deeply individual practice, and with this exhibition, we wanted to foreground the processes that shape their work."

By positioning 'process' as inaugural, Shrine Empire is making a claim about what deserves to be centered in conversations about contemporary South Asian art. "As we open our new space, this show becomes a celebration of that diversity, highlighting not just the finished works, but the varied ways in which each artist approaches making, thinking, and creating," Somani says.

The New Space: A Closer Look

Speaking on the physical space itself, Shrine Empire's new address is more fluid than most galleries. With sectioned areas that allow multiple voices to coexist, the design rejects rigid compartmentalisation.

"The open layout further supports this mission by dissolving rigid boundaries. This spatial fluidity encourages movement, interaction, and chance encounters," Somani explains.

This architectural approach directly enables artistic experimentation. "We have always had a strong emphasis on experimentation," she notes. "The higher ceilings and larger floor plate allow our artists to work in scale and test new formats and push boundaries."

For visitors seeking deeper engagement, the reading salon offers quiet reflection. "It invites visitors to sit, read, and engage in conversations," Somani says. The coffee collaboration with Cafe Carrado reinforces this philosophy—bringing in an everyday social dimension that makes the gallery feel less like a formal institution and more like a place people want to spend time.

Isn't that what art should be after all? Approachable.