Curatorial Walkthrough of the Gallery

We cordially invite you to join us for the first curatorial walkthrough of the new gallery, Networks of the Past: A Study Gallery of India and the Ancient World, where the curators will lead a guided tour of the gallery, highlighting its key themes and objects, and also the model of global co-curation.

Welcome and Introduction

Welcome and Introduction – Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General, CSMVS

Walkthrough by the Curators:

• Vandana Prapanna, Exhibition Consultant
• Joyoti Roy, Assistant Director – Project and Public Relations
• Nilanjana Som, Curator (Art)
• Vaidehi Savnal, Curator (Education and Public Programmes)

About the Gallery

Networks of the Past: A Study Gallery of India and the Ancient World presents key moments that have profoundly influenced human society, viewed through a thematic rather than a purely chronological framework. The exhibition builds upon the remarkable success of earlier CSMVS initiatives, India and the World: A History in Nine Stories (2017-18), organised in collaboration with the British Museum, and Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome (2023-24), developed with the British Museum, the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, and several leading Indian museums. These projects form part of a unique
series of global partnerships initiated by CSMVS under Getty’s Sharing Collections Program.

The curatorial team at CSMVS conceptualised the overarching narrative with India at its centre, creating a rooted yet globally connected perspective on the ancient world. The gallery was developed through a sustained dialogue with curators from partner institutions and scholars from the regions represented in the exhibition. Every object has been jointly selected and interpreted to engage Indian audiences in new ways, creating a truly collaborative and inclusive curatorial process.