New Delhi: Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy visited the National Pavillion of India at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2026 in Venice, Italy.
Titled Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home, the pavilion features a collection of artworks by five contemporary artists examining ideas of home, identity, and empowerment through an intersection of traditional techniques and modern themes of belonging and cultural continuity.
Appreciating the artworks, Sunak said that the pavilion showcased the talent that “exists in India today”.
“This piece that we’re in the middle of, by Sumakshi Singh, we both love because of the embroidery and this idea of home from home and empowerment of women, but there’s so much to love here,” Sunak said in a video posted by the Indian Ministry of Culture on Facebook on 23 August.
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India’s return to the exhibition
Standing next to her husband, Akshata Murthy, too, praised Sumakshi for her “concept of home translated in the most beautiful yet delicate way by technical skills such as embroidery”.
Murthy also expressed her joy over seeing Ranjani Shettar’s piece from Karnataka, which Sunak pointed out. She particularly liked Shettar’s use of flowers in her piece, highlighting their place in Indian culture.
The exhibition, which opened to the public on 9 May and will go on until 22 November, marks India’s return to the International Art Exhibition after a seven year hiatus.
The India Pavilion has been presented by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Nita Mukhesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) and Serendipity Arts.
The pavilion showcases the works of Alwar Balasubramaniam, Skarma Sonam Tashi, Asim Waqif, Ranjani Shettar, and Sumakshi Singh. The displays range from sculptural panels made from Tamil Nadu’s clay and soil to a papier-mâché installation and a large bamboo installation inspired by urban scaffolding.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)