The India Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "Echoes of Home," explores how craft traditions sustain the concept of home. Curated by Skarma Sonam Tashi, the exhibition features works by artists including Alwar Balasubramaniam (Bala), whose piece "Not Just for Us" is highlighted. The pavilion uses craft as a lens to examine displacement, memory, and belonging in a globalized world.
This presentation matters because it positions India's rich craft heritage within contemporary art discourse at one of the world's most prestigious biennials. By foregrounding craft as a living, evolving practice rather than a nostalgic relic, the pavilion challenges hierarchies between fine art and traditional craftsmanship, offering a timely meditation on home in an era of migration and cultural flux.