Bring together art patrons, collectors, and members of the UKICC community to celebrate this landmark collection of Contemporary South Asian Art exhibited at Christie’s in London.
UK India Creative Circle Brings Together Creative Leaders at Christie’s London
On 27 July 2026, the UK India Creative Circle (UKICC) welcomed a gathering of creative leaders, entrepreneurs, and cultural institutions at Christie’s London for an evening celebrating the power of creativity to connect the United Kingdom and India.
The event celebrated the remarkable Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Collection, highlighting the role of art in creating meaningful international dialogue.
Opening the evening, Dr R. Sri Ram, Chair of the UK India Creative Circle, welcomed guests and reflected on the importance of building stronger connections between the creative economies of both the UK and India.
“The purpose of the UK India Creative Circle is simple but ambitious: to strengthen trade, collaboration and cultural exchange between the creative industries of the United Kingdom and India.
I am grateful to Anthea Peers, President of Christie’s EMEA, and the Christie’s team for hosting the event, recognising Christie’s longstanding role as a global platform where art, culture and international conversations come together.”
UKICC’s Impact To-Date
Established to strengthen connections between the UK and India’s creative industries, UKICC has quickly developed into a growing platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange and business opportunities.
Over the past year, the organisation has built an influential Advisory Board, partnered with leading cultural and creative institutions, and created opportunities for businesses and creative leaders to connect across borders.
Today, UKICC’s community connects over 300 businesses, organisations and creative leaders across the UK and India with a strong and growing social media presence.
“The UK creative economy contributes approximately £150 billion to the UK economy and supports around 2.5 million jobs, while India’s creative sector contributes approximately £40 billion and supports millions of livelihoods. With both economies experiencing strong growth, the creative industries represent a powerful opportunity for trade, innovation and investment.
“Creativity is one of our greatest shared strengths. Sectors such as architecture, design, fashion, film, music, gaming, publishing, heritage and the visual arts have enormous potential to drive trade, innovation and investment” said Dr Sri Ram.
The recently implemented UK–India Free Trade Agreement further strengthens opportunities for collaboration, creating new possibilities for creative businesses to explore partnerships, investment, and market expansion.
Celebrating Creative Excellence Across the UK and India
Guests included leaders from the Royal Institute of British Architects, the British Fashion Council, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Imperial War Museums, London Business School, the Commonwealth Fashion Council, the Royal Albert Hall, the Design Business Association, British Beauty Council, the British Council and others.
The gathering also highlighted the important role of professional services in helping creative companies grow internationally through expertise in finance, legal support, strategy and global expansion. Also acknowledged was the growing number of creative showcases happening in the UK about Indian heritage and art, including:
- Anish Kapoor’s exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, at the Southbank Centre
- The Last Princess of Punjab exhibition at Kensington Palace
- The Indian-themed Pink Ball at the British Museum
- Bharti Kher’s sculpture Gaia at the Victoria and Albert Museum
- Performances by A.R. Rahman, Abi Sampa and Rushil at the Royal Albert Hall
Announcing the UKICC Diwali Celebration 2026
- Caroline Rush CBE, creative industries leader
- Lydia Slater, Editor of Harper’s Bazaar
- Sujata Assomull, Vogue Business
- Lucy Cleland, Editorial Director and Co-Founder of Country & Town House
- Cora Delaney, Founder of EYC Ltd
Together, along with other members of the UKICC community they will bring their unique perspectives and expertise to create an evening celebrating the very best of British and Indian creativity to celebrate the festival of light, and prosperity.
Read more HERE.
The Unique KNMA collection at Christie’s Explained
Damian Vesey, Director at Christie’s and a leading specialist in South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, presented the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Collection and talked about its significance within the international art landscape.
Founded in 2010, KNMA is currently undergoing a transformative expansion with the development of its new standalone museum complex in New Delhi. Envisioned as India’s largest multidisciplinary cultural space at more than one million square feet, this new home will be a global destination for the visual and performing arts. The Meeting Ground offers a rare glimpse into the museum’s growing collection and its mission to connect diverse artistic histories in South Asia, through sustained processes of acquisition, research, and curatorial engagement. Presented in collaboration with Christie’s, The Meeting Ground is curated by Akansha Rastogi with Preeti Bahadur, Avijna Bhattacharya, Premjish Achari and Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi. The exhibition will bring together works across modern and contemporary practices alongside folk and indigenous artistic expressions from South Asia. The Meeting Ground invites viewers into an unfolding of several ‘scenes’. It begins as dialogue and contestations between modernists including M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Jeram Patel, K.C.S. Paniker, K.G. Subramanyan and K. Ramanujam and different centres of artistic creation in India from the 1950s to today.
