Italian Opulence Meets Indian Flair: Isha Ambani Hosted a Celebration for the Indian Pavilion During the Venice Biennale

Jaffer believes the idea of home resonates with particular urgency today, in a world marked by fractured identities, constant movement, and digital omnipresence. The pandemic, he noted, transformed how people live and work, while technology has made it possible to sustain relationships across continents in ways unimaginable even a decade ago. Against this backdrop, the pavilion explores what it means to belong in an ever-evolving world. The featured artists come from vastly different regions of India, reflecting the country’s extraordinary cultural and geographic diversity. “India is more of a civilization than a single culture,” he remarked.

The selection process “began intuitively” with artist Sumakshi Singh, whose family home in New Delhi was demolished to make way for a larger building. In response, she recreated the house in grand scale, through thread and hand embroidery; a decision inspired by her grandmother’s passion for needle craft. From there, the pavilion expanded outward: Alwar Balasubramaniam explored fractured and traumatized soil in Tamil Nadu; Ranjani Shettar suspended delicate floral forms that evoke weightless gardens; Asim Waqif worked with bamboo scaffolding as a metaphor for rebuilding and imagining future homes; and young Ladakhi artist Skarma Sonam Tashi reflected on how new construction methods are transforming indigenous Himalayan architecture and community life. Despite their distinct visual languages, the works share a strong sense of harmony, as well as enchantment and whimsy.

The pavilion opening was celebrated with a lavish Indian soirée at the magnificent Scuola Grande della Misericordia—one of those Venetian landmarks where grandeur is accumulated over centuries. Beneath soaring ceilings and frescoes, guests drifted through an evening of cocktails and live music by candle light: it was Indian hospitality at its most magical. Venetian opulence and an Indian flair for rich decoration met to form a dialogue between two cultures that understand embellishment not as ornament, but as structure. It is a language few navigate with the same fluency as Isha Ambani, who hosted the reception, attended also by her mother, Nita Ambani.

Fresh from New York, where she made her Met Gala red carpet debut in a gold-thread-woven sari by Gaurav Gupta—its bodice set with over two hundred old-mine cut diamonds from the Ambani family collection—this time around, she greeted guests clad in a draped and bejeweled deep-red Chanel Haute Couture gown from Spring Summer 1989, before later changing into a glamorous Schiaparelli Couture creation for the after-party.

A conversation between past and present couture histories, the well-curated choreography of wardrobes hinted at Ambani’s role in shaping the vision behind the India Pavilion. Working closely with Jaffer, she helped bridge the commitment to cultural preservation with a contemporary perspective on Indian craftsmanship. “These artists express the importance of remaining conscious of the past, not through nostalgia, but as a testament to our shared heritage,” Ambani noted.

For her, the idea of home is inseparable from culture itself. “Home to me has always been important,” she explained. “Craft is alive, vibrant, and perhaps more important than ever in today’s increasingly digital and technological world.” That dedication extends into her work with the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, founded by her mother Nita Ambani. “Our mission is simple: to bring the best of India to the world and the best of the world to India,” she said. “Arts, crafts, and culture are essential in uniting people through a shared medium that transcends language.” Presented on one of the world’s largest contemporary art platforms, the pavilion becomes, in her words, both statement and responsibility. “I am very proud that we could present the work of these remarkable Indian artists here,” she said. “It is important to emphasize that the rapid evolution of our world, and especially the extraordinary development of our country, does not mean erasing the past, or the traditions that bring us together, or our sense of community and belonging.”

In India, she argued, craft is not archival but active. “Art and craftsmanship will always remain at the core of our identity, whether from the past or present.” The artists featured in the Indian Pavilion, she noted, are also attuned to material and ecological intelligence. “All the artists represented are closely connected to natural resources and keep us tied to the environment around us,” she explained.

Her perspective is also informed by a new generation of cultural patronage in India, and by proximity to Nita Ambani’s devotion to the arts. “I have had the privilege of being raised by a mother who has dedicated much of her life to celebrating and preserving Indian arts and culture. She’s a tireless advocate of these values, and this is a mission she has deeply instilled in me. I am following in her footsteps, and I am particularly attuned to the role of women and the essential part they play in shaping who we are and who we are becoming”.

The evening drew a constellation of cultural luminaries, museum directors, artists, fashion royalty, and creative provocateurs, proving that few things unite the global art world quite like spirited conversation and an even better dinner.

Guests gathered for a refined culinary experience curated by Chef Ritu Dalmia, who presented a traditional Indian thali enjoyed by the likes of British Museum director Sir Nicholas Cullinan; Serpentine Galleries’ Bettina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist; Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe; Diane von Furstenberg; and Chanel’s president of arts, culture, and heritage, Yana Peel. Yet the true stars of the evening were the artists participating in the Pavilion of India, whose bright talent and presence gave the celebration its soul.