Less scrolling, more seeing: Art galleries are redrawing the way Hyderabadis hang out

Hyderabad’s weekend itinerary is expanding. Beyond the usual cafés and cinemas, art galleries are increasingly drawing students, early-career workers, and first-time visitors.

Driven by a busy calendar of exhibitions, gallery owners report a clear shift in visitor behavior: audiences are spending more time, asking questions, and treating these spaces as destinations rather than quick detours.'People are becoming comfortable spending time with art'Curators say the biggest shift is not only in numbers, but in who is walking in and why. Rekha Lahoti, co-founder and director of Kalakriti Art Gallery says, "Many of these visitors are young and genuinely curious.

Some are seasoned collectors looking to discover new works, but we're also seeing many first-time art lovers from diverse backgrounds. We make it a point to engage with our audience, and that interaction has shown us just how much the city's interest in art has grown.

”The curiosity doesn't end at the gallery entrance. Jaswanth KD, gallery manager and curator at Gallery Space, says visitors are now engaging with artworks in ways he rarely witnessed a few years ago.

"Earlier, many people would walk through a gallery in a few minutes. Today, I notice people slowing down. They stand in front of a work, discuss it with the person next to them, ask us about the artist, the medium, or the idea behind the work.

As someone who is both an artist and works in a gallery, that change is very meaningful to me because it shows that people are becoming comfortable spending time with art rather than simply looking at it."The audience itself, Lakshmi Nambiar of Srishti Art Gallery says, has also become far more varied. "Alongside collectors, we see art students, young professionals, architects, designers, working professionals, friends visiting together, and people who are simply curious about art. It's no longer limited to one kind of audience."

'You don't need prior knowledge to enter a gallery'Gallery owners believe that growing familiarity with art has helped dismantle one of the biggest barriers to entry: the perception that galleries are only for people who already understand art.

"Many feel intimidated because they think they don't know enough about art. But the only way to develop an opinion is by looking at more art. You don't need prior knowledge to enter a gallery. The more you see, the more your own perspective develops," Nambiar adds.That shift, says Supraja Rao, founder of Kadari Art Gallery, has changed not only who visits galleries but also what visitors hope to take away from them. "Art appreciation by a broader audience has encouraged people from different walks of life to visit galleries, not always to acquire works, but to understand art.

Spaces that earlier saw mostly collectors are now seeing a completely different type of crowd. Visitors are increasingly interested in the stories, materials, ideas and experiments by artists.

We also find that people enjoy learning about an artist's process and the context in which a work is made. This dialogue has become an important part of the gallery experience," she notes.Jaswanth sees the same curiosity bringing people through the doors.

"Not everyone walks into a gallery because they want to buy a painting. Many come because they're curious, because a friend invited them, or because they saw something online. Once they experience an exhibition, they realise a gallery isn't an exclusive space, it's a place where anyone can observe, ask questions and engage," he says.Even regular visitors have noticed galleries becoming part of the city's social fabric.

"The city has become much more open, and that has naturally extended to the arts as well. Gallery openings and exhibitions have become social events that people genuinely look forward to. Today, people are giving art the appreciation it deserves, and that's encouraging more visitors to explore galleries," says Yagya Sharma, principal architect and founder of Rooh Designs.

'Art today is about conversation as much as the artwork itself 'As audiences become more comfortable walking into galleries, curators say expectations have evolved too.

Rao observes that audiences are increasingly looking for experiences that extend beyond simply viewing artworks. "There is also an appetite for intellectual stories and conversations as all the creative fields come together, engage, collaborate and coexist. People are increasingly interested in talks and workshops, extending beyond simply displaying artworks, and to hear the voices behind the craft that they see," she says.Lahoti believes this growing engagement signals something larger than fuller galleries; it reflects a city that's becoming more confident in its artistic identity. "If we can showcase some of the best contemporary art in Hyderabad itself, it will further establish the city as a serious destination for art and culture. More exhibitions and art-led initiatives are already taking place across the city, and together they point to an ecosystem that is steadily growing in confidence.

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Currently On ViewKalakriti Art Gallery(Until August 18) Liminal Threshold by Sumit Sarkar explores memory, dreams and childhood through large-scale installations and pillow-shaped canvases.Ann Carrington's Hyderabad debut transforms discarded everyday objects into intricate contemporary sculptures.In The Viewing Room brings together works by around 16 established artists, offering visitors multiple contemporary perspectives.Srishti Art Gallery(Until July 31) Emerging Palettes. 16 brings together works by 10 emerging artists from across India, exploring personal narratives, memory and everyday realities through mediums ranging from wood, textiles and ceramics to terracotta, charcoal, watercolour, found objects and animation.Dhi Contemporary(Until August 3)Protocols of Living brings together artists whose works examine the systems, routines and structures that shape contemporary life. Through reflections on cities, spaces, environments and personal histories, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the unseen forces that influence how we live, connect, remember and navigate the world around us.Maison D’Art(Until July 8)Paper — A Collaged Journey of Reflection, Memory and Place by Julie Stoutt presents layered mixed-media works created using paper collage, acrylic and watercolour. A self-taught artist, Stoutt explores themes of memory, connection, discovery and loss through expressive compositions built from fragments of paper, text and colour, reflecting a life lived across places.