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Freedom has never been a fixed condition in South Asia. Across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, ‘freedom’ can mean constitutional rights and political self-determination, but it can also collide with questions of censorship, majoritarianism, militarisation, economic precarity, gendered violence, religious persecution, and the policing of dissent, all of which persist in post-colonial nation states worldwide. The question of who gets to be free — and whose freedom is considered a threat — remains deeply contested. It is something we continue to negotiate — in the right to speak, move, make, love, eat, and live differently. It lives as much in our public institutions as in the ordinary acts through which people resist inherited identities and make room for new ones.
This week, that question of freedom surfaces across the cultural stories on our mind: in art that reshapes how we see, films that reckon with loss, music that turns solidarity into resistance, and spaces that ask what it means to become someone new. From the steel worlds of New Delhi-based multidisciplinary artist Tarini Sethi to the radical sound of the Bhangra Liberation Orchestra and IFBE’s ‘Metamorphosis’, these cultural practices remind us that freedom is not simply something granted or declared; it is something we continually make, contest and reimagine.
Tarini Sethi’s ‘The Sun Bathes Its Friends and Neighbours’ (2026), presented by Rajiv Menon Contemporary, will be on view as part of Frieze Sculpture 2026 from 16 September to 1 November at The Regent’s Park, London. Sethi’s sculpture-making process begins with the act of cutting and rejoining. Before stainless steel became her material of choice, the multidisciplinary artist created detailed figures and surreal landscapes from paper, cutting handmade sheets into the distinct shapes of figures and floral environments and illuminating them from behind. The interplay of light and shadow was always an element of her practice. Now, Sethi has channelled her interest in negative space, light, and change into steel — transforming the industrial material into something porous, theatrical, and full of life. Learn more here.
Sheetal Menon’s ‘Duet’ Is An Elegy For The Love We Lost In The Pandemic
Sheetal Menon’s sophomore directorial effort — based on a screenplay co-written with Arpita Chatterjee (Three of Us, 2022) — follows Mihir (Sidhant Gupta), a pianist, grappling with the death of his estranged brother Kavish during the isolation of the pandemicbefore he finds some solace in music. It is a premise that could easily have tipped into melodramatic sentimentality. But Menon manages to find the film’s emotional core in the intimacy of its central conceit. There is no conventional conversation between the brothers, no opportunity for an eventual reconciliation or the clean closure that death so often demands of fictional narratives. There is only music: an exchange without words, connecting two people separated by the uncrossable chasm of death. Learn more about the film here.
In a world where political solidarity often feels fractured, music remains one of the few mediums capable of holding the weight of collective liberation. The Bhangra Liberation Orchestra (BLO) — a Brooklyn-born collective, reclaims Punjabi music as a language of protest, anti-authoritarianism, and diaspora identity, moving far away from the commercial soundtrack of flex culture. Fronted by musician and activist Sonny Singh alongside bandmate Nikhil Yerawadekar and their multi-ethnic collective of musicians, BLO dismantles the boundaries between dancefloors, sanctuaries, and the frontlines by blending the sonic traditions that each of them comes from. Rhea Budhraja writes here.
What makes Archit’s platform so interesting is the experience he brings to the table — literally. He managed leadership communications and content strategy at Swiggy, right at the centre of India’s fast-paced food delivery tech ecosystem. Yet, off-clock, he and his wife Natasha were building 'Life of Simple Treats' and their supper club, 'The LOST Table', centred around deliberate technique, friction, and an unhurried approach to cooking, Rhea Budhraja writes here.
ARTIX 5.0, the fifth edition of ARTIX, India’s pioneering hotel art fair, will take place on 22–23 August 2026 at The Claridges, New Delhi. I’d love for the fair to be considered for editorial coverage and relevant listings.
This year’s edition will bring together 21 curated gallery suites featuring works by leading Indian galleries, artists, jewellers and creative brands. Highlights include a special tribute to legendary artist K. G. Subramanyan; the launch of Artist in Focus, a new initiative dedicated to championing emerging artists; and a programme of panel discussions, artist talks and guided walkthroughs exploring contemporary art, collecting and culture. Follow @artix.india on Instagram for more information.
Independence is not a fixed state. It is something we negotiate daily — with ourselves, others, and the selves we are in the process of evolving into. Now in its fifth year, The Independence Project, Mumbai-based multicultural space IFBE’s annual interdisciplinary arts festival, focuses on ‘Metamorphosis’, highlighting the ongoing, sometimes unsettling, yet exciting journey of becoming. Sarita Vijayan, Programming Director of IFBE, says, “Freedom gives us the ability to determine our own lives, but it also gives us the possibility of changing them.” Learn more here.
The Next Chapter Of Music Starts At All About Music X
Celebrating its 10th edition, All About Music X returns to Mumbai from 25–27 August 2026, bringing together artists, labels, publishers, streaming platforms, music-tech companies, entrepreneurs and live entertainment professionals shaping the future of music. This year’s edition explores an industry transformed by AI, creator economies, independent artists, fandom and new business models. New initiatives include Music X, a live showcase platform for emerging talent; Access X, connecting creators with industry decision-makers through curated pitch opportunities; and Connect Corner, a speed-networking platform. The programme also features AMAs, workshops, masterclasses and conversations with leading global and Indian music voices including Pete Tong, Usha Uthup, Aditya Rikhari, Ankur Tewari, Karan Kanchan, Chaar Diwari, Glenn McDonald, Takayuki Suzuki, Jasleen Royal, Gini, Sanchit Khosla, and Shilpa Rao.
If you enjoyed reading this, here’s more from Homegrown:
The Homegrown Watchlist: 7 Indian Films That Explore The Many Expressions Of Freedom
The Big Hoom Club’s Short Film Program Celebrates The Heart Of Indian Independent Cinema
What Happens When Kolkata Meets The Wild West? Calcutta Cowboy Has The Answer
