CultureCon 2025 Is Charting The Next Frontier Of India’s Ever-Evolving Creative Economy

When CultureCon, India’s leading cultural conference, first launched in 2020 as a closed-door gathering of cultural practitioners, academics, and policy experts, it laid the foundation for a national conversation that was long overdue. Organized by Arts Culture Resources India (ACRI) and the Godrej India Culture Lab, the inaugural event critically examined the structure of India’s culture sector, highlighting topics such as cultural labor, sustainable financial models, and policy gaps. With participation from institutions such as SDA Bocconi, the British Council, and the Goethe-Institut, CultureCon 2020 demonstrated that India’s creative industries needed more than just platforms — they required comprehensive ecosystems.

After a four-year hiatus and a 2024 revival by The Art X Company and Festivals From India, CultureCon is returning to Mumbai from August 7 to 8 at the Museum of Solutions in Lower Parel, featuring two days of intense discussions, innovative partnerships, and forward-looking ideas. Now in its third year, the conference continues to build on the legacy of previous editions while solidifying its position as the premier platform for creative professionals nationwide.

The theme for 2025, ‘Creative Capital: The Next Frontier’, underscores how creativity influences culture, business, careers, and community development. Supported by partners like the Pune International Centre, Parijat Foundation, Purpose, and the Goethe-Institut Mumbai/Max Mueller Bhavan, this year’s event highlights India’s rapidly expanding creative economy and the vital importance of shaping it purposefully.

The speaker lineup for 2025 features Roshan Abbas (Kommune Arts) as the keynote speaker, along with industry leaders such as Shreyas Srinivasan, Ruchira Das, Padmini Ray Murray, Asad Lalljee, contemporary artists Thukral & Tagra, sonic architect Ankur Tewari, and international guests like Andy Beecroft (Adelaide Fringe). With roundtables on creative skilling, lightning talks on AI and the arts, discussions on Gen Z as co-architects of culture, deep dives into food waste, global marketplaces, and the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in funding the arts, and mentorship labs, CultureCon 2025 offers a glimpse into a vibrant creative ecosystem in action.

While sessions like ‘When Code Meets Culture’ focus on AI and the future of art, and ‘Gen Z as Co-Architects of Culture’ demonstrate the event’s commitment to decentralization and inclusivity, discussions like ‘From Cheque to Change’ highlight CSR and philanthropy in the arts — examining essential financial models for supporting contemporary cultural initiatives.

The importance of CultureCon lies in its dual purpose: to promote dialogue and to build infrastructure for India’s cultural sectors. In an age when creative work is becoming more global, digital, and entrepreneurial, events like CultureCon are essential. They offer a platform to exchange knowledge and envision more fair, innovative, and sustainable futures for art and culture in India.

Tickets for CultureCon 2025 are now live on SkillBox.

Follow @cultureconindia for updates.

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