Hyderabad gets a new art space as ChampaTree expands beyond Delhi

New Delhi-based ChampaTree art gallery is set to open an art space in Hyderabad on October 10. Housed within Artyk, a furniture showroom on Road No. 44, Jubilee Hills, the gallery wants to make art part of everyday life. The launch coincides with Where We Continue, a group exhibition featuring works by 17 artists from across the country.

Co-founded by architect-turned-art curator and entrepreneur Archana Sapra and visual artist Pooja Bahri, the contemporary gallery grew out of their Art For Art Foundation, a platform they started in 2011 to support artistic practice, mentorship and dialogue.

Art and design

“The idea is to integrate art and design,” says Artyk founder Prachi Agarwal as she walks us through the exhibits. “We are design-centric in the way the showroom is built and what we display. Bringing art into this space felt like a natural extension because art and design go hand in hand.”

The lower-ground floor, spread across a little over 2,000 square feet, is the dedicated display space. The artworks also spill into the other two floors, alongside the furniture, showcasing works by young contemporary and mid-career artists associated with ChampaTree since its inception.

Art experience

Launched in Delhi a decade ago, ChampaTree’s Hyderabad space is their first branch outside Delhi. The art space in a premier furniture showroom rather than a conventional art gallery, offers art lovers a different way to experience art. For Prachi, this artistic engagement gives a lifestyle experience. “Since the clientele valuing aesthetics and craftsmanship is the same, having an artspace within the premises felt like an organic progression.”

In these designed living spaces, visitors can experience how art appears in one’s home physically rather than using augmented reality (AR) apps, AI room visualisers or browser-based tools that project paintings or prints directly onto your walls at home.

Archana is also critical of the dramatic, museum-style fancy lighting galleries use to display artworks because they look spectacular but they do not always reflect how they appear in a living room or bedroom. “Art has to merge with your interiors, surroundings. It should become a piece of conversation when people come home. It should make you think, discover new elements, bring in a moment of meditation or make happy.”

Story behind the name

The gallery’s name is rooted in its distinctly Indian identity, inspired by the champa tree, which is known for blooming and thriving wherever it is planted. The founders hope artists, too, will experience flourishing creative growth and leave their mark wherever they go.

For Archana and Pooja, who started an art foundation even before opening a gallery, that history continues to shape their work. “Hyderabad expands the programme geographically, but the principle remains the same: sustained engagement with artists, careful presentation and relationships built over time. We wanted the new space to begin from that continuity, while remaining open to what this city may bring,” says Archana.