25 Indian Women Photographers Come Together at NGMA Mumbai in a Landmark First for Indian Photography
ZiiP Foundation’s pioneering Women in Photography initiative follows its international debut in the UK and brings together diverse photographic voices from across India.
New Stories Women in Photography, India, presented at the National Gallery of Modern Art, NGMA, Mumbai, from 15 to 25 August 2026, marked a landmark moment for photography in the country as India’s first group exhibition initiative dedicated exclusively to Indian women photographers.
Presented by NGMA Mumbai, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the ZiiP Foundation, the exhibition brought together the work of 25 Indian women photographers, spanning generations, geographies and photographic practices. More than an exhibition, the initiative seeks to address a long standing gap in the photography ecosystem by creating a dedicated platform for women practitioners to be seen collectively within leading institutions in India and internationally.
From the UK to NGMA Mumbai
The Mumbai presentation followed the exhibition’s successful international debut at renowned Lee Miller’s Farleys House and Gallery in the United Kingdom, giving the inaugural edition a distinctive journey from an institution deeply connected to international women’s photographic history to one of India’s foremost national art institutions.
Its opening at NGMA Mumbai on India’s 80th Independence Day added particular significance to the occasion. Ms. Nidhi Choudhari, IAS, Director, NGMA Mumbai, who attended as Chief Guest, spoke about the relevance of an initiative centred on women’s visibility and empowerment, particularly opening the show on such a symbolic day, and the importance of enabling Indian women practitioners to access prominent global platforms.
The significance of the exhibition lay not simply in bringing together 25 accomplished bodies of work, but in the fact that a major group exhibition of this nature focused entirely on Indian women photographers had not previously been created in India at this scale and within such an institutional framework. ZiiP Foundation showcasing the inaugural edition of its Women in Photography initiative at NGMA Mumbai therefore represented an important moment of recognition, while also drawing attention to the need for more sustained opportunities for women working within photography.
The exhibition received an enthusiastic response from visitors, photographers, artists, students and members of Mumbai’s cultural community. Viewers responded both to the diversity of the work on display and to the larger idea behind Women in Photography, that greater representation needs to be accompanied by meaningful visibility, professional opportunity, networks and long term institutional support.
Bringing 25 Indian Women Photographers Under One Platform
A defining aspect of the inaugural edition was its deliberately intergenerational approach. Established practitioners including Mala Mukerjee and Preeti Bedi were presented within the same shared framework as emerging and rising voices such as Nilofer Khan and Raajadharshini KK. Rather than placing disproportionate emphasis on a handful of recognised names, Women in Photography was conceived to give every participating photographer meaningful and equal visibility.
For participating photographers, the impact of the initiative also extended beyond being represented in a single exhibition. Several spoke about the importance of ZiiP creating a platform designed with continuity in mind, one capable of building connections, visibility and opportunities beyond the duration of the inaugural edition itself.
For newer voices, being placed alongside established practitioners and presented within institutions of this stature offered a different kind of opportunity, both visibility and a sense of belonging within a wider professional photography community.
According to Dr. Niyatee Shinde, Founding Director of the ZiiP Foundation and Curator of Women in Photography, the reception to the inaugural edition demonstrated why the initiative was conceived as a continuing programme rather than a one time exhibition.
The initiative also received support from respected members of India’s wider photography community, who highlighted the need for platforms capable of opening new doors for women photographers, particularly by connecting practitioners in India with institutions, audiences and opportunities internationally.
The inaugural Women in Photography edition was designed from the outset to be more than an exhibition. By beginning internationally and subsequently coming home to India, the project sought to build connections between Indian photographers and the wider global photography ecosystem, while demonstrating what can become possible when visibility is accompanied by institutional support, professional networks and continuity.
What’s Next for ZiiP Foundation’s Women in Photography Initiative
The enthusiastic response to New Stories at NGMA Mumbai now sets the stage for the next chapter of the initiative. ZiiP Foundation is already developing Women in Photography Edition 2, scheduled for 2027, which will introduce a new group of photographers while continuing to expand the community and ecosystem created through the inaugural edition.
In doing so, Women in Photography aims to ensure that this landmark first is not remembered simply as a singular moment, but becomes the beginning of a more sustained change in how Indian women photographers are discovered, presented, supported and connected to opportunities both within India and across the world.
Sakshi Jadhav
