Founded in 2023 by three Paris-based curators of Indian origin, TAK Contemporary is dedicated to promoting contemporary art across borders. After three years of nomadic activity, the collective has opened its first physical space in the heart of Paris. Located at 21 rue Béranger in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement, the gallery serves as a meeting point for local and international artists, with a particular focus on South Asia and its diasporic connections—from the Caribbean to Polynesia and across the Global South.
The programme explores histories, territories, and cultural circulations, from colonial and postcolonial legacies to relationships among non-aligned countries and across the wider Global South. Through exhibitions, collaborations, and artistic initiatives, TAK Contemporary brings diverse artistic practices and geographies into dialogue.
“Tak” means “until” in Hindi, referring to a point along the trajectories of time and space. The name suggests a temporal meeting point for art across the vast expanse of time and geography. Through its curatorial practice, TAK Contemporary approaches art as a tool for exploration, resistance, and renewal—political, aesthetic, and emotional. The programme places particular emphasis on conceptual, socially engaged, and decolonial practices, considering art not only as a product of culture but also as a response to it.
DAMINI KULKARNI
(b. Maharashtra, India) is a Paris-based curator and art advisor. After earning her master’s degree from IESA Art & Culture in Paris in 2023, she developed a practice focused on intercultural dialogue and sustainable approaches of interaction and collection within contemporary art.
She began her career as a studio assistant at ZAGA Studio in Pune in 2018, then directed by Nachiket Prakash. She went on to complete internships at NFAI and TIFA Working Studios in Pune in 2019, before moving to Paris to pursue an MBA in Contemporary Art.
She currently works as a freelancer with GALLERIA CONTINUA and Boutique Mohanjeet. She also oversees production at the Indian Cultural Centre in Paris and serves as the South Asia correspondent for Geometricae magazine.
ELIZABETH PRANITHA JOSEPH
(b. Kerala, India) is a Paris-based curator and arts professional. She seeks to enrich communities through artistic collaborations and meaningful interactions.
Her interest in art began with promoting local mosaic artists in Fort Kochi, Kerala. In 2022, she deepened her knowledge by pursuing an MBA in Contemporary Art at IESA art & culture in Paris. Elizabeth curated the exhibition Rivers and Roads, featuring 11 Indian artists, at the AAIE Center for Contemporary Art in Rome, Italy. She subsequently gained experience as a researcher at Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
As a freelancer, she works in various capacities, including artist liaison and mediator. Her clients have included Galerie Carole Kvasnevski, Ben Arpea, Perspective Gallery, and GALLERIA CONTINUA.
SHUBHANKAR PR BHARTI
b. Uttar Pradesh, India) is an art curator and gallerist based in Paris, whose practice engages with societal constructs like class and caste, reflecting on identity, accessibility, and the spaces we inhabit.
Graduated in fine arts from Kala-Bhavana, Santiniketan, W.B., India, and École des Beaux-arts de Marseille, he has participated in group exhibitions across India and France. Having worked as an art professor at the College of Fine Arts, Bengaluru, his expertise extends from curation to exhibition management. It has led him to work with institutions such as LUMA Arles, INTACH-CKP, and Collection Lambert.
He currently works as Director of Operations at 193 Gallery, Paris.