South Asia Institute
Comment: Coverage is either primary or of exhibits at the institute and not the institute itself. Sulfurboy (talk) 20:17, 12 August 2026 (UTC)
South Asia Institute (SAI) is the only independent South Asian American arts and cultural center in Chicago. Planned in 2015, it opened in 2019 and is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and presenting South Asian arts.[1][2][3] SAI is located in Chicago’s South Side[4] in the historic Motor Row District. It is home to one of the largest collections of South Asian modern and contemporary art in the United States. In addition to the fine arts, SAI hosts artist talks, book reads, and music concerts[5] as well as dance, education, theatrical performance, film, and other cultural events.[6]
History
South Asia Institute was first founded in 2015 by Dr. Afzal Ahmad and Dr. Shireen Ahmad. Former doctors and long-term collectors of South Asian modern and contemporary art, the two decided to make their private collection publicly accessible through the creation of an institution that would celebrate the arts and culture of South Asia and the diaspora.[7][8] The founders of SAI began collecting South Asian art in the 1970s and later became the impetus for opening the institute.[9] SAI resides in Chicago’s historic Motor Row district, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. A national landmark, SAI’s building is the former location of the B.F. Goodrich Tires showroom, later abandoned until its restoration by the founders in 2016.[10]
Collections
South Asia Institute is home to the Hundal Collection of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art; with over one thousand works, it is one of the largest and best-maintained collections in the United States. Artists featured in the collection include Zarina Hashmi, Jitish Kallat, Shahzia Sikander, Maqbool Fida “M.F.” Husain, Rashid Araeen, Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi, Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Zainul Abedin, and Arpana Caur, among others.[11] Many of the works found in the Hundal Collection were the result of direct contact between the artists and the founders, whose collecting occurred alongside the development of the art collecting scene in Pakistan.
Community Events
South Asia Institute has participated in several different methods of community outreach, collaboration, and engagement. These partnerships have included sponsoring events in Chicago, such as the Millennium Park Summer Concert Series, among others.[12]
Ragamala
In 2021, following the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, SAI hosted Ragmala at the Second Presbyterian Church located in Chicago’s South Loop.[13] Every year thereafter, SAI partnered with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) for the annual, all-night concert starting at sunset and ending around sunrise. The events took place under the Tiffany Dome in the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall and offered an opportunity for audiences to experience South Asian classical ragas with performers of Hindustani and Carnatic classical music.
Qawwali
Qawwali music is frequently featured at SAI. One concert featured Pakistani musicians Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, and the Saami Brothers.[14] Representing an 800 year lineage of the Delhi Gharana tradition, Ustad Saami is widely regarded as the last living practitioner of a 49 note microtonal vocal scale and a master of khayal and qawwali.[15]
Selected Exhibitions
Unbearable Memories, Unspeakable Histories: The Partition Anti-Memorial Project was a solo exhibition of artist Pritika Chowdhry presented at SAI in 2022.[16] The exhibition commemorated the 75th anniversary of the 1947 Partition of India and featured installations from Chowdhry’s long-term research-based Partition Anti-Memorial Project.[17] The exhibition examined the historical trauma of Partition, an event that displaced over 20 million people, resulted in approximately 2 million deaths, and led to the abduction of more than 300,000 women during the communal violence surrounding the creation of new national borders.
What is Seen and Unseen: Mapping South Asian American Art in Chicago was a 2024 exhibition that documented the history of South Asian American artistic production and presentation in Chicago.[18] The exhibition covered 125 years of cultural and exhibition history, from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and Parliament of the World’s Religions through to the present day. The exhibition included two parts, Shadows Dance Within the Archives an archival section with 40 historical and contemporary artists and cultural figures, and Are Shadow Bodies Electric? featuring 8 contemporary artists.
CommonSky was a 2025 exhibition by Pakistani-Canadian hybrid artist and curator Faisal Anwar that explored the impacts of climate change and the interdependence of global ecological systems.[19][20] The exhibition featured multi-media installations, including interactive environments, digital prints, video works, and kinetic sculptures. The exhibition was part of a broader collaboration with Art on the Mart, a city-sponsored digital installation projected onto Chicago’s famous Merchandise Mart building, made visible from the riverwalk. Faisal Anwar’s work, Breathe, was installed concurrently with Commonsky.[21]
References
- ↑ "MISSION AND VISION". South Asia Institute. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Shaikh, Hadia (2020-11-30). "The South Asia Institute Aims to Uplift Artists of the Diaspora | Newcity Art". Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Rowley, Marie (2022-02-10). "Alliance Welcomes New Member: South Asia Institute - Chicago Cultural Alliance". https://www.chicagoculturalalliance.org/. Retrieved 2026-08-12. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Transforming Legacies exhibit at South Asia Institute showcases traditions, storytelling through art - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Huynh, Christina (May 7, 2024). "Where to Experience Asian Art, Culture & History in Chicago".
- ↑ Soriano, Efrain (2023-07-03). "South Asia Institute Holds Its First Desi Queer Open Mic Night – Arts & Culture". Borderless Magazine NFP. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "THE FOUNDERS". South Asia Institute. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Tribune, Shanzeh Ahmad | Chicago (2024-11-16). "Chicago artists of color see a bit of support but want more inclusivity and opportunity in American institutions". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Meet the Couple Who Founded One of the Only U.S. Spaces Dedicated Solely to South Asian Art". Yahoo Life. 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "THE BUILDING". South Asia Institute. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Transforming Legacies exhibit at South Asia Institute showcases traditions, storytelling through art - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. 2026-05-20. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "ALL PROGRAMS". South Asia Institute. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Caporale, Salem Collo-Julin, Kerry Reid, Micco (2021-11-05). "Ragamala, Party People, and Red Stars". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Cohen, Aaron (2024-06-14). "Pakistani qawwali ensemble the Saami Brothers showcase ancient traditions in a rare Chicago performance". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Pakistani legend Ustad Naseeruddin Saami shares his unique range - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Bents, Raena (2022-09-26). "Chicago-Based artist "anti-memorializes" the partition of India". The DePaulia. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Weiner, Yitzi (2021-12-13). "Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Pritika Chowdhry of the South Asia Institute of Chicago Is Helping…". Authority Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Art Design Chicago". Terra Foundation for American Art. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Gómez-Doyle, Lucas (2025-10-06). "'CommonSky' reminds us of the interconnectedness of our planet". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ Tribune, Angela Mathew | Chicago (2025-09-26). "Feminist stories, climate crisis come to life in artwork at the South Asia Institute". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
- ↑ "Faisal Anwar: Breathe". ART on THE MART. 2025-09-11. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
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