Indian Council for Cultural Relations

Yashika Sugandh participated in an exhibition at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, in 2015. This early career presentation occurred while she was pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree at Amity University, marking an important milestone in her artistic development and institutional recognition.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, established in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, serves as India’s premier institution for fostering cultural diplomacy and promoting Indian art and culture globally. As an autonomous organization under the Ministry of External Affairs, ICCR has long provided vital platforms for artists to engage with diverse audiences and contribute to cross-cultural dialogue. The opportunity to exhibit at ICCR represented significant early validation for Sugandh as an emerging artist, placing her work within a context of cultural exchange and national artistic discourse.

This 2015 exhibition preceded her professional launch following her graduation in 2017, when she would go on to receive the City Award for Delhi in Kalakand Art by the Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation and exhibit at India Art Fair. Her participation at ICCR during her formative years as an artist helped establish the foundation for her subsequent exhibitions at prestigious venues including Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Jehangir Art Gallery, and beyond. Even at this early stage, Sugandh was developing the distinctive visual language that would come to characterise her practice, drawing from Indian miniature painting traditions while exploring contemporary social and environmental themes.