South Asia Institute

South Asia Institute Amplifying voices of the South Asian diaspora through the arts
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For World Creativity and Innovation Day, SAI celebrates the power of artists to transform inherited stories into new vis...
05/30/2026

For World Creativity and Innovation Day, SAI celebrates the power of artists to transform inherited stories into new visual languages.

In Untitled (Krishna and Gopi), Sri Lankan artist George Keyt reimagines the classical story of Radha and Krishna through a modernist visual vocabulary shaped by Cubism, poetry, and translation. Drawing from the 12th-century Sanskrit text Gita Govinda, Keyt bridges tradition and experimentation, showing how creativity continually reshapes cultural memory across generations.

This work is featured in Transforming Legacies: South Asian Story Paintings, an exhibition exploring how artists reinterpret mythology, literature, and oral traditions through contemporary forms.

On view at SAI from February 7 – December 12, 2026.

Join us on June 13 for Shaam-e-Queer — a multidisciplinary evening celebrating South Asian q***r joy, creativity, and co...
05/27/2026

Join us on June 13 for Shaam-e-Queer — a multidisciplinary evening celebrating South Asian q***r joy, creativity, and community.
Presented by South Asia Institute in collaboration with Trikone Chicago and Desi Rainbow, the program brings together conversation, performance, archival memory, and gathering in an inclusive and welcoming space.

The evening includes:
• A panel discussion on q***r South Asian spaces of care, belonging, and resilience in 2026
• Drag performances by Chicago-based South Asian artists Gulabi Rani, Kamdev, and Alaisha Boti Kabob
• Archival materials exploring the histories and cultural memory of Chicago’s South Asian LGBTQ+ communities
• Food and refreshments

Shaam-e-Queer invites us to reflect on joy not only as celebration, but also as a collective practice of visibility, affirmation, and solidarity.

June 13, 2026
5:30–8:00 PM

Get early bird tickets before they sell out:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shaam-e-q***r-celebrating-south-asian-q***r-joy-tickets-1989617855565?aff=oddtdtcreator

This Memorial Day, we remember an often-overlooked history.Over 2.5 million soldiers from the British Indian Army served...
05/26/2026

This Memorial Day, we remember an often-overlooked history.

Over 2.5 million soldiers from the British Indian Army served in World War II, making it the largest all-volunteer force in history. South Asian soldiers fought across multiple fronts and made immense sacrifices that helped shape the course of the war. Historians widely acknowledge that without the manpower and sacrifice of colonial troops from South Asia and across the Global South, the Allied war effort would have been severely weakened.

Today, we honor their service, resilience, and legacy.

AAPI Heritage Month is a time to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander...
05/21/2026

AAPI Heritage Month is a time to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. At SAI, we are committed to preserving, promoting, and presenting South Asian arts, while honoring the paths shaped by generations of South Asian immigrants before us, whose legacy continues to guide our work today.
Two years ago, in January 2024, The Paglees: Between Reason and Madness marked the debut exhibition of a feminist collective of South Asian artists from across the United States. What started in that moment didn’t stay contained. The exhibition travelled to McColl Center in Charlotte, NC., in 2025, carrying its voices and stories.

In Urdu, Waqt means time, but not as something fixed, linear, or separate from us. Waqt lives within us. It stretches an...
05/15/2026

In Urdu, Waqt means time, but not as something fixed, linear, or separate from us.
Waqt lives within us. It stretches and folds through memory, emotion, and experience.
It is felt rather than measured.

On May 16, Words in Urdu comes to South Asia Institute for an immersive evening of poetry, storytelling, and visual art that explores how language holds what time leaves behind.
Join us for a multisensory journey where stories surface, memories shimmer, and Waqt becomes something you can inhabit.

AAPI Heritage Month honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities...
05/14/2026

AAPI Heritage Month honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. At South Asia Institute, we are committed to preserving and presenting South Asian arts, while honoring generations of immigrants whose legacy continues to shape our work.

In 2024, Next to Normal reimagined a story of family and mental health through a South Asian lens, opening space for reflection and dialogue. Today, Words in Urdu continues this journey, where language, memory, and storytelling become a shared space for connection.

Across both works, South Asian voices remain central to how we explore performance, identity, and belonging.

If you are a game master this is what you have been waiting for.SAI is organizing a storytelling game event, find out th...
05/14/2026

If you are a game master this is what you have been waiting for.

SAI is organizing a storytelling game event, find out the ways of contacting our team to make sure you are going to be on our list.

Across South Asian cultures, mothers are honored in ways that are deeply woven into everyday life, religion, storytellin...
05/10/2026

Across South Asian cultures, mothers are honored in ways that are deeply woven into everyday life, religion, storytelling and the arts—not just on a single holiday. In M. F. Husain’s paintings, motherhood appears as memory, longing, strength, and devotion. Shaped by the loss of his own mother at a young age, Husain returned repeatedly to maternal figures — often faceless, yet deeply expressive — as symbols of care, resilience, and humanity. Through bold color and movement, Husain transformed the image of the mother into one that is both deeply personal and universally recognizable.

Creating across borders can be powerful and complex.SAI brings together immigrant creatives and mental health practition...
05/04/2026

Creating across borders can be powerful and complex.
SAI brings together immigrant creatives and mental health practitioners for a conversation on navigating identity, pressure, belonging, and wellbeing in the arts.

Join us for a program where artists, authors and performers of various genres engage in open, thoughtful dialogue on mental health in immigrant creatives.

Register now:
https://ow.ly/g3yz50YTZ1J

05/02/2026

May 16, 2026
7:00–9:30 PM
South Asia Institute

Join us in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with
Borrowed Time: Urdu, Memory, and the Lives We Build at the South Asia Institute.

Presented by Wajiha Ibrahim and the Words in Urdu platform, this program explores how time shapes memory, identity, and the lives we build. The evening will feature a live poetry performance, reflective moments engaging with each artwork, and a hands-on activity inviting guests to connect more personally with the language.

General admission is now available.

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1925 S Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
60616

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Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm

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