Martand Khosla lives and works in New Delhi, India. His art practice explores urban continuity and transformation, as both complement and counter to his experience building in contemporary India. Having founded and run an award-winning architecture studio for over fifteen years (Romi Khosla Design Studios). Martand initially pursued art to explore how construction-fueled employment shapes identities and nostalgia. Situated as both participant and observer, he employed tools of the State, such as the ubiquitous rubber stamp, to render its imprint on lives within traditional definitions of power and dispossession. Brick dust collected from his construction sites became a language of tension, allowing material to pay tribute to both the temporary and permanent, to construction and demolition.
An architect’s natural preoccupation with space inevitably emerges in his work, not as a challenge to ‘build’ – but rather to foreground an object’s intrinsic potentiality. His works traverse the lines between sculpture and object, movement and remnant, material and memory. Inspired by his studies of repetition and the human churning of industrialization, he replicates the micro-processes of macro-construction. And simultaneously, he moves from the lens of authoritarian power to its dispersion, exploring the transformations that lay in between.
Born 1975, New Delhi, India
Lives and works in New Delhi
Education
AA Diploma – The Architectural Association, London, 2001
Awards
India Today Art Award | New Media Artist 2019-2020
Winner | Reclaiming the Streets, Rotterdam, NL
Solo Shows
2022
-On the Brink | Nature Morte Gallery, Dhan Mill Complex, New Delhi
2019
-1:2500 | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
2016
-MesoDomain | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
2012
-City of Hope – I | Seven Art Gallery . New Delhi
-City of Hope – II | SAA JNU . New Delhi
Group Shows
2024
- ‘Uh homing Fragile Belongings’ | Curated by Deeksha Nath| Exhibit320 New Delhi
-Dtale Archist ll | Bangalore
-Art Mumbai
-Moulding Outlines | Akar Prakar Gallery | New Delhi
-The Armory Show | New York City
-Frieze, London
-Art of India Redux | & Assemblage | Lincoln, Nebraska
-Splinter Puncture Sliver Spall | TRI Kolkata
-India Art Fair | Nature Morte, New Delhi
-Art Dubai | Nature Morte
-Parallel Cities | Italian Delhi Cultural Centre | Curated by Andrea Anastasio
-Parallel Cities 2 | Nature Morte, Bombay | Curated by Andrea Anastasio
2023
-Armory Show | Nature Morte, New York City
-Carter Road | Bandra Bandstand Mumbai Urban Art Festival
-Jaipur Sculpture Park Nahargarh Fort, curated by Peter Nagy
-India Art Fair, New Delhi
2022
-Spaced Out | Art Incept, New Delhi
-AD. design show | Nature Morte, Bombay
-Manicured Techiques | Nature Morte, New Delhi
2021
-Possible Worlds I | viewing room | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
-Possible Worlds II | viewing room | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
-On\Site – Bikaner House, New Delhi
-Classical Radical : Multitudes & Assemblages | Accademia Albertina do Belle Arti, Torino Italy
-SPATIAL Dialogues | Shrine Empire Gallery, New Delhi
2020
-The Future is not fixed – viwing room | Nature Morte, New Delhi
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
-Between the Sheaths | STIR
2019
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
-10 Chairs | Gallery Espace
2018
-Art Basel, Basel | Gallery SKE
-50 Years After 50 Years of the Bauhaus 1968 – Württembergischer Kunstverein | Stuttgart, Germany | Curator Kaiwan Mehta
-Connecting Lines – Bikaner House | Curators- STIR and Art Pilgrim . New Delhi
2017
-Delhi Contemporary Art Weekend
2016
-State of Architecture | National Gallery of Modern Art . Mumbai | Curators – Rahul Mehrotra, Kaiwan Mehta, Ranjit Hoskote
-This Night Bitten Dawn | Devi Art Foundation and Gujral Foundation . New Delhi | Curator – Salima Hashmi
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
-Art Dubai | Dubai
-Art Basel | Hong Kong
2015
-In Other Rooms | GallerySKE . Bangalore
2014
-Delineating Memories | Exhibit 320 . New Delhi
-Make/Do | GallerySKE . New Delhi
-Food | SESC . Sao Paolo | curator – Adelina von Furstenberg
-Homing | Art Positive . New Delhi | curator – Deeksha Nath
2013
-Parallel Postulates | Nature Morte. New Delhi | curator – Peter Nagy
-Lateral | KONA . New Delhi | curator – Heidi Fichtner
-KONA. New Delhi | curator – Sonya Fatah
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
2012
-Matter | Blueprint 12 . New Delhi | curator – Deeksha Nath
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
2010
-Reclaiming the streets | Showroom MAMA . Rotterdam
2009
-Building for Bouwkunde | Delft
2005
-Playgrounds and Toys | Hangar Bicocca . Milan | curator – Adelina von Furstenberg
-Playgrounds and Toys | European Parliament . Brussels | curator – Adelina von Furstenberg
1997
-1 dig KX | Cubbitt Gallery . London
Reviews
-India Today | February 2020
-Domus | February 2020
-Art Illustrated | October 2019
-Domus | September 2019
-The India Express | 4th September 2019
-Inside | July, 2019
-Time Out, Delhi | February 2013
-Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia | Interview with Jyoti Dhar | Issue 6 | Feb-March, 2013
-Time Out. Delhi | October – November, 2012
-The Sunday Guardian | 26th November 2012
-HT Live Mint | 31st March 2012
Virtual Studio
Books
-Food | ed. A von Furstenberg. J Massarenti . D Zachanopolous . J-L Rastoin | Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et
de la Méditerranée. Marseilles |2014
-Food : Reflections on Mother Earth, Agriculture and Nutrition | ed. Adelina von Furstenberg | SESC. Sao Paolo |
2014
-This Side That Side | ed. Vishwajyoti Ghosh | Yoda Press | 2013
-Cyber Mohalla Hub | ed. Niklaus Hirsch . Shveta Sarda | Sternberg Press | 2012
-Reclaiming the streets | Showroom MAMA. Rotterdam | 2010
-1 dig KX | ed. Peter Thomas. Catherine de Toit and Richard Wentworth | Architectural Association Press, London |
1998
Selected Publications – (Architectural)
Books
-Architecture in India since 1990 | Mehrotra Rahul | Pictor Press
-Contemporary Architecture of New Delhi | Khanna . Parhawk | Random House India
-The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture | Phaidon Press
-Atlas Architectures of the 21st Century : Asia & Pacific | Luis Fernandez Galiano
-Asian Design Destinations | Arne Klett . Karen Ballman
-Building for Bouwkunde | Delft Technical University Press
-Architecture in Greece 44/2010 | ed. Alkistis Rodi
-Materials in Architecture | Sandu Press, Beijing
-91 residences – Contemporary Indian Houses | Srinivasan & Venkatesh
Selected periodicals
-Paisea | September 2011 Spain
-Wallpaper | June2011 U.K
-Architect Concept | May 2011 Malaysia
-B-1 | 2010 Thailand
-Wallpaper | July 2008 U.K
-IW Design & Detail | Vol. 65 Korea
-Hinge Vol. 168 | Hong Kong
-BOB. Vol. 168 | Korea
Recent Awards
-India Today Art Award | New Media Artist 2019-2020
-Architectural Digest | Top 50 Designers 2014
-Trends | Editors choice award 2014
-NDTV Architectural Awards | Best Commercial Building 2014
-NDTV Architecture Awards | Best Commercial Interior 2014
-FuturArc (Singapore) | sustainable commercial building citation – 2014
-Construction World | Most innovative Architect 2013
-Construction World | Top ten young architects of India 2012
-Indian Architect and Interiors | Best architects of India 2012
-World Architecture Community Award | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Competitions and Commissions
-Winner | Reclaiming the Streets, Rotterdam, NL
-Commissioned by city of Rotterdam and Showroom MAMA, 2013
-Long list | Buildings for Bouwkunde, Delft, NL
Films
-RIBA – CBS training Film U.K| Polyclinic for the destitute
An architect’s natural preoccupation with space inevitably emerges in his work, not as a challenge to ‘build’ – but rather to foreground an object’s intrinsic potentiality. His works traverse the lines between sculpture and object, movement and remnant, material and memory. Inspired by his studies of repetition and the human churning of industrialization, he replicates the micro-processes of macro-construction. And simultaneously, he moves from the lens of authoritarian power to its dispersion, exploring the transformations that lay in between.
Born 1975, New Delhi, India
Lives and works in New Delhi
Education
AA Diploma – The Architectural Association, London, 2001
Awards
India Today Art Award | New Media Artist 2019-2020
Winner | Reclaiming the Streets, Rotterdam, NL
Solo Shows
2022
-On the Brink | Nature Morte Gallery, Dhan Mill Complex, New Delhi
2019
-1:2500 | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
2016
-MesoDomain | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
2012
-City of Hope – I | Seven Art Gallery . New Delhi
-City of Hope – II | SAA JNU . New Delhi
Group Shows
2024
- ‘Uh homing Fragile Belongings’ | Curated by Deeksha Nath| Exhibit320 New Delhi
-Dtale Archist ll | Bangalore
-Art Mumbai
-Moulding Outlines | Akar Prakar Gallery | New Delhi
-The Armory Show | New York City
-Frieze, London
-Art of India Redux | & Assemblage | Lincoln, Nebraska
-Splinter Puncture Sliver Spall | TRI Kolkata
-India Art Fair | Nature Morte, New Delhi
-Art Dubai | Nature Morte
-Parallel Cities | Italian Delhi Cultural Centre | Curated by Andrea Anastasio
-Parallel Cities 2 | Nature Morte, Bombay | Curated by Andrea Anastasio
2023
-Armory Show | Nature Morte, New York City
-Carter Road | Bandra Bandstand Mumbai Urban Art Festival
-Jaipur Sculpture Park Nahargarh Fort, curated by Peter Nagy
-India Art Fair, New Delhi
2022
-Spaced Out | Art Incept, New Delhi
-AD. design show | Nature Morte, Bombay
-Manicured Techiques | Nature Morte, New Delhi
2021
-Possible Worlds I | viewing room | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
-Possible Worlds II | viewing room | Nature Morte Gallery, New Delhi
-On\Site – Bikaner House, New Delhi
-Classical Radical : Multitudes & Assemblages | Accademia Albertina do Belle Arti, Torino Italy
-SPATIAL Dialogues | Shrine Empire Gallery, New Delhi
2020
-The Future is not fixed – viwing room | Nature Morte, New Delhi
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
-Between the Sheaths | STIR
2019
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
-10 Chairs | Gallery Espace
2018
-Art Basel, Basel | Gallery SKE
-50 Years After 50 Years of the Bauhaus 1968 – Württembergischer Kunstverein | Stuttgart, Germany | Curator Kaiwan Mehta
-Connecting Lines – Bikaner House | Curators- STIR and Art Pilgrim . New Delhi
2017
-Delhi Contemporary Art Weekend
2016
-State of Architecture | National Gallery of Modern Art . Mumbai | Curators – Rahul Mehrotra, Kaiwan Mehta, Ranjit Hoskote
-This Night Bitten Dawn | Devi Art Foundation and Gujral Foundation . New Delhi | Curator – Salima Hashmi
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
-Art Dubai | Dubai
-Art Basel | Hong Kong
2015
-In Other Rooms | GallerySKE . Bangalore
2014
-Delineating Memories | Exhibit 320 . New Delhi
-Make/Do | GallerySKE . New Delhi
-Food | SESC . Sao Paolo | curator – Adelina von Furstenberg
-Homing | Art Positive . New Delhi | curator – Deeksha Nath
2013
-Parallel Postulates | Nature Morte. New Delhi | curator – Peter Nagy
-Lateral | KONA . New Delhi | curator – Heidi Fichtner
-KONA. New Delhi | curator – Sonya Fatah
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
2012
-Matter | Blueprint 12 . New Delhi | curator – Deeksha Nath
-India Art Fair | New Delhi
2010
-Reclaiming the streets | Showroom MAMA . Rotterdam
2009
-Building for Bouwkunde | Delft
2005
-Playgrounds and Toys | Hangar Bicocca . Milan | curator – Adelina von Furstenberg
-Playgrounds and Toys | European Parliament . Brussels | curator – Adelina von Furstenberg
1997
-1 dig KX | Cubbitt Gallery . London
Reviews
-India Today | February 2020
-Domus | February 2020
-Art Illustrated | October 2019
-Domus | September 2019
-The India Express | 4th September 2019
-Inside | July, 2019
-Time Out, Delhi | February 2013
-Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia | Interview with Jyoti Dhar | Issue 6 | Feb-March, 2013
-Time Out. Delhi | October – November, 2012
-The Sunday Guardian | 26th November 2012
-HT Live Mint | 31st March 2012
Virtual Studio
Books
-Food | ed. A von Furstenberg. J Massarenti . D Zachanopolous . J-L Rastoin | Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et
de la Méditerranée. Marseilles |2014
-Food : Reflections on Mother Earth, Agriculture and Nutrition | ed. Adelina von Furstenberg | SESC. Sao Paolo |
2014
-This Side That Side | ed. Vishwajyoti Ghosh | Yoda Press | 2013
-Cyber Mohalla Hub | ed. Niklaus Hirsch . Shveta Sarda | Sternberg Press | 2012
-Reclaiming the streets | Showroom MAMA. Rotterdam | 2010
-1 dig KX | ed. Peter Thomas. Catherine de Toit and Richard Wentworth | Architectural Association Press, London |
1998
Selected Publications – (Architectural)
Books
-Architecture in India since 1990 | Mehrotra Rahul | Pictor Press
-Contemporary Architecture of New Delhi | Khanna . Parhawk | Random House India
-The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture | Phaidon Press
-Atlas Architectures of the 21st Century : Asia & Pacific | Luis Fernandez Galiano
-Asian Design Destinations | Arne Klett . Karen Ballman
-Building for Bouwkunde | Delft Technical University Press
-Architecture in Greece 44/2010 | ed. Alkistis Rodi
-Materials in Architecture | Sandu Press, Beijing
-91 residences – Contemporary Indian Houses | Srinivasan & Venkatesh
Selected periodicals
-Paisea | September 2011 Spain
-Wallpaper | June2011 U.K
-Architect Concept | May 2011 Malaysia
-B-1 | 2010 Thailand
-Wallpaper | July 2008 U.K
-IW Design & Detail | Vol. 65 Korea
-Hinge Vol. 168 | Hong Kong
-BOB. Vol. 168 | Korea
Recent Awards
-India Today Art Award | New Media Artist 2019-2020
-Architectural Digest | Top 50 Designers 2014
-Trends | Editors choice award 2014
-NDTV Architectural Awards | Best Commercial Building 2014
-NDTV Architecture Awards | Best Commercial Interior 2014
-FuturArc (Singapore) | sustainable commercial building citation – 2014
-Construction World | Most innovative Architect 2013
-Construction World | Top ten young architects of India 2012
-Indian Architect and Interiors | Best architects of India 2012
-World Architecture Community Award | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Competitions and Commissions
-Winner | Reclaiming the Streets, Rotterdam, NL
-Commissioned by city of Rotterdam and Showroom MAMA, 2013
-Long list | Buildings for Bouwkunde, Delft, NL
Films
-RIBA – CBS training Film U.K| Polyclinic for the destitute