Baoli Art Sangam, described by its organisers as India’s first stepwell art biennale, has appointed entrepreneur and photographer Allu Sneha Reddy as its Founding Chairperson – Culture & Heritage for the 40-day festival in Hyderabad.
The biennale will bring together more than 200 artists across more than 13 historic stepwells and heritage spaces, using contemporary art, performances and immersive experiences to activate sites associated with the city’s architectural and water-management history.
The festival is scheduled to run from December 1, 2026, to January 10, 2027. The locations named by the organisers include the stepwell at Bansilalpet, Golkonda, Rashtrapati Nilayam and Falaknuma. The programme is intended to turn these heritage locations into public cultural venues while drawing attention to the role of stepwells in Hyderabad’s past.
Stepwells were built as water-management structures as well as architectural spaces. Baoli Art Sangam’s organisers said the festival will use the sites as living galleries, linking their historical significance with present-day artistic expression. The initiative is being positioned as an effort to revive forgotten heritage locations through art, culture and community engagement.
Reddy said she was delighted to join the initiative and looked forward to helping foster a deeper appreciation of Hyderabad’s history and heritage, particularly among younger people. She also described the festival as a meaningful step towards preserving culture and heritage for future generations.
Her appointment gives the biennale a prominent public-facing figure with experience in entrepreneurship, photography and social media. The organisers said her involvement could help broaden participation and bring the festival to younger audiences. The announcement, however, did not provide details of the full artist list, individual installations, visitor arrangements or the permissions and conservation protocols that will govern activities at the participating heritage sites.
Baoli Art Sangam was conceptualised by Kalpana Ramesh of The Rainwater Project and Annapurna Madipadiga of EkChitra. The initiative’s stated objective is to create a cultural dialogue between artists, historians and the public while reinforcing the importance of protecting India’s architectural and water heritage.
The festival’s use of multiple heritage locations will require the cultural programme to operate alongside the conservation needs of the sites. The announcement identifies the participating areas and the festival period but does not specify the agencies responsible for site management, the scale of restoration work, or the arrangements for public access. Those details will determine how the event interacts with Hyderabad’s existing heritage infrastructure.
The organisers have said the festival will activate around 13 historic stepwells and heritage sites across the city. Further programme details are expected before the biennale begins on December 1, 2026.
