The modern nation-states of South Asia were born from rupture—but in the archives of memory and migration, the region exists not as a divided bloc, but as a shared terrain of gestures, urgencies, and expression. We Were Always Neighbours begins from that understanding. It is not a regional showcase; it is a quiet act of resistance against the idea that identities must be defined by the lines drawn between us. It is an offering from a region constantly in tension, yet bound together by shared imaginaries, histories, griefs, and radical acts of making.

Curated by Sahil Arora (Gallery Director, Method) for Asia NOW 2025, We Were Always Neighbours brings together emerging artists from India and Pakistan into a common space of artistic and cultural kinship. It proposes a borderless corridor, one shaped not by politics or policy, but by gesture, form, and the desire to speak across imposed silence. The title holds a truth so obvious it feels radical: that before we were divided, we were connected. It is this sentiment the project seeks to translate into a living, breathing section of the Monnaie de Paris—through painting, sculpture, performance, and installation.

The Corridor in the fairs Third Space section brings together the intimate, the surreal, and the symbolic through the works of Fatima Kaleem and Shamir Iqtidar from Pakistan; and Shivangi Kalra, Gargi Chandola, Darshika Singh, and Viraj Khanna from India. Through paintings and small sculptures, these artists chart internal geographies—feminine spaces, ornamentation, mythologies, and acts of quiet resistance—forming a layered, plural cartography of neighbouring imaginaries.

Beyond the gallery walls, site-specific installations unfold across the Monnaie de Paris. Works by Tarini Sethi, Sehaj Malik, Kunel Gaur, Mohd. Intiyaz, Sajid Wajid Shaikh, and Jibran Shahid respond to the site through architectural memory, gesture, material, and scale—turning corridors and courtyards into spaces of both disruption and reflection. Many of the works will arrive folded in suitcases—unstretched canvases, drawings on paper, and small, portable objects that carry within them the intimacy of handwork and the urgency of youth. Others will be larger and site-specific, created in collaboration with like-minded galleries across the region. Some will be ephemeral: bodies in motion, rituals of sound, live gestures that exist only in the moment and leave no trace.

This curated project also reflects the collaborative spirit at the heart of Method’s practice. Several artists are presented in association with like-minded spaces across the globe, including Rajiv Menon Contemporary (Los Angeles), Tao Art Gallery (Mumbai), and Art Manzil (nomadic)—extending the conversation beyond geography, into networks of support, dialogue, and co-imagination.

France, with its long and often overlooked history of engagement with South Asia—through film, diplomacy, literature, and cultural exchange—has maintained a capacity to hold dialogue even when formal politics fall silent. From the days of Pondicherry to the present, it has hosted artists, writers, and thinkers from across the subcontinent, creating room for plurality to unfold in public view. We Were Always Neighbours continues in this spirit. It gathers emerging practices that speak many languages—visually, politically, emotionally—yet carry within them a shared impulse: to reach across borders and remain in relation.

Sahil Arora, founder of Method, notes:
“We Were Always Neighbours is rooted in an ethos of connection—across borders, across practices, across disciplines. Asia NOW’s commitment to host a presentation of this nature, with a spotlight on young emerging voices is remarkable and a refreshing change from traditional industry practices.”