Hyundai Motor India Supports Artists as Changemakers on World Art Day 2025

As part of World Art Day 2025 celebrations, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) demonstrated its ongoing commitment to India's artistic community through the flagship program 'Hyundai Art for Hope'. Since 2021, this program has developed into a nation-wide platform recognizing and sponsoring artists who bring about social change through their art. With a collective support of INR 1.65 crore provided to over 150 artists and collectives in four seasons, the initiative has impacted over 25,000 artists in India, highlighting the role of art in sustainability, inclusivity, and cultural heritage.

The event is in line with UNESCO's global vision of World Art Day, marked on April 15 every year. The day has been dedicated to honoring the role of art in promoting innovation, creativity, and critical thinking. By choosing this date, the birthday anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci, UNESCO wants to acknowledge the contribution of artists from all disciplines and traditions. Hyundai’s campaign builds on this foundation, backing creators who use their craft to address pressing environmental, cultural, and social issues. The latest season focused heavily on accessibility, awareness, and community engagement, reflecting Hyundai’s broader aim of fostering human progress.

The fourth season of ‘Hyundai Art for Hope’ awarded INR 60 lakh in grants to 50 recipients, which included 40 individual artists—five of whom were artists with disabilities—and 10 artistic collectives. The season was not limited to grant distribution; it included a three-day event wherein interactive sessions, educational panels, and inclusive exhibitions were combined. Art-making workshops from waste and special exhibitions for the visually impaired indicated the accessibility component of the project. Through them, HMIF emphasized the practical potential of art to educate, empower, and bring people together, as against being just an aesthetic exercise.

One of the highlights of the year came from Maharashtra, where seven artists used their work to access urgent local and global issues. Rokesh Patil's installation Maji Boat consisted of sculptures underwater to access the connection between maritime systems and beach inhabitants. In another compelling project, Pratik Jadhav used puppetry to introduce tribal children to traditional knowledge systems in order to engage the next generation in terms of heritage. Payal Rokade's textile art piece Rebirth addressed the environmental devastation caused by the fast fashion movement. Tiny Tales Theatre Company, however, reworked the traditional dance form Lavani as a tool to narrate the stories of marginalized communities.

The remaining works that stole the spotlight were Rohit Suresh Varekar's wooden sculptures, Fragments of Time, which reflected on the disappearing essence of age-old practices and Nagesh Ambadas Kanade's oceanic waste installation that highlighted the danger of pollution caused by human activity. These works revealed how tradition and modern concerns could be employed to open up discussions on change, identity, and environment.

Beyond Maharashtra, artists from various regions including Delhi and Karnataka contributed to this year's narrative, making the initiative a pan-India celebration of resilience and expression. Some focused on urban stories through graffiti and mural art, while others brought neurodiverse perspectives into mainstream art platforms. The initiative also stressed the importance of creating art spaces that are accessible to everyone, reflecting Hyundai’s wider mission of progressing humanity through inclusive actions.

As World Art Day 2025 stimulates conversations around the globe on the role of art in society, Hyundai Motor India's consistent investment in the creative economy is more than an emblematic move. By declaring artists as forces of change and offering them institutional support, the 'Hyundai Art for Hope' program has become a constant presence in the cultural landscape of India. It confirms the belief that corporate social responsibility can evolve into long-term partnerships that build capacity, awareness, and community resilience through arts.

Source/Credits: Hyundai Motor India Foundation
Original Press Release Date: April 15, 2025