From biscuit tins to toothpaste dreams, the Ad Art Exhibition at IGNCA offered more than nostalgia, says Neelam Gupta.
From biscuit tins to toothpaste dreams, the Ad Art Exhibition at IGNCA offered more than nostalgia—it marked a cultural recognition of Indian advertising as a legitimate art form. Celebrating advertisements from 1950 to 1990, this first-of-its-kind exhibition captured the evolution of marketing, creativity and society over four transformative decades.
Organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi, the Ad Art Exhibition held from March 25, 2025 to April 4, 2025 received such an overwhelming response that its run was extended by a week. Curated by Iqbal Rizvi and supported by IGNCA the exhibition showcased a treasure trove of vintage ads. It recognized advertising not just as commercial messaging, but as a dynamic and evolving art form that has shaped popular culture and societal narratives in India.
“The world is progressing through advertising,” said Dr Sachchidanand Joshi, IGNCA’s member secretary, in his inaugural message. He questioned why, in a field brimming with artistic diversity and innovation, advertising should not be celebrated as a distinct art form. “Advertising is not just a film. It is an independent and evolved creative discipline,” he affirmed. The exhibition was a significant step toward archiving India’s advertising history. Joshi emphasized the urgent need for systematic documentation of this field, citing how advertising reflects social change—such as the decline of fairness cream ads and the normalization of sanitary pad commercials—yet remains under-documented.
A Curator’s Journey
Iqbal Rizvi began collecting vintage ads while working on a film archive project at IGNCA. “While browsing through old magazines, I discovered rare ads that felt like cultural gems,” he shared. What started as an idea for a book soon grew into something bigger when Joshi expressed his own longstanding interest in preserving ad films and print ads. Though some material had already been handed over to the Film Archives of India, Rizvi got the green light to begin curating what would become the Ad Art Exhibition.
His year-long research unearthed a wealth of material from magazines and print sources, which formed the backbone of this unique showcase. The 1950–1990 timeline was chosen simply because it offered the richest and most complete collection.
Rizvi added that this is only the beginning—future phases of the project aim to archive newer styles, mediums and regional advertising trends to build a comprehensive national repository.
Beyond the Gallery
Anurag Punetha, media controller at IGNCA, spoke about the institution’s broader vision. “This isn’t just about collecting old ads,” he said. “We are building India’s first structured archive of advertising creativity.” Through exhibitions, interactive experiences, and scholarly discussions, IGNCA hopes to create a world-class resource for researchers, professionals, and students alike.
The goal is global: to ensure that Indian advertising receives recognition on par with Bollywood and Indian literature on international platforms, including universities, museums and advertising forums. IGNCA invites industry veterans, copywriters, designers and brand custodians to contribute to and help shape this living archive.
Global Inspiration
The IGNCA initiative echoes similar movements abroad. For instance, the Ad Art Show in New York—launched by Sotheby’s seven years ago—has drawn increasing attention from the international art world. It celebrates creatives who began their careers in advertising and now command respect as fine artists. As Joshi pointed out, IGNCA’s project might be modest in comparison, but it is undoubtedly on the right path.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Walking through the exhibition felt like flipping through the collective childhood of a generation. One visitor shared how seeing the JB Mangharam biscuits ad brought back vivid memories. “The excitement I felt as a child when my father brought home those colourful biscuit tins returned in an instant. The biscuits—each in a different shape—were as unforgettable as the box itself, which was never discarded but reused for storing needles, threads, even jewellery. That’s the kind of emotional connection advertising creates.”
Another captivating piece featured a rustic character smoking a hookah, dreaming of a better solution—Binaca toothpaste. With the bold tagline “Smoker’s Dream,” the ad cleverly linked oral care with habit, a bold move for 1954. “I’ve seen many Binaca ads over the years, but this one was truly striking in its storytelling,” said the visitor. The exhibition also showcased the evolution of iconic brands. From Lux soap’s long-standing tradition offeaturing film stars—from Devika Rani to modern divas— to Bata shoes and Cherry Blossom polish adapting to fashion trends, each ad reflected its era’s aspirations and aesthetics. A 1969 DCM ad titled “Fashion Mein Kranti” showed a young Zeenat Aman, gun in hand, symbolizing a bold, new wave of confident Indian women—long before she became a Bollywood icon.
More than an art show, Ad Art is a cultural timemachine—bringing back long-lost memories while alsocharting the rise of a powerful industry that shaped how India saw itself and the world. It reminds us that advertising is more than persuasion; it is reflection, aspiration, and art rolled into one. And perhaps, as this exhibition rightly suggests, it’s time we start preserving it as such.
About the author: Neelam Gupta is an author and bilingual senior journalist. Her writeups have appeared in dailies like Indian Express and Jansatta.
