Nestled in the heart of Ballygunge, Kolkata, TRI Art & Culture inhabits a heritage property that has long been part of the city’s living history. For nearly seventy years, the building served as a private residence, its walls holding the memories of everyday life. In 2018, when this flatiron property on Hazra Road became vacant, siblings Varun and Nitasha Thapar saw an opportunity to transform a place of personal history into a public home for art, creativity, and community.

With its unique triangular shape, the building itself became a metaphor for TRI’s mission – a space that triangulates creativity, curiosity, and community to develop an artistically nourished society. Drawing from their own formative experiences in Kolkata, Varun and Nitasha envisioned a space that would welcome the city’s residents and visitors alike, providing room to explore, tri, and discover multiple creative disciplines across open formats, all free of cost.

Partnering with Open to Sky Architects, they reimagined the interiors while preserving the building’s character. Private rooms became galleries, window shutters transformed into sliding doors, and a library once meant for quiet study was reinvented as a public exhibition space. Every corner invites wonder and comfort, offering a sensory and spatial dialogue between the heritage of the building and the contemporary practices it now houses.

Today, TRI Art & Culture is a living testament to Kolkata’s rich cultural legacy, inviting visitors to explore the intersections of visual, performing, culinary, and literary arts, alongside social and research practices. The property’s history and transformation serve as the foundation for its curatorial programme, where the city’s stories, its people, and its creative potential come together to inspire.