In most Indian art schools, the world outside might as well not exist. The curriculum begins and ends within the institution’s walls. Students graduate into an art world they have never been shown, let alone prepared for.

There are no structured internships with galleries or museums. No field trips to major exhibitions or art fairs. No sessions on how to write an artist statement, apply for a residency, or price a work. Many students finish their degrees without ever visiting a biennale or talking to a working gallerist.

This isolation has consequences. Graduates are left to figure out the professional landscape on their own, often stumbling through years of trial and error. Some never bridge the gap and fade from practice altogether. Others leave the country to study again — paying for an education that could have been provided the first time.

The disconnect isn’t just about the art market. It is also about discourse. Students are rarely exposed to contemporary debates in art, whether local or global. Issues like climate activism, digital rights, or indigenous knowledge systems are shaping art elsewhere, yet barely register in the classroom.

The fix requires more than the occasional guest talk. Internships and external projects should be mandatory parts of the degree. Faculty should bring in curators, critics, and collectors for sustained engagement, not one-off appearances. Schools should partner with residencies and artist-run spaces to create pathways from graduation into the field.

An art school’s job is not only to teach its students how to make art but how to live as artists. Without that, the campus becomes a bubble. And bubbles always burst the moment you step outside.