The Flying Canvas is now in service across the Air India Express network, operating over 60 domestic and international destinations.
At 35,000 feet, art has found a new home. Air India Express has unveiled The Flying Canvas – a Boeing 737-8 aircraft (VT-BWV) wrapped entirely in an original contemporary artwork – marking a bold and historic first for Indian aviation. The initiative is the most ambitious expression yet of the airline’s celebrated Tales of India series, and the result of a landmark collaboration with internationally recognised artist Osheen Siva and India’s premier contemporary art platform, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
A Moving Cultural Installation
The artwork adorning the aircraft is no ordinary livery. Created by Osheen Siva – a multidisciplinary artist celebrated for her practice that weaves together heritage, identity, and speculative futures – the design features a Tamil figure carrying memory and tradition into the future, embellished with traditional motifs that speak of lineage, continuity, and cultural pride. As the aircraft crosses over 60 destinations, it becomes what is arguably India’s fastest-moving cultural installation – a gallery without walls, cruising at altitude.
“Art is one of the most powerful universal languages – it transcends borders, cultures, and geographies to connect people in ways few things can,” said Siddhartha Butalia, Chief Marketing Officer, Air India Express. “With The Flying Canvas, we are literally taking that idea to the skies, transforming an aircraft into a moving expression of living cultural identity.”
Rooted in a Tradition of Storytelling
The Flying Canvas is the latest – and most striking – chapter in Air India Express’ long tradition of turning its fleet into a showcase of India’s artistic and cultural legacy. From tail art inspired by Raja Ravi Varma’s iconic paintings to motifs drawn from Kathakali, Kathak, and Bharatnatyam, the airline has long used its aircraft as a canvas for national storytelling.
When the airline refreshed its brand identity in October 2023, it launched the Tales of India initiative – a series under which every new aircraft in its rapidly expanding fleet features a unique artistic design inspired by indigenous crafts, textiles, and traditions, including Kalamkari, Bandhani, Kanjivaram, and Banarasi weaves. The Flying Canvas takes that vision further than ever before, extending the art from the tail to the entire aircraft.
Art That Takes Flight – Literally
The collaboration is an extension of Air India Express’ multi-year partnership with the Kochi-Muziris Biennale – India’s first and largest international contemporary art exhibition. During the previous Biennale edition, the airline had unveiled a bespoke tail art on one of its Boeing aircraft, laying the groundwork for this deeper, full-aircraft artistic engagement in the 2025–26 edition.
Thomas Varghese, CEO of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, captured the spirit of the moment: “The Kochi-Muziris Biennale has always been a celebration of art transcending boundaries – bringing contemporary practice out of galleries and into the everyday lives of people. Through this association with Air India Express, that vision literally takes flight. As this aircraft traverses destinations far and wide, it carries with it the soul of indigenous culture and the vibrancy of contemporary art – a journey that reminds us that art, like flight itself, has the power to connect the world.”
For a nation whose cultural tapestry is as vast as its geography, The Flying Canvas is more than an aircraft livery. It is a statement – that India’s art belongs not just in galleries and museums, but in the open skies, visible to every eye that looks up.
