Inside out

For Kalpana Shah, Taoâ€™s first anniversary show, Ashtanayak, turned out to be historic, to say the least.An evening spe...

For Kalpana Shah, Taoâ€™s first anniversary show, Ashtanayak, turned out to be historic, to say the least.
An evening spent with self-taught artist Bal Chabda provided the seed for the show. â€œOn March 16, last year, I decided on this idea for the anniversary show. That was the day Chabda told me about the 1950s when all the eight artistes Akbar Padamsee, Krishen Khanna, M F Husain, Tyeb Mehta, S H Raza, V S Gaitonde, Ram Kumar and Chabda himself had spent time together, supporting and encouraging each other. I was very touched with their experiences how they used to wait for each other before buying and sharing a cuppa, how they lent a critique to each otherâ€™s work and supported Chabda when he started to paint,â€ she says.

Enthused with the idea, Shah proceeded to enlist the support of the other artistes to begin on her project.
â€œI immediately faxed SH Raza, with whom I have been associated for quite some time, explaining him the concept. At that time, the gallery was just one-and-a-half months old. When Raza expressed his pleasure about the project, I went back to Bal Chabda requesting him to share it with the other artists. He did not have much trouble because since the â€˜50s he has been the cementing factor among the artists. During that time he had supported everyone, exhibiting their works at Gallery 59 which he opened on Warden Road in the Bhulabhai Institute premises for two years, before he himself destroyed it because of differences with the management,â€ says Shah. They let the gallery out for dance rehearsals, says Chabda, in spite of being warned. Some artists then removed their paintings which was very humiliating for Chabda, and he then destroyed the gallery himself.

With every artist responding positively, the project took up the colour of a group effort.
â€œI am always interacting with the artists whose works Taoexhibits, so that each exhibition is a personal affair,â€ says Shah. But for this show, the level of interaction took place on a different level. M F Hussain designed the catalogue, Krishen Khanna wrote the text and Bal Chabda hung each painting himself in the gallery. â€œWe were all working together for the show, everyone was in action making Ashtanayak the result of a collaborative effort of all those involved with it the artists and the gallery,â€ she adds. An interaction between the artists and students of art has been planned for later in the month.
â€œArt schools are happy with our approach in taking art beyond the gallery walls. We put up notices in the schools and by word of mouth the dates for the interactions and discussions spread. These sessions are open for the public as well,â€ says Shah.

Story continues below this ad

A year old, how does Shah plan to guard her gallery against degeneration in a city which is choc-a-block with such exhibition studios?
â€œI would prefer to close down the gallery than use it to exhibit salwar kameezes,â€ she insists and adds, â€œI think my determination, will power and love of art will guard the gallery from degenration. And in the last one year, Tao has proved itself with its exhibits showcasing both senior and young artists. I donâ€™t think it can be compared with other galleries. It (the gallery) will be the way I manage it.â€

And as if to prove that, Shah reveals the plans for the entire year for Tao…
â€œIn April, we have a calligraphy show exhibiting the works of top eight calligraphic artists. Then we have five shows from July to December which will showcase works of 120 artists from different regions of the country: East, West, North, South and Central. I have five curators, one for each region, to curate the show. I thought of this concept for two years. It would be a good way to get to know the art of different regions. When I discussed the idea with a couple of close friends, they agreed that it was a beautiful idea if each region is handled well,â€ concludes Shah.

Nilanjana Sengupta
(Ashtanayak will be on view at Tao Art Gallery till February 28 from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm)