Through The Looking Glass

And the reason behind this whirlwind of activity is that Kathiwada is dead serious about her commitment to contemporary art and art education. quot;Our first 16 shows are non-sale ones. The primary intention is to provide great viewing pleasure and in turn, educate people about art,quot; says Kathiwada.

So, in the first year there will be shows that exhibithistorically-important works by artists like Ganesh Pyne his exhibition opens first, Jamini Roy, F N Souza, Somnath Hore and A Ramachandran.

The Window also intends to harness the secondary market of art. Its functioning will go much beyond that of having shows and taking a percentage of the proceeds from the artist.

quot;We are going to buy art which is important in its historical and aesthetic value and keep it in a circulatory stock,quot; says Kathiwada. These selective non-exhibition works will also be for sale and she intends to build trust in her buyers through Window8217;s discerning eye for art.

But there was a time, when Kathiwada herself wasn8217;t looking too keenly at Indian contemporary art. quot;It was during the late 8217;80s when I was too busy with crafts and I also began to feel that the contemporary art scene was becoming, perhaps, a little superficial. But it was my own short-sightedness and inability to appreciate what was going on behind that lull,quot; she says.

What threw her back into contemporary artwas Tuli8217;s HEART auction. Seeing how creatively she had used the space in Melange, Tuli asked her to design the auction8217;s exhibition. quot;His approach to art is completely knowledge- based and looking at it from that point of view, I got engrossed again,quot; she says.

By virtue of geography, the gallery8217;s size was predetermined 8212; it had to be small. But still the space had caught Kathiwada8217;s eye. Smack next to Melange, the first sight of the window is captivating. The room is just four square walls with no opening except a tiny glass window which beckons, invitingly. When you move toward it, a side door appears and the inside, says Kathiwada, is designed to making viewing art a meditative process.

She doesn8217;t think that the shortage of space will be a significant hindrance due to the design and choice of work. quot;A space can be inspiring too. And we will show works which will go with the gallery,quot; she says.

Kathiwada hopes to break even four years down the line but what she is more keen to do is get a greaternumber of people looking at Indian art, through her window.