Bridging the gap between Indian contemporary art and Chennai

(Left) Untitled work by Rabina Mandal, (Right) A self-portrait by Tito Stanley SJ. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The gallery of the Alliance Française of Madras is practically unrecognizable today; The white cube has been transformed with deep red and black walls and faux floors to mimic the home of art collector and entrepreneur Jaiveer Johal. After all, perhaps only a quarter of Jayveer’s prized personal art collection hangs on these walls today.

In a well-curated show titled Unitetitled by Anish Gawande, the Chennai art collector has displayed a piece of himself in a series of unconventional paintings collected by him.

Untitled! This is a cross section of the finest Indian contemporary art that needs to be seen.

Rekha Rodvitiya’s South African Pancha Tantra Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The depiction here is not in its most traditional attire. Be it FN Souza’s Volvox Head, a fractured face in soothing blues or Dhruv Mistry’s Here You Are, a recumbent figure reflecting organized chaos, the collection questions convention. “We wanted to start with the familiar and extend the conversation to the unfamiliar. This show is not designed for art lovers. This image is very familiar to people, so we thought, why not start with that?” Jaiveer says.

Here, you can sit on a 200 kg concrete bench created by artist Atul Dodiya in memory of pioneering Indian contemporary artist Bhupen Khakar, and look at his almost transparent and fluid, yet colorful work from across the wall. Or you can take a closer look at a miniature painting that depicts the hero holding hands with the people around him, exploring the history of touch, a rarity in this genre. Or Rekha Rodvitiya’s gorgeous 2018 canvas that encapsulates the ephemeral world, reminiscent of contemporary times and influences.

FN Souza’s Volvox Head | Photo courtesy: Dinesh Kumar ji

The exhibit also marks the first show of the Chennai-based Avatar Foundation for the Arts, founded by Jaiveer, which seeks to bring Indian contemporary art to Chennai and from there to other parts of the country.

“We have a great history and living tradition of cinema, music and theatre, especially in Tamil Nadu, but there is a gap when it comes to visual arts. If you want to see great modern and contemporary art, you either have to know a collector or leave the city,” says Jaiveer. The foundation was born out of this need for dialogue. For Madras, from Madras: that’s the motto.

Creating a culture around good quality art and a conversation around it is the first step, says Jaiveer. “That’s why I chose my collection, apart from that element of narcissism (laughs), that’s just because it was the easiest in terms of logistics. The point was to get people interested and start a conversation,” says Jaiveer. And that’s what happened. More than 1,000 people attended the week-long show ending today. The plan is to host a show once a year and eventually show borrowed items as well.

“It is a personal collection to be kept at home. Once you take such pieces and put them in a white cube space, they may lose meaning. We wanted to create a sense of intimacy because objects are intimate,” says Jaiveer about the decision to change the location. Mumbai-based interior stylist Sameer Wadekar was roped in as the exhibition designer for the project.

Jaiveer says that he collects aesthetically, he collects what inspires him. “It’s a process based on what emotion the work evokes, which then, involves a lot of research on the artist and their values ​​and practice because this is serious money!”

Speaking from across Bhupen Kakkar’s canvas A Man Smelling a Flower, a favorite of the moment, he says, “To my left is [RM] Palaniappan’s excerpt from the Berlin series [inspired by his visit to Germany and the Reichstag at Berlin]Who has spoken to me equally. It’s very difficult to choose your children.”

Avatar Foundation’s next major show is an invited project for the Chennai Photo Biennale that brings together Manisha Gera Baswani’s Artists Through the Lens series which documents several Indian contemporary artists in their workspaces which opens at Raw Mango on 17 January.

Untitled! It is on view till December 19 from 10 am to 5 pm at Espace 24 Gallery in Alliance Française, Madras.

Untitled work by Saskia Pintelon Photo Credit: Special Arrangement