Renu Modi learned all about scale, light, shadow and angles from MF Hussain. In fact, it was the great artist who encouraged him to open his own art gallery in Delhi 35 years ago. Husain named it Gallery Espace, designed its logo with his distinctive horse, and ensured that the first exhibition in 1989 was of his autobiographical watercolours.
Not surprisingly, he also designed her house at that time. A day before the exhibition opened, Hussain invited his friends to Modi’s house for an informal preview. “People used to tell me that you have powerful friends,” she recalls laughing, adding that he was just a loyal friend.
Renu Modi and MF Hussain
painting walls and having fun
As a self-taught gallerist with no formal education in art, Modi, 67, has always trusted his intuition – and the relationships he formed with artists like Hussain helped shape his approach. On Gallery Space’s 35th anniversary, she looks back at a large roster of notable, art shows Add as (informal discussions on the sidelines of exhibitions), and new talents. Prominent names like Manjunath Kamath and Subodh Gupta started their artistic careers in his gallery. “Pakistani artist Talha Rathod exhibited for the first time in India in our gallery, as did Ali Kazim,” she says, recalling his layered, textured watercolours.
One of their biggest shows, self and world (1997), directed by art critic Gayatri Sinha, brought together 16 Indian female artists ranging from Amrita Shergill to Anjali Ila Menon. Modi shared how it was the result of several discussions with artistes like Manjeet Bawa and Hussain about the need to showcase more women.
But he enjoyed the shows most that were more spontaneous. In 2010, when Kamath asked her if he could paint on the gallery walls and turn it into a mini studio, she agreed. “We had that kind of understanding,” she says. Artists like Chitra Ganesh and Ishita Chakraborty have also used these walls to create art.
Working at Manjeet Bawa Gallery
a new ecosystem
Over the years, Modi has been a witness and active participant in the evolution of the Indian art ecosystem – from a time when “art was not really seen as an investment; It did not exist as a market”, to the present day when collectors are well informed, thanks to increased travel, spending power and exposure through “the amount of information available online”.
She says the presence of young gallerists, artists and trained curators is also contributing to the change. His ongoing exhibition, ancestral futurePart of their anniversary celebrations, is a good example. Swiss curator Damien Christinger not only provides a retrospective of the gallery’s journey, but also looks towards the future through contemporary art practices. Comment on the present – “Sonia Mehra Chawla showcases the post-colonial tea and jute industry of Bengal; Ravi Aggarwal looks at our changing environment” – and shares a story from the past.
A photo installation by Sonia Mehra Chawla ancestral future
Artwork by Ravi Aggarwal
For example, Christinger invited artists to re-imagine a 1989 poster for Hussain’s show. One wall is dedicated to its various interpretations: from the deconstruction of Delhi-based photography studio Maze Collective Studio, where founder-artist Ashish Sahu created it to a woman dressed as Gaja Gamini (the protagonist of Hussain’s eponymous film starring Madhuri Dixit). Added with images. To visual artist Uzma Mohsin, who cut up the poster and combined it with other images, including Hussain’s face.
Hussain’s original poster from 1989
Reimagined versions of the poster
Gayatri K Sinha’s curation for the anniversary, memory areaReflecting the gallery’s ‘transformative journey in Indian contemporary art’. From Anupam Sood and Sudarshan Shetty to Madan Lal and Nagji Patel, the lineup includes 38 artists whose contributions have been vital to the impact and vision of the gallery space.
How to identify an artist
Modi says she still trusts intuition. However, she says that intuition also comes from honing her eyes over the years. “The market is not my focus in selecting an artiste. I see what they have done and what they are doing. I look at their drawing practice and their thought process, and ask, ‘Why are they doing what they’re doing?'”
Renu Modi
In this digital age, when there are so many avenues, he believes galleries are still the most important link – because they represent and propel artists forward. “Once Hussein and I were in Dubai, and he said to me, ‘I don’t need any of you [galleries]But what you all did for me when I was growing up is something I couldn’t have done on my own. This is still true.
The Delhi-based writer covers art, culture, theatre, food and travel.
published – November 29, 2024 at 10:30 am IST
