Gallery Espace Cemented its Place Among India’s Foremost Art Spaces
Gallery Espace opened its doors in 1989 with an exhibition of autobiographical watercolours by legendary Modernist painter MF Husain, who also designed the gallery’s iconic galloping horse logo. The Husain imprimatur drew attention, marking the fledgling gallery as a significant new entrant in the world of Indian art.
A Brief History of Gallery Espace
In the 1990s, Gallery Espace blazed a trail with several ambitious, large-format exhibitions such as ‘Drawing ’94,’ ‘Sculpture ’95,’ ‘Miniprint ’96,’ and ‘The Self and The World (1997),’ which brought together 16 Indian women artists from Amrita Sher-Gil to Anjolie Ela Menon, and was held at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. These were landmark exhibitions, and are spoken of even today for being institution-like in their disinterested objective of increasing general awareness of contemporary art and sparking critical and commercial interest in overlooked genres, categories and artists.
In the decades to come, the Gallery further secured its reputation for innovative, eclectic programming and for promoting fresh talent, experimental art practices and art-historical exegesis. Established by Renu Modi, the gallery was among the first to invite curators to present shows, a practice that has now become de rigueur. It was also among the earliest to look beyond India’s borders and showcase international art – Alberto Cavazos (1992), Parvaneh Etemadi (1995), Talha Rathore (1998), and Jagath Weerasinghe, Anura Krishantha and Pala Pothupitiye (2012).
Gallery Espace also encourages critical discourse around art with art addas, and informal discussions held alongside exhibitions. It has also published several critical publications. Some of these publications, such as the catalogues of Drawing ’94 and Transits of a Wholetimer – J. Swaminathan: 1950-1969 (2012), are much sought-after by scholars and curators today.
Gallery Espace has worked with several generations of Indian artists over the past 35 years – close to 500 at last count – serving as a bridge between the Modernists led by Husain, the generation that followed – Manjit Bawa, J. Swaminathan, Jeram Patel, Nagji Patel, Nilima Sheikh and Zarina – and contemporary practitioners, among whom feature several leading mid-career artists as well as emerging ones whose experimental practices are extending the vocabulary of Indian art in new directions.
Renu Modi, Founder/Director of Gallery Espace commented, “We are proud to have spent 35 years fostering creativity, promoting dialogue, and expanding horizons in the world of contemporary art. Our journey has been marked by collaborations, pioneering exhibitions, and a deep commitment to artistic expression. For the past 35 years, our gallery has been driven by a singular vision: to redefine the art experience by championing innovation and embracing the unconventional. We don’t just showcase art; we cultivate a dialogue between the unexpected and the extraordinary, setting ourselves apart by pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and inspiring a new way of seeing the world.”
‘Ancestral Futures’ at Gallery Espace
With its 35th revolution around the sun, Gallery Espace continues to push boundaries with its interdisciplinary approach, international collaborations, and critical publications. To celebrate a new year, they’ve organised year-long programming, starting with ‘Ancestral Futures,’ an exhibition curated by Damien Christinger. Christinger is a Swiss curator renowned for his insightful approach to contemporary art curation. His exhibitions are celebrated for their intellectual depth, creative vision, and ability to transcend cultural boundaries. Through this curation, Christinger aims to provoke thought, spark dialogue, and challenge perceptions. The exhibition will look back at the old gallery’s 35-year-old history, juxtaposing it with art practices of the future. It will run at Gallery Espace from October 18 to December 12, 2024.
The participating artists include Arunkumar HG, Ashish Sahoo, Ashok Ahuja, Harendra Kushwaha, Ishita Chakraborty, Nandini Bagla Chirimar, Maze Collective, Michael Guenzberger, Ravi Agarwal, Sharad Sonkusale, Sonia Mehra Chawla, Ujjal Dey and Ursula Biemann.
Damien Christinger says, “How do we celebrate the history of an art gallery that helped to shape the Indian art scene from 35 years ago until today? Or to ask this more generally: How do we bring our pasts into the future? Shared stories, individual experiences, cultural expressions, ideas of progress promised, fulfilled, or broken, dreams of achievements and growth. We can’t just dwell on the past, but the sole orientation towards the future might also blind us to what exists around us in the present. Ancestral Futures (a term first coined by Brazilian thinker Ailton Krenak) envisions possibilities of bringing these contradictions together. The concept of ‘ancestral futures’ intertwines the past, present, and future, positing that ancestral histories profoundly influence our understanding of time and identity. This idea provides a rich tapestry for creative expression, prompting artists to engage with their heritage while imagining the possibilities. This exhibition explores the significance of ancestral futures in art, reflecting on how artists utilize their cultural narratives to challenge contemporary issues and envision hopeful trajectories.”
Renu Modi, adds, “Ancestral Futures is a unique show that looks at the gallery’s past in light of the art being practised in contemporary times. Damian (Christinger)’s curatorial premise for the show offers an outside view of Gallery Espace’s history, indeed that of contemporary Indian art over the past 35 years. While rooted in an Indian aesthetic, the Gallery has always taken pride in being ahead of the times, be it with the two editions of Video Wednesdays, which were the first sustained video art programme by an Indian gallery. Take Harendra Kushwaha, who works with paper – a medium that the Gallery has long championed. His artwork in the show is a large mobile that hangs in the atrium space, which extends his practice in new directions. Similarly, Arunkumar HG will showcase in the new ‘project space’ on the floor above his new body of work featuring a series of lenticular prints that address the environmental degradation of the Western Ghats.”
Image Courtesy – Gallery Espace
