Asked how she first got interested in visual arts, Geetha Mehra of Sakshi Gallery recalls, “Hanging out with students at the Madras Art College, I became fascinated by artists and their vision of the world. That’s how it all began.” Mehra studied the history of fine arts at Madras University and opened her first gallery in 1986 in her native Chennai followed by Bangalore. Soon, both cities “started feeling small” and Bombay beckoned. Mehra, who also ran spaces in Pune and Taipei for a time, was initially dismissed by Bombay's cognoscenti as a “spring chicken.” Not only did she survive, but she thrived. This year marks Sakshi Gallery’s 40th year in the business. Quite unexpectedly, she ended up being a “witness” to the highs and lows of Indian contemporary art over the years. “That I'm still standing four decades on is my greatest achievement,” smiles Mehra (70), as she gears up to unveil her gallery’s commemorative exhibition at the Travancore Palace in New Delhi.
The recently opened Of Being and Becoming promises a power-packed retrospective that will take visitors down memory lane while offering a tantalising glimpse into the next frontiers. Curated by Manan Shah, the exhibition will bring together different generations of artists under one roof — all the marquee names the gallery has worked with since its inception, from Vivan Sundaram and Rekha Rodwittiya to Gulam Mohammed Sheikh and Shilpa Gupta. New Delhi holds a special place for Mehra and Of Being and Becoming is equally a tribute to one of her favourite cities.
When Mehra began her career in 1986, the art world was a small village, as opposed to the global behemoth it is today. Much has changed, but still not enough for her to forget why she entered the field in the first place. The market, she concedes, has never particularly bothered her because she has, time and again, put her heart before her head. “For me, art is and has been driven by a sense of wonderment, belief and fantasy — sometimes unsettling (as it should be), but always haunting,” muses the gallerist.
In a wide-ranging (often, nostalgic) chat with Robb Report India, Mehra reflects on the changing art market, shares anecdotes and milestone moments from her 40-year journey, and explains why looking ahead is sometimes more important than looking back.
GM: Our opening date was fixed, but I did not have a name yet. The signboard painter was waiting. The card printer was waiting. Names were being thrown up like there's no tomorrow — Palette, Chiaroscuro, Easel. Nothing worked until my father calmly suggested "Sakshi"— witness to the art!
GM: It was a solo show by Hebbar. He was so kind, trusting a total newbie like me with this major exhibition of paintings and drawings! After the show in Chennai, I decided to take the exhibition to Bangalore, his home state, where he had never exhibited before. The then chief minister inaugurated the exhibition. In a sense, it was a homecoming for the son of the soil. There was much jubilation and the state acquired a number of his paintings.
GM: Actually, the relationship with artists wasn't transactional in those days. There was a real generosity of spirit among them. These masters were generous with their time, knowledge and affection. For me, straight out of university having read all this European and Indian art history, it was all very exciting. To be with K.G Subramanyan, for example, was a memorable experience. We showed him at Sakshi in Chennai, as well as Ravinder Reddy's early solos, which were nothing like the heads he's doing now. I couldn't work much with the Progressive Artists' Group (PAG), such as F.N Souza, Ram Kumar, S.H Raza and M.F Husain, because they were all established by then and were outside the scope of my approach. They had old relationships with their own galleries.
Also, personally, I think I was responding more to people of my age or my generation. Though full of admiration for artists like Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Jagdish Swaminathan, Manjit Bawa, Krishen Khanna and others, I was attracted by the latest experiments and developments in contemporary art, led by artists of my age like Ravinder Reddy, Himmat Shah, Surendran Nair, Rekha Rodwittiya, Nataraj Sharma and Nalini Malani. Vivan Sundaram was also someone I was lucky to work with and learn immensely from.
GM: Let me put it this way: I like James Hadley Chase as much as (Jean-Paul) Sartre. In music, I enjoy opera and classical jazz as well as the Hindustani classical. From the strongly figurative-narrative practice of Surendran Nair, Rekha Rodwittiya and Manjunath Kamath to the delicate abstraction of Ankush Safaya and Ratna Gupta, one celebrates all of it and it's all sublime. We dared to show folk art in 1988 when folk and tribal art was still 'craft' and we worked consistently with cartoonists Abu Abraham and R.K Laxman in the 1990s. Diversity is absolutely enjoyable; homogeneity is condemnable. There is art to please everyone, and this is how it should be.
GM: These days, there is too much talk about money and too little about art, which is unfortunate. The scene has significantly changed with the rise of speculative investment and global brand-name galleries and auction houses. There was a time when collectors would spend hours in the gallery chatting with artists and fellow collectors. There were regular weekly visits: browsing the stockroom, seeing the exhibition and forming opinions. Clients made choices not led by peer pressure or opinion polls. Perhaps since prices were not stratospheric, people were not guided in their choices by ‘investment opportunities.’ The digital era has opened up infinite choices and opportunities but we have lost the human interaction. The possibility to feel, touch, smell. But I do have the choice to buy from anywhere in the world with just a click on a phone!
GM: Going forward I’d like to do more institutional exhibitions. We are at a point where we can look analytically and historically at the sweep of contemporary Indian art. To shift the gaze a little and to explore different perspectives. It’s practically a century of art practice that needs to be studied and analysed. The future is bright. As Shakespeare said, "The golden age is before us, not behind us."
Of Being and Becoming is on view at Travancore Palace in New Delhi from September 10 until September 20.