Mumbai’s Newest Art Space Bets Big On Emerging Contemporary Artists

It’s right by the historic Hornimon Circle in Mumbai, the KYNKYNY art gallery. After 22 years in Bengaluru, co-founders Namu Kini and Vivek Radhakrishnan opened their new art space in an almost 100-year-old art-deco building. Their first exhibition, Urban Biome is an ode to the mega city and a showcase of Gen Z artists’ stellar works. Krisha Bhuva, Hemanth Kumar Mavuri, Sunil K, N Divya, Simran Yagyik and Nivedita Shinde explore the relationships between humans and the environments they inhabit, both indoors and out. Surat’s Bhuva captures the elusive and graceful street cats on her silk canvas while Kumar from the Kapuluppada village near Vishakhapatnam has portrayed peacocks through woodcut etchings. He hadn’t encountered a peacock until he went to study in Vadodara. “I only saw hens in my village,” he says. “From hen to peacock then becomes a symbol of me migrating from a small village to a prestigious art school,” he adds. 

The exhibition makes one think about the spaces we occupy. “They are not merely arrangements of walls, volumes and surfaces, but living constellations shaped by objects, structures, habits and the many forms of life that coexist within them,” says Radhakrishnan.

In Mumbai too, KYNKYNY’s focus will be contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists. Radhakrishnan talks to Robb Report about why they bet on young artists, why they open in Mumbai and the growing Indian art market.

Robb Report India (RR): Why did you open a new space in Mumbai and not in any other gallery?

Vivek Radhakrishnan (VR): Opening in Mumbai was a very natural and organic progression to the gallery in Bangalore. We have a very large audience in the city, and there has always been a great response to our curation. Mumbai has been a large portion of our business for a while now, and our clients there have been asking why we aren’t present in the city, so we went there. Mumbai is one of the most dynamic cities in the world, with a lot happening in its art space. To not be a part of that didn’t make sense. A gallery in Mumbai allows us to interact with the audience in person, while they get to look at an artwork in the flesh. It also creates a great opportunity for our represented artists, in terms of growth and exposure.

RR: What is the difference in how Mumbai and Bengaluru consume art?

VR: The biggest difference is in how outgoing Mumbaikars are. The entire ecosystem of galleries and the Mumbai Gallery Association have made art so accessible, interesting and part of the local culture, which is wonderful. We absolutely wanted to be part of this movement that is proactively bringing art to the people. Mumbai also gives us an opportunity to try new things and experiment more.

There are many interesting things happening in the arts and culture space in Bangalore too. But unfortunately issues like traffic prohibits people from going out a lot. But I think things are changing, and just like how we are bringing interesting things from Bangalore to this city, we will definitely be taking the energy and the lessons we learn in Mumbai back there.

RR: Do you have immediate expansion plans in any other cities?

VR: Right now we have our hands full with the two galleries. We are not really thinking about another one just yet. But if at all we were to open a third in India, I imagine it would be in Delhi. What’s next is always a great question. A lot of the time we don’t really know. It’s a constant search, and the answer depends on what we find. That said, our main agenda is to promote our represented artists. We have a full calendar of events to showcase them across both cities.

RR: What made you start KYNKYNY 22 years ago?

VR: Our motivation to start the gallery was to create a platform that supports upcoming talent. While the kind of practices we represent have evolved, our motivation remains the same even today. At that time in 2004, things were very different. Other than a few big names, people did not see art and artists in the same way that they do today. There is so much more interest and respect for these creators today, and I would like to think that we have played a small role in bringing awareness to the importance and value of what they do.

RR: How is the Indian market situated in the global art scene?

VR: The Indian diaspora has played a very important role in supporting Indian artists. I think the exposure and appreciation for art in other countries has helped this audience appreciate what we have back here at home. It is also very encouraging for the artists to see their works being sent and appreciated all over the world. I believe that Indian art is going to see much more international appreciation beyond the diaspora in the near future. Undoubtedly, the Indian audience abroad would have helped make that happen.