Saloni Doshi On Building Space118, And Why Collecting Contemporary Art Should Never Be A Lonely Act

Saloni Doshi began collecting art at 22, interning at the Osian's auction house in Mumbai while researching provenance for its archive of books and paintings. In 2009, she transformed a warehouse space in South Mumbai into Space118, offering free studio space to visual artists; over the following 13 years, more than 450 artists from India and abroad lived and worked there. In 2021, she restructured the initiative into the Space118 Fine Arts Grant, a financial grant-making model that now supports artists across the country regardless of geography.

Doshi's own collection spans over 1,000 works of Indian and South Asian contemporary, tribal, and folk art, built over more than two decades, and has been shown publicly through a series of exhibitions curated by others, including The Right to Look in 2023 and Sculpting Air in 2025. She sits on the Guggenheim Museum's West Asia, North Africa and South Asia Committee and is a patron of the Delfina Foundation and Asia Society. Her latest project, The Shifting of Silence, a fundraising exhibition presented in collaboration with Blueprint12, brings together 32 emerging Indian artists at Bikaner House in New Delhi from July 30 to August 2, 2026, with proceeds supporting the Space118 Fine Arts Grant.

Robb Report India spoke with Doshi about the exhibition and her seventeen years as a collector.

Robb Report India (RR): Space118 began as a physical studio space in South Mumbai in 2009 and shifted to a grant-making model in 2021. What did that transition change about what you could do for artists?

Saloni Doshi (SD): The studio was built around community. It gave artists affordable space to experiment, meet one another, and build lasting relationships. Those years taught me that while physical infrastructure is important, what artists often need most is trust at a crucial stage of their practice. The transition to the Space118 Fine Arts Grant allowed us to support artists wherever they are, rather than only those who could work from our space in Mumbai. It made our support, through both funding and mentorship, more equitable and far-reaching, breaking geographical boundaries of reach and access. Today, we can help artists across India realise ambitious projects, undertake research, produce new bodies of work, or simply create without the immediate pressure of commercial outcomes. The format changed, but our purpose remained the same: to invest in artistic potential at the moments when it matters most.

RR: The Space118 Fine Arts Grant offers production support between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 1,00,000. In a market where individual works sell for multiples of that, what does a grant at this scale actually change for an artist?

SD: For an established artist, these amounts may seem modest. For an emerging artist, they can be transformative. They can fund materials, travel, research, fabrication, documentation, or the time needed to develop an idea that might otherwise remain unrealised. The value of the grant is not only financial, it is also a vote of confidence. When an institution believes in your practice before the market does, it gives you the courage to take creative risks. Many of our grantees have gone on to exhibit nationally and internationally, but often the first step was simply someone saying, "We believe in your work." We also have an efficient and highly supportive membership programme, from which every artist benefits enormously, sometimes even more than from the financial grant itself.

RR: You have collected over 1,000 works and have shown exhibitions drawn from your own collection across photography, textiles, and sculpture, though always curated by others rather than yourself. What does that choice, to invite curators in rather than curate your own shows, say about how you think about your collection?

SD: For me, collecting and sharing the collection have never been separate impulses. I collect because I am curious. I invite curators because I want to continue the conversations that the collection has started. A collection is a living archive. Each work gains new meaning when it is placed in dialogue with another work, another period, or another audience. I have never curated my own exhibitions; instead, I have always invited exceptional curators, people who have been part of my journey from its very early stages, to curate them. This allows me to share those relationships rather than keeping them private. It transforms collecting from an act of ownership into one of stewardship and public engagement.

RR: The Shifting of Silence brings together 32 artists responding to ecological, political, and social realities. How do you make the case for uncomfortable work in a room where people are also being asked to buy?

SD: The role of art has never been to make us comfortable. It has always been to make us look more closely, ask better questions, and engage more deeply with the world around us. Collectors today are increasingly interested in acquiring works that carry intellectual and emotional depth. The most enduring collections are built around ideas rather than decoration. If an artwork provokes reflection, challenges assumptions, or captures the complexities of our time, it has already succeeded. The decision to collect it then becomes part of participating in that larger cultural conversation.

RR: You sit on the Guggenheim Museum's West Asia, North Africa and South Asia Committee and are a patron of the Delfina Foundation and Asia Society. What does that international positioning change about how you support Indian artists?

SD: Being involved with institutions across different parts of the world has given me a broader understanding of how artistic ecosystems function. It has shown me how philanthropy, museums, residencies, collectors, and public institutions can work together to build sustainable careers for artists. It also enables me to create meaningful connections between Indian artists and international networks. My ambition has never been simply to export Indian art, but to ensure that Indian artists are part of global conversations on equal terms while remaining deeply rooted in their own contexts.

RR: What does the collaboration with Blueprint12 make possible for an exhibition of this scale at Bikaner House that Space118 could not do alone?

SD: Space118 and Blueprint12 bring complementary strengths. Space118 has always focused on nurturing artists and building long-term support structures, while Blueprint12 has extensive experience presenting contemporary art to collectors and audiences. For The Shifting of Silence, the partnership allows us to bring together a stronger curatorial vision, reach a wider audience, and create a larger platform than either of us could have achieved independently. It demonstrates that collaboration within the arts ecosystem creates greater opportunities for artists than working in isolation.

RR: You have described your own collecting journey as a lonely one. Seventeen years on, what has changed about what it means to collect contemporary art in India, and what has not?

SD: When I began collecting, there were relatively few young collectors, especially women, engaging seriously with contemporary art, and there was limited access to information, mentorship, or community. Today, there is far greater curiosity. Museums, art fairs, foundations, galleries, and digital platforms have made contemporary art more visible and approachable. What has not changed is that collecting still requires patience, conviction, and a willingness to develop your own eye. The most meaningful collections are not built by following trends or market signals. They are built through sustained engagement with artists, ideas, and the cultural moment in which we live. Ultimately, collecting is an intellectual and emotional journey before it is an investment.

The Shifting of Silence, curated by Saloni Doshi and presented by Blueprint12 in collaboration with Space118 Art Foundation, is on view at the LTC Building, Bikaner House, New Delhi, from July 30 to August 2, 2026, with a preview on July 29.