Two Decades & A Half

by Urvi Kothari | 5 mins. read

186 exhibitions and counting! 

Tao has been fostering creative experiences for artists, connoisseurs, collectors, patrons as well as by-passers, the beating pulse of this city who halt by our large window facade for their daily dose of culture. Each artistic voice is a feather in our hat of creativity. Over the past 25 years our endeavour has been to transform this white cube into an immersive space of enriching experiences - wherein reality meets imagination, the past meets the present, dimensionality meets temporality, instinctive perception meets conscious actions. Today, we stand at the brink of rapidly evolving artistic innovation that is redefining paradigms in the global arts scene. So we take a moment to halt and look back at some major themes that have defined Tao’s curatorial vision so far as we walk down the memory lane. 

Tao’s 1st Anniversary show opening, Ashtanayak, 2001; (L-R): Jehangir Nicholson, Krishen Khanna, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Kalpana Shah, Tyeb Mehta, Ashok Vajpeyi, Bal Chhabda

Inked in History:

Fragments of history have always been a subject of contemplation for the arts. Tao has been instrumental in revisiting some pivotal moments that have defined our Indian aesthetics. Be it the progressive artists’ groups and their historic contributions or diving into annals of British Raj through a set of installations by Devangana Kumar. Another curation by historian Seema Bhalla in 2019, revisited the East Indian company style of Indo-European miniature paintings that stand on the verge of extinction today. Our recent contribution this year was for a special exhibition celebrating 210 years of Indian Museum, Kolkata - one of the oldest cultural institutions across the globe. Encompassing works by Seema Kohli, Jayasri Burman, Kalpana Shah, Valay Shende, to name a few, the curation challenged viewers to rethink linear progression of history, art and culture, highlighting the continuity and transformation of artistic expression across time.

Cambodia Camp, 2005; (L-R): Seema Ghurayya, Heeral Trivedi, Arpana Caur, Sanjana Shah, Naina Salmarkar, Nayanaa Kanodia, Kalpana Shah, Rajashree, Madhvi Parekh 

Empowering the Feminine: 

Tao has been instrumental in fostering strong feminine voices. Under the tutelage of Mrs. Kalpana Shah, the space has unapologetically stood for women, by women and of women. This very essence is reflected in the gallery’s 2nd anniversary celebration titled Nav Nayika - a curation of nine leading feminine visual voices whose art subverted the historic stereotyping of women. The artists - Nalini Malani, Nilima Sheikh, Anjolie Ela Menon, Rekha Rodwittiya, Arpana Caur, Gogi Saroj Pal, Madhvi Parekh, Anupam Sud and Rini Dhumal - broke out of traditional, structural limitations to seize total empowerment. Another all women artist camp in Cambodia hosted in 2005, encouraged our female artists to push the envelope of contemporary art as they explored the notion of ‘Earth’ translated in an all women exhibit. Our current roster includes Delhi based Seema Kohli, whose Hiranyagarbha or the Golden Womb series explores the supremacy of the feminine across the physical and the cosmic realms. 

Astad Deboo’s performance at Tao’s 18th Anniversary Show, 2018

Beyond the Canvas: 

The space has been a melting pot of cross-cultural discourses that provokes one into immersing, engaging and reflecting. Our endeavour has been not just to view art in isolation but  activate our sensoria. It almost leaves one with a feeling that the art has truly come to life. The aura and enigma of the pioneer of modern dance, Padma Shri Astad Deboo’s performance at our 18th Anniversary show titled ‘No Corners’ left the audience in a meditative trance. His theatrical-dance style merged the indie with the western techniques. Our collaborative efforts also include one with ‘Heavenly Bodies’ - wherein the innate emotion of a canvas came to life with body paint and transcendental choreographed movements. Yesteryear the Tilia-Quartet of Staatskapelle Berlin took over our space as the abstract artworks seamlessly extended to the  presented prolific Opera symphonies composed by Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

Installation shot of OORJA by Jayesh Sachdev, 2024

Influences from Pop Culture:

In the vibrant realm of Indian art, the influence of pop culture is undeniable, playing a significant role in shaping the present artistic landscape. Much ahead of its time in 2008, Chinthala Jagdish’s vibrant, quirky and eccentric works took over our space. The colourful sculptures - men in sola topis and women with flowers in hand - were a gentle satirical observation of social mores. Our recent launch in 2022, young and upcoming Viraj Khanna’s visual language echoes a similar ethos as he weaves a social satire on contemporary times through a set of textile embroidered installations. His vividly stark imagery pushes the audience to re-define the notion of culture, identity and beauty. Our breakthrough moment has been artist Jayesh Sachdev’s latest collaboration with Zara. A larger than life sculptural rendition of a whimsical tiger that translated into a perfect photo op at the Palladium mall and now on display at the Art House, NMACC.

Urvi Kothari

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Contributor - From the Tao Desk

Urvi Kothari is the Gallery Manger at Tao Art Gallery as well as a South Asian Art Writer. She is the founder of Inside the White Cube, a digital collection of art reviews, shows, and general commentary pertaining to the South Asian art. She has contributed to multiple platforms such as TakeOn Art Magazine, Design Pataki & STIR World.