Spaces & Traces

Following the preview of Archival Dialogues at a colonial East-Indian house in Khotachi Wadi, this curatorial effort shifts focus to another historically significant site in Mumbai’s colonial architectural landscape. The venue is an eclectic Art-Deco bungalow in Worli, formerly owned by eminent art collector and Sheriff of Mumbai, Jehangir Nicholson, and later acquired by Sangita Kathiwada, a noted fashion figure and passionate art patron.

The exhibition, primarily showcasing sculptures and installations, is set in the bungalow’s foyer with an architectural space that embodies Mumbai’s unique blend of international Art-Deco and Indo-Saracenic styles. Introduced in the 1930s through colonial trade, Art-Deco in Mumbai evolved by fusing Cubist influences with local motifs. Today, the city ranks second only to Miami in the number of Art-Deco buildings, marking an important phase in Mumbai’s modernist urban development.

Private collections have deeply influenced the trajectory of Indian art history. Jehangir Nicholson, an active collector from 1967 to 2001, and the Kathiwada family, long-standing patrons of artists like N.S. Bendre shaped critical dialogues around style and genre through their personal engagements with art.

In tribute to the site’s rich legacy and its architecture along with association with two significant collectors, selected artists were invited to present one or two sculptures or installations from their established body of work. This preview, held in March 2018, is a precursor to a larger exhibition that will extend throughout the bungalow, including its interiors and terrace, showcasing contemporary Indian artists working across diverse media and forms.