With art honoring the septuagenarian’s five-decade journey, Gallerist relives historical moments and shows to come
How do you display 50 years of history? It was a question the renowned gallerist, art historian and collector, Firoza Godrej, took seriously, as her brainchild, the Simroza Art Gallery, drew near. Five years before D-Day (October 20, 2021), he set the ball rolling. “We have a huge collection; It’s not streamlined, it’s not consistent, and ranges from works on oil and paper to sculpture, ceramics, photography, lithography, and more. So, to get a grip on all of this, we needed discipline – because paintings and other artifacts needed to be viewed, restored, remodeled, remounted, as the case may be,” she explains.
From his initial plan of nine exhibitions, he narrowed it down to three. Turquoise got its two main curators: Ranjit Hoskote and Nancy Adajania. He also took advantage of his goodwill with the heroes across the country. “Dadiba Pundole said ‘I’ll give you Pundole for two weeks’, and Ranjit liked the idea. Then, Chatterjee and Lal said they wanted to do Nelly Sethna’s tapestry exclusively. And the gallery would lend itself The next question was: What will Simroza do? “He said it should be archival, and I liked the idea.”
The challenges were many. Some jobs were very delicate. So, instead of sending the artifacts to the restorers, he moved the restorers around. “I vacated my office in Godrej Bhavan [in Fort] So that they can work!” she laughs. “Ranjeet wanted a painting by Akbar Padamsee removed from where it is now on display and in Pundole. I didn’t have the heart to say no because it was an original work and it has to be seen. But I’m determined [after this] It won’t go anywhere else.”
Part of Akbar Padamsee’s ‘Premi’ series – ‘Mapping the Lost Spectrum’ from the 1950s. photo Credit: @pundoles
Show
Now, the Cymroza@50 celebrations are underway, and a trio of exhibitions complement each other. Simroza Chronicles Displays rare works and archival material that shed light on the gallery’s early years and Firoza’s journey with art. In Pundol, Hoskote’s Survey Exhibition, Lost spectrum mapping, Jamshed Godrej and Turquoise, and showcases artworks from diverse genres by names such as SH Raza, KG Subramanian, Badri Narayan, Manjit Bawa and others. and, finally, in Chatterjee and Lal, Adajania’s research-based curation The Unpaved, Krusty, Earthy Road, is the first retrospective of tapestry artist Nelly Sethna, a cast backed by Turquoise.
Retrospective of Nelly Sethna, in ‘The Unpaved, Crusty, Earthy Road’, in Chatterjee and Lal. photo Credit: @cymroza50
passion and faith
It’s these two words – “and I don’t use them lightly” – that have inspired Turquoise since the day she started Simroza at the age of 23. A young painter, wanting to create a space where other young artists can showcase his work, struggles with prejudice and determination through myriad pitfalls to create a legacy. “Like my first show, there were a lot of landmarks, with actors like Katneri Krishna Hebbar, Pillu Pochkhanawala, Adi Devierwala and Jehangir Sabavala. Or when Manjit Bawa, who had only exhibited at the Dhumimal Gallery in Delhi, came to visit me. He was like a child of wonder when he said, ‘I’m 40 and I’ve never shown up in Mumbai.'”
Firoza Godrej with Jehangir Sabavala (left); And a then and now with Kabir Bedi – a snapshot from the 70s and 50th anniversary celebrations of actor Simroza. photo Credit: @cymroza50
Turquoise recalls a friend asking him, after one of the many shows held in the gallery: ‘Pips, would you really be doing this as you get old and gray?’ “And I said, ‘I’m not going to get old and I’m not going to go gray, and I’ll keep doing what I love.’ And now it’s time to celebrate… I’ve been doing it for 50 years.”
India’s Art scene now: “You have to take cognizance of this new collector. They are very intelligent because they focus on one school of painting or a particular artist or group of artists such as progressives, and use art mentors. “
nPush to FT and Digital: “I don’t know how NFTs will play out or not. It is too early to say. This is not a time trial, it is a trend at the moment. As a serious collector, are you going to follow a trend or what do you want? Well, who can you live with?”
what next? “After this exhibition is finished materializing, I want to bring out a digital catalogue.”
Simroza Chronicles, until 19 October, at Simroza Art Gallery; Lost spectrum mappinguntil September 14 at Pundole Art Gallery; And The Unpaved, Krusty, Earthy Road, by October 16, in Chatterjee and Lal. Description: cymroza50.com
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