As viewers, what unfolds before our eyes, and what nuanced perceptions prick us with questions like, ‘who gets to look at the camera?’; ‘what does the viewer see?’; ‘what do the photographs show, and what do they hide?’, are a testament to Saloni’s keen eye, a lifelong enthusiasm for engaging with photography, and the narration of the story of India through her collection.
In a celebration spanning over two decades, “The Right To Look” unveils a treasure trove of artistry cultivated through the impassioned collecting endeavors of Mumbai-based art patron, Saloni Doshi. For the very first time, the public is invited into the hallowed halls of her photographic collection. Within this exhibition, a conceptual tapestry intricately woven with emphasis on the figurative essence in photography emerges, casting a spotlight on the mesmerizing works of some of India’s most revered photographers.
It is a narrative that unfolds, not merely as an exhibition but as a captivating story, where each photograph is a chapter, and Saloni Doshi’s collection serves as a portal into the rich tapestry of artistic expression in India.
Borrowing from the notable visual theorist Nicholas Mirzoeff, the exhibition mediates on profound currents that define Saloni’s carefully considered collection – a collection rooted in history and informed by the present that is audacious in challenging our right to look.
Saloni’s literal and metaphorical journey into the world of art fairs and biennales since she was twenty-three years of age became consequential in building a foundational collection of artworks that we have with us today. ‘It wasn’t always easy – in fact, it could get painfully long and lonely at times, but I have always loved photography. It is what I understood the best, and, studying under Jeroo Mulla at Sophia College, it has always been close to my heart. Being formally trained allowed me to appreciate the frame and composition of a photograph,’ says Saloni. ‘It is also a question about identity. As a patron and founder of a residency, being a “collector” was never a category of profession, but something that I wanted to love and be instinctively. It became a journey to see what others saw, what they loved, and ever since then I have always wanted to engage with that.’
This exhibition, with its conceptual stress on the figurative presence in photography, highlights particularly poignant photographic works, including Pushpamala N’s The Arrival Of Vasco Da Gama (2014), Umrao Singh Sher-Gil’s Amrita with models for young girls (1932), Nikhil Chopra’s Yog Raj Chitrakar series (2008), Jyoti Bhatt’s Mandana (2007), Sohrab Hura’s Life is Elsewhere F (2005), Gauri Gill’s Boy Bathing in Taalab (2012), among others.
On view shall be works by several of India’s most recognised photographers: Akshay Mahajan, Anay Mann, Gauri Gill, Jyoti Bhatt, Madhu Das, Madiha Aijaz, Mansi Bhatt, Max Pinckers & Quinten De Bryun, Nikhil Chopra, Priyank Gothwal, Pushpamala N, Remen Chopra, Shilpa Gupta, Shivanjani Lal, Shreyas Karle, Sohrab Hura, Surekha, Tejal Shah, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, Vivan Sundaram, and Vivek Vilasini. The collection, which focuses on well-known and emerging namesin the india contemporary space, it speaks of Saloni’s long-term commitment of supporting the arts as well as introducing, assisting, and advising other young and future collectors.
The Right To Look, curated by Amit Kumar Jain shall be on view at Space118 from 16 November till 30 December 2023, from 11 AM to 5 PM, including Sundays.
About Saloni Doshi
Saloni Doshi (b. 1979) is a philanthropist, art patron, and collector. She spent her childhood years in New Delhi, ultimately moving to Mumbai where she graduated with a double honours degree in Political Science and Economics from St. Xavier’s College. Obtaining a postgraduate diploma in Social Communications Media at the Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, she then moved on to pursue her Master’s in Media and Communication at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Saloni has also received a diploma in Art Criticism and Theory (ACT), and Indian Art Aesthetics from Jnanapravaha, Mumbai.
An avid reader and photographer, Saloni has written several pieces for the Times of India’s Arts and Culture pages. She was the Founder and Chairperson of the Bombay Chapter of the Young FICCI Ladies Organization (YFLO) and previously chaired for the LSE alumni community in Bombay.
In 2009, a decision to convert a part of her warehouse space in South Mumbai to provide the artists’ community with the sparse commodity of space in urban environments led to the birth of Space118 studios. In 2016, Saloni was awarded the prestigious ARThink South Asia Fellowship sponsored by Khoj, the British Council and the Goethe Institute. Saloni has moderated several discussions on art residencies and collecting and has recently finished writing her book ‘Mapping Residencies in India.’
Space118 | 118, Wadibunder, Mazgaon, Mumbai
October 25, 2023
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