Art Oasis in Mumbai

Within the labyrinth of Mumbai’s docklands lie the vestiges of a sprawling, derelict warehousing neighbourhood. Although trucks laden with cargo abound, the area is equally well known for its footpath-dwelling slums, reinforcing the financial capital’s “Slumbai” tag. Surprising then, that amid these precipitous paths, dug up to make way for the elusive Mumbai metro, lies a quiet expanse of space, abuzz with creative energy. Space 118, a cluster of four artist studios, lies within a 2.5-acre compound dotted with colonial-era buildings. The brainchild of 32-year-old art aficionado Saloni Doshi, whose self-described passion for art collecting led her to embark on this small but significant experiment, Space 118 in Mazgaon offers an alternative to artists struggling to find workspaces in Mumbai. Last year, ten artists used the studios, and this year, twelve are slated to do so, including talents like Tanya Goel, Gauri Gill and Remen Chopra. Saloni, a diminutive 5-ft powerhouse, describes Space 118 as a culmination of her “obsession” with art. The idea behind it is simple: offer young artists small studios in which to work, and in exchange, they either offer her a work of art, or pay a subsidised market rent (at this point, about Rs 15,000 per month for 300 square feet). The beauty of Space 118 is that while it is located in a forgotten, ill-traversed part of south Mumbai, it’s a boon for artists seeking proximity to Mumbai’s major museums, libraries and galleries. Saloni recently started an artists’ residency programme too, where she invites qualifying artists to come and live in Mumbai, with Space 118 bearing the cost of lodging and meals, in addition to use of the studios. Saloni didn’t have strong antecedents in the art world. A Gujarati from Mumbai who grew up in Delhi, her parents are business people. “My mother is from Kolkata, a city steeped in Indian artistic traditions. I did the normal art classes through childhood, including sketching, but nothing more,” she recalls. A brief stint at Osians in 2001 enhanced her appreciation of Indian art (in which she has no formal training), and five years later, she was on her way to acquiring art. Yet she’s quick to stress that she only started buying art with her own salary from her job at a newspaper, not her family’s funds.