Report by Santanu Ganguly; New Delhi: Gallery Espace presents nine artists with ‘Works on Paper 2012’. The gallery has nurtured a tradition of exhibitions on paper with ‘Drawing ’94’ (1994), ‘The Lyric Line’ (2006) and ‘Keep Drawing’ (2008) and more recently ‘Narratives of the Self: Autobiographies’ (2012), based on personal histories of the artists. ‘Works on paper’ is in continuum to the previously held shows and further explore artists’ preference towards the medium of paper. From life studies of mundane objects to their relationship with the habitat, their visual articulations seek deeper meanings of being. Their quest to understand mysteries of the self and the spiritual is perceptible in the delicate handling of the medium. Paper makes possible that intimacy, rendering interesting and varied visual vocabularies, offering simultaneously a spontaneous relationship of the artist with his artwork. This connection and familiarity enables delving into the core of existence, exploring, discovering, submerging, outgrowing and gradual detachment and pursuit of the unknown. When does the process of creating become a way of living the search on paper is noticeable in the whole gamut of this exhibition.

Participating Artists:

Adip Dutta
Anandajit Ray
Chitra Ganesh
K.L. Leon
Manisha Parekh
Natraj Sharma
Sojwal Samant
Tanmoy Samanta
V. Ramesh

One of India’s leading privately owned commercial art galleries, Gallery Espace was established in Delhi in 1989 with a solo show of M. F. Husain's works. From a one board-room space, the gallery has now taken the form of a two-tier area, made particularly conducive to greater interaction, experimentation and understanding of the arts, supported by dynamic design and modern technology. Espace can be credited for many firsts in the Indian art scene over the last 20 years. It has organised some of the earliest curated exhibitions and showcased mediums and materials such as sculptures and drawings that lacked patronage as early as 1994-95. The titles of these exhibitions Drawings’94 and Sculpture’95 definitely validate the Gallery’s declared motto.

Recently, Espace has hosted an interesting roster of exhibitions which include solos of represented artists Rina Banerjee, Nilima Sheikh, Ravi Agarwal, Chintan Upadhyay and a curated exhibition of Indian and international artists commemorating 20 years of the Gallery’s existence in December 2009 titled Marvelous Reality. Each of these was supported by a catalogue or monograph in compliance with Espace’s belief in thorough project documentation. Espace has also ventured into representing Indian art at International forums by participating in premier art fairs like Asian Contemporary Art Fair, New York (Nov.07); Art Dubai (Mar.07, 08); ShContemporary (Sep.08), ARCO-Madrid (Feb.09) and India Art Summit (Aug 08, Aug.09).

The gallery is committed to present a balanced infusion of art education and interactive art experiences through outreach programs like Video Wednesdays @ Gallery Espace (2008- 2009) which involved public screening of videos on the last Wednesday of every month. The second edition of the same called Video Wednesday II is being curated by Gayatri Sinha as an ongoing event. The gallery today has one of the largest data bank of Indian video art. Other special projects include Conscious-Sub-Conscious where artist Manjunath Kamath treats the gallery space as a temporary 7-day studio, spontaneously painting the gallery walls based on interactions with the public.

Espace continues to strive to sustain a dialogue with the viewers at the level of artistic perception and aesthetic debate while also bridging the gap between the art world and the art market.

Renu Modi, Director, Gallery Espace, born and brought up in Kolkata, Renu Modi attained a degree in commerce before marrying into one of the most influential industrial families of India.

Her tryst with art began as early as the 1980's when she began avidly collecting contemporary Indian art. Her foray into art business goes back to 1989 with the opening of Gallery Espace inaugurated by Master artist, M. F Husain's autobiographical show of watercolours. Besides this, her residence in a lush green area of New Delhi stands as a unique sculptural installation designed by Husain himself.

Renu Modi’s fledgling effort as a gallerist began with a one board-room space that has now grown into a commanding two-storey gallery in one of Delhi’s leading commercial complexes. She holds an impeccable reputation in the industry for anticipating trends, developing latent talent and nurturing modern and contemporary Indian art in all its forms and mediums. Under her direction, Espace has grown from its early beginnings when the business of art was limited to informal efforts, to a key leading player in an organized and vast art network.

There are many firsts that the gallery has to its credit; from showcasing diverse art practices to the concept of curated shows in India, insistence on knowledge production and the dissemination of information to the art-viewing audiences.

Renu Modi, recognized as among the most experienced in the field is on the Advisory Committee of India’s leading art fair, The Indian Art Summit, and is a member of the select advisory team advising on public art projects in the city for the New Delhi Municipal Corporation. She has also been a jury member of the Indo-British Visual Entrepreneurship Award and the Kalidas Samman Award given by Madhya Pradesh government.
Over the years, she has successfully steered not only Espace, but also developments in the field of Indian Contemporary Art with the effort to provide a platform to artists at national and international level.

Gallery Espace, 16 community Centre, New Friends Colony, New Delhi-110025
Preview: Wednesday, 25th April, 2012
Dates : 26th April,2012 to 27th May,2012
Timing : Monday- Saturday, 11 am – 7 pm