When Rukshaan Krishna took over the second floor of the dilapidated Ali/Dresswalla Building close to Lion Gate, (between Kala Ghoda and Ballard Estate) even the walls were falling apart. But with time Krishna has transformed the space into the eponymous art gallery. Her first ongoing group show features works by new and veteran Baroda artists.
In addition to owning and managing an art gallery in Baroda called Rukshaan Art Studio for the past decade, Krishna also owned the Strand Art Room in Colaba until it closed down in May 2011. “Since then, I’ve been working directly with artists, trying to promote new work and create the best shows for Baroda March,” adds Krishna talking about her annual contemporary art show from Baroda that takes place at the CSMVS’ Coomaraswamy Hall. Having just completed ten editions of the Baroda March this year, has given Krishna the courage to helm a new art space in the city.
Spanning 1,060 sq feet, theRukshaan Art gallery is a tightly packed delight for art enthusiasts. Right through the entrance, a huge Hardik Kansara painting of an urban landscape greets visitors. Another highlight is a Girjesh Kumar Singhsculpture with panels of human faces, crafted from bricks that the artist has picked up from construction sites. “Nobody in the world has worked with demolished wall blocks and carved out of them,” says Krishna about Singh’s work. “Girjesh has picked up [sections of] walls and debris from Baroda as well as his hometown in UP.” Further inside, a Nagji Patel sculptor of a stone cat appears to leap off its windowsill perch. “A sculpture always looks better in less light,” smiles the gallerist. The gallery’s sandstone walls are home to several other pieces, notably vivid and communicative works by artists like Prathap Modi, Soumen Das and Vinod Daroz. “Beauty does lie in the eye of the beholder and so does art,” she says. “It depends on what is inside the mind of the beheld.”
It was the simplicity of Dresswala House’s second floor that drew the gallerist.“The energy of this place is indescribable,” she adds. “I love the combination of past and present. This place has its charm with colonial-like architecture.” It has proven to be the perfect space for Krishna to nurture artists and sculptors, which has been her primary goal. She endeavours to encourage artists who demonstrate extraordinary skills in the field of fine art. “For me, it’s the sentiment it leaves me with as well as the artists’ thought while making his creation,” she concludes adding that her curation process focuses on offering art across genres and generations.
Rukshaan Art, Dresswalla House, Lion Gate;9920021008