Art Gallery - the two little words conjure up a rather stated image in one’s head. The usual blanche walls, wooden floors and high ceilings. Nestled in Juhu, the green and hip suburb of Mumbai, the gallery is anything but faithfully dull. Zarine Khan, the interior decorator and curator-artist Bina Aziz have created an intimate space that’s more akin to a ’20s art salon than a contemporary gallery.

Past a tall gate, I am led to the basement level of the ivory Sanjay Plaza and I see mirrored walls, figurines, half-packed and newly framed paintings, assorted sculptures and a Persian couch. “Some of my interiors’ stuff is still here. It will be moved for the (art) show”, explains Zarine Khan, who is known not as much by the virtue of the surname but as a business woman in her own right. Tradition, Khan’s 19-year-old interior enterprise, has earned her a five-star reputation in the field. I am concerned that Khan is set to make a drastic switch in her career. She senses that and says, “My interiors business is still on. I am well known for that and it’s been a success since the word ‘go’. ” Tradition Art will be an extension of the venture and Bina Aziz will be the face and shoulders of the project. Aziz is an artist whose works have been shown around the world and are characterised by an unmistakable mystical, other-worldly aura. According to Aziz the partnership is the fruit of years of friendship. “It’s a result of trust built over years. Anything on paper doesn’t really count.” Khan adds, “She is the pro as far as the art goes. I will be there to support and help.”

But why Juhu? It is a known fact that most top-notch art galleries in Mumbai are either found in Colaba or Kala Ghoda. Khan says, “I get invited to art openings in South Mumbai but just the thought of spending two-and-a-half hours for a one-way trip puts me off. So an art gallery in the suburbs is particularly for people like me who live in this part of the city.” And suburbanites can look forward to a gala maiden opening of Tradition Art this month, with 45 talented artists from around the country. The show is aptly titled Kaleidoscope as it will feature art forms and techniques as diverse as paintings in oil and drawings in charcoal to sculptures in metal or fibreglass. Some of the illustrious names include Bose Krishnamachari, Jehangir Jani, Jatin Das, Julius Macwan and Arzan Khambatta.
Kaleidoscope will be on display at Tradition Art from October 10 to November 10.

Subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!