12 October,2013 12:36 AM IST | | Soma Das
Colaba has for long been a hub for art galleries, and the latest to join the space is 1/29 Studio/Gallerie. Founded by Isha Ahluwalia and Paul Rodrigues, the space opens with an exhibition of works by the duo.u00a0Ahluwalia is an alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and studied millinery at Central St Martin, London. She has designed costumes for films and theatre. Rodrigues is a self-taught furniture designer and a trained interior designer.
The gallery's name crops up from the address and is also an anagram of owners Isha Ahluwalia and Paul Rodrigues' birthdays. Pics/Atul Kamble
Ahluwalia shares, "We were creating works individually, sharing ideas and thought of having a studio to create and showcase these works. We envisaged a unified studio-gallery space where other artists could be represented along with creating and showing our own works. The vision behind this space is to reveal and create beautiful works driven by impulse."
An exhibit at the gallery
The duo scouted around town for locations, from Kamathipura to Bandra. "We asked a tailor on Third Pasta Lane if he knew of any places to rent and he showed us this space, which fit perfectly with our idea a large, loft-like space in the middle of the most inspiring part of Mumbai," reveals Rodrigues. The duo is glad to have tided over funding issues, designing the gallery from scratch, from the typeface to the interior design.
The inaugural exhibition showcases paintings, photographs, a sculpture and several millinery pieces and accessories along with a capsule clothing collection. All of these artworks were created at the gallery over the last few months.
Ahluwalia sums up the journey, "We hope to showcase anything that inspires and excites us, work that transports one to places outside the familiar and are recognisable. We are not working along a defined format and that is the core of our vision. While we believe 1/29 will fit in seamlessly with other galleries in the area, it strives to offer a certain organic symbiosis, displaying works that encourage, encompass and help evolve."
