A new art exhibition in Mumbai puts the spotlight on Vimoo Sanghvi's legacy

From the Akshayapatra in Hindu mythology to the Chalice in Christian myths and even the Jam e Jam of Persian lore pottery carries cultural contexts This week a rare retrospective Whispering Clay Celebrating a Life in Ceramics returns the spotlight on a figure who has almost acquired mythical qualities for her prolific work and intangible presence Few outside the world of art would recognise the name Vimoo Sanghvi They might be more familiar with her son author Vir Sanghvi In truth she remains one of the more prolific ceramicists India ever producedA glazed terracotta figurineRediscovering an artistldquoI first met her back in 1997 She was living at Rashmi Apartments on Altamont Road back thenrdquo shares Dr Kristine Michael curator of the show Having graduated from National Institute of Design NID Ahmedabad Michael had been working on a project about Indiarsquos foremost studio potters During a visit to Mumbai artists Primula Pandit and Malti Dwivecha suggested a meeting with Vimoo Sanghvi ldquoI was based out of Delhi and had not even heard of her Even then she was surrounded by these fascinating works of pottery at her homerdquo admits MichaelA glazed terracotta piece from Sanghvirsquos last seriesBy 1997 Sanghvi was well into the last decade of her retirement Her last exhibition was held in 1989 at the Jehangir Art Gallery It had been a long journey Born in Ahmedabad in 1920 Sanghvi completed her BA in Philosophy at Bombay University then followed by a Masters at Michigan University ldquoRemember this was World War II there or thereabouts For a woman to travel alone to Michigan and study was quite the decision She was a welltravelled brave womanrdquo Michael points outTerracotta and stoneware right from her Cubist periodMichaelrsquos interview would have stayed a passing memory if not for her meeting Ranvir Shah founder Prakriti Foundation and through him Raaj Sanghvi the artistrsquos grandson ldquoWhen the family suggested we should hold an exhibition I agreedrdquo the curator reveals Shah presents the exhibition alongside Simpolo Foundation Sakshi Gallery and the Vimoo Sanghvi EstateA glazed terracotta piece highlights her handbuilding techniquesThe Mumbai connectionIt is only apt that the retrospective opens first in Mumbai before travelling to Kochi for the Biennale For it was in Mumbai that Sanghvirsquos art found expression While the city has its share of global artists ceramicists have been few and far between ldquoDelhi has been the hub of studio pottery Sardar Gurcharan Singh the father of Indian Studio Pottery was based here Also she rarely showed outside of Bombayrdquo reveals MichaelOne of Sanghvirsquos last creations right A stoneware from the artistrsquos Cubist periodWhile Sanghvi first encountered pottery at the Willesden Arts School England and learnt under Ronald Cooper and Marianne deTrey two of the foremost ceramicists of the era Mumbai is where she shaped her art She sourced clay and terracotta from Kumbharwada in Dharavi and worked out of a garage in Churchgate In the catalogue Vir Sanghvi places the location to be in Indus Court The kiln from the studio was later handed over to the Happy Home for the Blind Sanghvi would go on to teach at Sophia Polytechnic and later Sir JJ School of Art cementing her cultural presence among a new generationHer first exhibition like her last opened at the familiar venue of Jehangir Art Gallery in 1962 ldquoBeyond the Progressive Artists in 1940s Bombay there are several artists who slipped from the limelightrdquo the curator points outYet it is not the size of the artistrsquos output that demands attention ldquoShe shaped her own aesthetic She moved from the functional Englishform of her pottery in the beginning to express the abstract expressionist and Cubist style found among the Progressive Artistsrsquo and later on figurative expressionrdquo shares the curator adding that the large platters would become the canvas to paint on with different glazesThe curation approaches this prolific quantity of work through these artistic phases ldquoThe Indian aesthetic was very strong throughout her work whether that is through traditional Rangoli designs Ajantastyle hamsas swans In the later part of her life she was doing a lot of textured work based on the sea with elements of coralrdquo she observes As they say you live long enough in Mumbai and the sea finds its way to youTILL September 20 11 am to 6 pmAT Sakshi Gallery first floor 3rd Pasta Lane Colaba