When we walk up the dusty stairs of the aged Doulatram Mansion nestled in Apollo Bunder, it feels a lot like a Western flick — when opening sequences begin with people unpacking or packing in the basement or the loft. And that's exactly what's going on here, on the fourth floor where Ikattha, a collaborative arts space, will be launching next month. The windows are wide open and two artists are busy channelling their creative energy. Kim Kaul is conceptualising a mural by the entrance while Illesha Khandelwal builds a low table out of scrap.

We are escorted into a room filled with gaddas that Khandelwal got stitched from a mattress seller in Colaba market for '400, inspired by a family ritual. "My nani had these old gaddas rolled up for whenever all the buas come to stay," she tells us, encapsulating the essence of what Ikattha is supposed to feel like — the togetherness family. The space is an old family property and it took 23-year-old Khandelwal about four months to restore it. "I was living in Queens, New York, last year and was part of an artist residency called Flux Factory. It was a super diverse and inclusive community. I was the youngest there, so I developed my understanding of what community can do for you, as an artist and human being," she shares.