Artist Nalini Malani's new exhibition explores her memories of 1960s India

Memories can be catalytic An old notebook photo albums or the familiar tune of a song could spark a nostalgic journey When artist Nalini Malani describes the opening of her latest show as a lsquoProustian momentrsquo it finds immediate resonance with this writer Currently exhibiting at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery The Fragility of Time features the first presentation of her formative works from the 1960s and 1970s and shines a new light on the artistrsquos oeuvreTime is a key player in theme and action for the showMalani says ldquoFor any exhibition to come together it takes the right time and the right place It was only now that I was able to work with Puja Vaish curator JNAF to bring this show togetherrdquo Of the 103 artworks on display 81 have never been exhibited before including a series of watercolours that were once part of her artist diaryUntitled silver gelatin photographs 1978 Pic Courtesy Nalini Malani right A view of the exhibition at the gallery Pics CourtesyJehangir Nicholson Art FoundationThe decade of 1960 was a fertile time not just for the artist but also for the city of Bombay as it was called then ldquoIt was a very young country and there was much to look forward to in terms of nation buildingrdquo the 78yearold artist shares The optimism must have been redoubled for the then 18yearold artist who worked out of a studio at the bustling art community hub of Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute at Breach Candy in 1964She recalls ldquoThis was my first year at Sir JJ School of Arts as a student It was a time when many artists performers and theatre people were working at the Institute It was a very holistic way of imbibing the other artsrdquo In 1969 while at the studio she participated in the Vision Exchange Workshop VIEW an experimental multidisciplinary workshop by the late Akbar Padamsee It led to her first stopmotionfilm work Dream Houses 1969For Malani the time at the Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute was one of prolific creativity ldquoAnnapurna Devi would have her classes there at Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute On Sunday mornings we would have poetry sessions with poet Gieve Patel Asha Puthli would come and sing on occasion Mani Kaul would drop by sometimesrdquo Malani recallsNalini MalaniDespite the strong personalities and legendary names the artist reveals that it was a time of shared kindness ldquoAt that time you would not get as many books on art in India So VS Gaitonde and Tyeb Mehta would generously share books Everyone was so generous with their time and books With Satyadev Dubey I worked a lot backstage when he was doing his performances and he was only too happy to have me around I would make postcards for invitations about the performances Ebrahim Alkazi too was very very generous and would visit my studiordquo says the 2023 Kyoto Prize in Arts and PhilosophywinnerIt is this nostalgia that came flooding back when The Fragility of Time opened on August 12 ldquoIt really is as the French say lsquoagrave la recherche du temps perdursquo mdash in search of lost time past time For me when the watercolours were put up with frames a whole lot of memories came flooding back how the street was and how people behaved with each other It was totally different compared to what is happening now There was an extreme amount of kindness communication and trying to understand the otherrdquo she saysCurrently in Mumbai Malani will head out to London in September for an exhibition at the Barbican Centre ldquoShanay Jhaveri of Barbican in London has curated a show about India titled The Imaginary Institution of India Art 19751998rdquo she says The show we find out will also feature several of the names that Malani often shared studio space with including the late Tyeb Mehta Gieve Patel and MF Husain The touch of nostalgia remainsTill November 5 1015 am to 6 pm At Jehangir Nicholson Gallery second floor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya FortEntry Museum ticket prices apply