Rarely does one come across a house that is built around art. The Passi residence in South Delhi was conceived of keeping in mind their envious collection of art and furniture that represent avant-garde design trends. ‘All the walls of our home are painted white so the works of art can remain the focus, and all the corridors and halls are designed to be like mini- galleries with proper lighting,’ says Shalini Passi, patron of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art and founder of the recently launched Shalini Passi Foundation that focuses on supporting artists working in new media.
Architecture and design were an integral part of my growing up. My grandfather and father had a business of construction and real estate development. As a result, the idea of creating space, architectural detailing and design were commonplace for our household. The dinner table discussions would be on how the latest project is being laid out or what is unique about the cladding of a certain building. There was no escaping the creatives for me. While I am more known as a patron and collector of art, my bigger passion is fashion and design.
Art was my choice of career.
Not many may know now, but I studied art and also practiced painting. From doing clay work in school to formally getting trained as a painter, art had always been my focus. My first solo show in 2006 was held in New Delhi. I was very focused on my practice. As is my personality – somewhat obsessive – I was investing most of waking hours in painting. I was so engrossed with my art that it started to impact my health. But soon I realized that my paintings were just pretty pictures. They lacked depth and soul. On self-introspection, I came to the conclusion that my life was too comfortable and protected to really engage with the real world. There was little opportunity for me to get meaningful inspiration. There was no point in my continuing to paint beautiful images that just displayed my skill and technique. As a result, my art practice got left behind.
I started to collect for this house.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April - May 2019-Ausgabe von Arts Illustrated.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April - May 2019-Ausgabe von Arts Illustrated.
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A Sky Full Of Thoughts
Artist James Turrell’s ‘Twilight Epiphany Skyspace’ brings together the many nuances of architecture, time, space, light and music in a profound experience that blurs boundaries and lets one roam free within their own minds
We Are Looking into It
Swiss-based artists Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger talk to us about the evolving meaning and purpose of photography and the many perspectives it lends to history
Cracked Wide Open
Building one of the world’s largest domes was no mean task for anyone, let alone an amateur goldsmith, so how did Filippo Brunelleschi accomplish building not one, but two of them?
In Search of a Witness
In conversation with legendary artist Arpana Caur on all things epiphanic, on all things pandemic, and on all things artistic
Where the Shadows Speak
The founder of Sarmaya Arts Foundation takes us through the bylanes of his journey with Sindhe Chidambara Rao, the custodian of the ancient art form of shadow puppetry – Tholu Bommalata
Bodies in Motion
What happens to the memory of a revelatory experience when it is re-watched through the frames of a screen? It somehow makes the edges sharper and the focal point clearer, as we discover through Chandralekha’s iconic Sharira
Faces in the Water
As physical ‘masks’ become part of our life, we take a look at artists working with different aspects of ‘faces’ and the things that lurk beneath the surface.
A Meeting at the Threshold
The immortal actor exemplified all that is admirable about his profession, from his creative choices to his work philosophy, and his passing was a low blow. This is our tribute to the prince among stars – Irrfan
The Imperfect Layout To The Imperfect Mystery
Jane De Suza’s ‘The Spy Who Lost Her Head’ doesn’t feature a protagonist with superhuman skills of deduction, nor a plot that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Here, quirks and imperfections are pushed into the spotlight
Free and Flawed
Greta Gerwig revitalises the literary classic, Little Women, highlighting the literary journey of its temperamental and wonderfully flawed female protagonist, Jo March
