Angel Network

Art in India is alive and well, thank you. Sharmistha Ray speaks to the patrons, mentors and cheerleaders who make that possible.

- Sharmistha Ray

A decade in the Indian art world can give you perspective, especially when you’ve taken the scenic route as I have. A decade ago, I arrived in Mumbai as a young ingénue from New York, on the brink of a massive, unprecedented boom in the art market. I was at the helm of a major art gallery when, first, Lehman Brothers crashed, taking the world economy with it, and then 26/11 besieged my adopted home. Overnight, the heyday of art seemed to be over. 

Back then, a colleague ventured a prediction that an entire new ecosystem of new artists and practitioners would emerge. He was right. The seven profiles in this story will introduce you to the architects of this new order. These individuals have vastly different backgrounds, but they are united by their desire to create resilient networks of exchange in the art world.

NIKHIL CHOPRA, MADHAVI GORE AND ROMAIN LOUSTAU 

FOUNDERS, HH ART SPACES, GOA

The meeting of Romain Loustau, Nikhil Chopra and Madhavi Gore couldn’t have been more serendipitous. Loustau was on a beach in Goa, drawing in his notebook, when he crossed paths with Chopra. They hit it off instantly. Loustau, who is trained in theatre, had just emerged from an underground art community in Paris and Chopra, one of the leading performance artists from the subcontinent, is married to Gore, an artist. But the three partners agree that their biggest achievement is the setting up of HH Art Spaces in Goa. Loustau, who is currently in Lisbon, describes HH as a place that helps artists collaborate and be critical. Chopra says, “We want young artists from India and the subcontinent to have exchanges with artists from all over the world.” The imminent launch of their first World Residency Program in Portugal will do much towards that cause.