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

Among the exhibits is Nalini Malani’s Play, from ‘His Life’ series, 1979-82, oil on canvas, Collection: Pundole family

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 ‘Proustian moment', 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 artist's oeuvre.

Time is a key player, in theme and action, for the show.

Malani says, "For 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 together." Of the 103 artworks on display, 81 have never been exhibited before, including a series of watercolours that were once part of her artist diary.

Untitled, silver gelatin photographs, 1978. Pic Courtesy/ Nalini Malani; (right) A view of the exhibition at the gallery. Pics Courtesy/Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation

The decade of 1960 was a fertile time not just for the artist, but also for the city of Bombay, as it was called then. "It was a very young country, and there was much to look forward to in terms of nation building," the 78-year-old artist shares. The optimism must have been redoubled for the then 18-year-old artist who worked out of a studio at the bustling art community hub of Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute at Breach Candy in 1964.

She recalls, "This 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 arts." In 1969, while at the studio, she participated in the Vision Exchange Workshop (VIEW), an experimental multi-disciplinary workshop by the late Akbar Padamsee. It led to her first stop-motion/film work, Dream Houses (1969).

For Malani, the time at the Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute was one of prolific creativity. "Annapurna 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 sometimes," Malani recalls.

Nalini Malani

Despite the strong personalities and legendary names, the artist reveals that it was a time of shared kindness. "At 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 studio," says the 2023 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy-winner.

It is this nostalgia that came flooding back when The Fragility of Time opened on August 12. "It really is as the French say ‘à la recherche du temps perdu' - 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 other," she says.

Currently in Mumbai, Malani will head out to London in September for an exhibition at the Barbican Centre. "Shanay Jhaveri of Barbican in London has curated a show about India, titled The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998," 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 remains.

Till November 5; 10.15 am to 6 pm
At Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, second floor, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Fort.
Entry Museum ticket prices apply