The city has got a new, temporary art space run by two young art-makers keen to give a leg-up to up-and coming talent. Their first stop: Worli
An installation titled Homeward by Kelton at Interim Space
A far cry from the compulsively white walls and swish polish of conventional Mumbai galleries, Interim Space is the newest addition to the city’s artscape. Run by two 25-year-olds, the floating art space — which seeks to inhabit temporarily available locations — has found its first home in a hidden pocket of Worli, in an old warehouse-like structure. Bearing the remnants of its past — as a TV news channel’s studio — the space opened its doors to art-makers and art-lovers last week. Their first exhibition: Content, by artist Tara Kelton.
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The DIY way
The inspiration behind this edgy, alternative art space is rooted in founders Yaazd Contractor and Simran Ankolkar’s art school years in Chicago. “There, we had a multi-disciplinary exposure to the world of art, which left a huge impression on us, and we were keen to broaden the definition of art here in Mumbai,” Contractor shares, pointing to the culture of DIY art spaces that’s popular in the American city. They’re young, dynamic and often put together by groups of friends for other young artists. “When we came back to Mumbai during the pandemic, we realised that it lacks an art space that’s not institutionalised, or not run by folks who are already settled in their careers,” he explains, while Ankolkar adds, “We didn’t come across places that are helmed by younger artists, who themselves are trying to build their practices.”
The exhibition comprises artist books and videos. Pics/Ashish Raje
The duo then started ideating, and eventually stumbled upon the Worli location, which was available temporarily. “We were intrigued by the history of the place, what it’s future will be, and what its interim story will be. This, we felt, could drive a lot of our shows,” explains Contractor. Deviating from a gallery culture that can often be intimidating, they hope that with every iteration, Interim will be able to offer a space that’s comfortable and informal, bringing together a community of art-lovers.
Eye for content
Kelton is a Bengaluru-based Indian-American artist whose work is a blend of mediums, and reflects on the diminishing role of humans in an increasingly digital world. Content features a collection of artist books and video works. Through archiving and re-contextualising material plumbed from the depths of the Internet, Kelton’s books highlight “mundane digital realities”, such as found images taken from Amazon reviews for desktop printers in the book No Help From Epson. “It has a bunch of pictures of test prints from printers, including text documents, visuals of kids and families, landscapes, and images of gods,” Contractor reveals.
Yaazd Contractor and Simran Ankolkar
Another book, Twin Sharing, comprises images of twin-sharing bedrooms advertised by realtors and landlords in Bengaluru — “a comment on how many people, mostly IT workers, are looking for these living spaces,” points out Ankolkar.
The books are accompanied by four video works; one of them, Homeward, is an installation consisting of a portable projector mounted on top of a cleaning robot. It features a curation of virtual walk videos that are played on screens in front of treadmills while working out. While the videos play in a loop, the cleaning robot wanders across the floor, “divorced from its functionality”.
Looking ahead
The duo has planned two more shows at this Worli location. They are interested to witness how every art-maker and their exhibition breathes a new life into the same space. “That way, every space can have multiple interim lives for the time that we’re there,” Ankolkar signs off.
Till: January 14 (for the exhibition); Thursday to Friday, 5 pm to 9 pm; Saturday to Sunday, 2 pm to 6 pm
At: Interim Space, Recondo Estate (near Ellipsis Bakery), Sudam Kalu Ahire Marg, inside Asphalt Garage BMC compound, Worli.
Log on to: interimspace.org
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