The quiet, prolific legacy of an artist, shaped and formed in Mumbai, finds its way back to prominence with a new retrospective in the city
A dated photograph of Vimoo Sanghvi (left); an archival photograph of Sanghvi in her later years. Pics Courtesy/Raaj and Mallika Sanghvi, Ajay Sahu
From the Akshayapatra in Hindu mythology, to the Chalice in Christian myths, and even the Jam e Jam of Persian lore, pottery carries cultural contexts. This week, a rare retrospective, Whispering Clay: Celebrating a Life in Ceramics, returns the spotlight on a figure who has almost acquired mythical qualities for her prolific work and intangible presence. Few outside the world of art would recognise the name Vimoo Sanghvi. They might be more familiar with her son, author Vir Sanghvi. In truth, she remains one of the more prolific ceramicists India ever produced.
A glazed terracotta figurine
Rediscovering an artist
“I first met her back in 1997. She was living at Rashmi Apartments on Altamont Road back then,” shares Dr Kristine Michael, curator of the show. Having graduated from National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Michael had been working on a project about India’s foremost studio potters. During a visit to Mumbai, artists Primula Pandit and Malti Dwivecha suggested a meeting with Vimoo Sanghvi. “I was based out of Delhi, and had not even heard of her. Even then, she was surrounded by these fascinating works of pottery at her home,” admits Michael.
A glazed terracotta piece from Sanghvi’s last series
By 1997, Sanghvi was well into the last decade of her retirement. Her last exhibition was held in 1989 at the Jehangir Art Gallery. It had been a long journey. Born in Ahmedabad in 1920, Sanghvi completed her BA in Philosophy at Bombay University (then), followed by a Masters at Michigan University. “Remember this was World War II, there or thereabouts. For a woman to travel alone to Michigan and study, was quite the decision. She was a well-travelled, brave woman,” Michael points out.
Terracotta and stoneware (right) from her Cubist period
Michael’s interview would have stayed a passing memory, if not for her meeting Ranvir Shah, founder, Prakriti Foundation, and through him Raaj Sanghvi, the artist’s grandson. “When the family suggested we should hold an exhibition, I agreed,” the curator reveals. Shah presents the exhibition, alongside Simpolo Foundation, Sakshi Gallery and the Vimoo Sanghvi Estate.
A glazed terracotta piece highlights her handbuilding techniques
The Mumbai connection
It is only apt that the retrospective opens first in Mumbai, before travelling to Kochi for the Biennale. For it was in Mumbai, that Sanghvi’s art found expression. While the city has its share of global artists, ceramicists have been few and far between. “Delhi has been the hub of studio pottery. Sardar Gurcharan Singh, the father of Indian Studio Pottery was based here. Also, she rarely showed outside of Bombay,” reveals Michael.
One of Sanghvi’s last creations (right) A stoneware from the artist’s Cubist period
While Sanghvi first encountered pottery at the Willesden Arts School, England and learnt under Ronald Cooper and Marianne deTrey (two of the foremost ceramicists of the era), Mumbai is where she shaped her art. She sourced clay and terracotta from Kumbharwada, in Dharavi, and worked out of a garage in Churchgate. In the catalogue, Vir Sanghvi places the location to be in Indus Court. The kiln from the studio was later handed over to the Happy Home for the Blind. Sanghvi would go on to teach at Sophia Polytechnic, and later Sir JJ School of Art, cementing her cultural presence among a new generation.
Her first exhibition, like her last, opened at the familiar venue of Jehangir Art Gallery in 1962. “Beyond the Progressive Artists in 1940s Bombay, there are several artists who slipped from the limelight,” the curator points out.
Yet, it is not the size of the artist’s output that demands attention. “She shaped her own aesthetic. She moved from the functional English-form of her pottery in the beginning to express the abstract expressionist and Cubist style found among the Progressive Artists’ and later on, figurative expression,” shares the curator adding that the large platters would become the canvas to paint on with different glazes.
The curation approaches this prolific quantity of work through these artistic phases. “The Indian aesthetic was very strong throughout her work, whether that is through traditional Rangoli designs, Ajanta-style hamsas [swans]. In the later part of her life, she was doing a lot of textured work based on the sea; with elements of coral,” she observes. As they say, you live long enough in Mumbai, and the sea finds its way to you.
TILL September 20; 11 am to 6 pm
AT Sakshi Gallery, first floor, 3rd Pasta Lane, Colaba.
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