It isn't uncommon to find an artist who never went to art school or a person doing a job they felt compelled to. Raj Shahani's story as an artist with a debut exhibition at 59 follows a similar trajectory, as reflected in the show's name. In Caesura/Continuum, his solo at Jehangir Art Gallery, the Mumbai-born New York-based businessman-turned-artist presents 25 clay sculptures modelled on dancers in motion.
<img title="Guide" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2019/nov/WhatsApp-.jpg" alt="Guide" /> Raj Shahani
Ask him how the display came to be and Shahani responds, "I only just started sculpting." And it isn't an overstatement. With a successful career in finance in the US, he stumbled upon the Arts Students League, an independent art school, in his neighbourhood in Manhattan. "They happened to conduct a workshop on sculpting and I grew obsessed with it, spending about 15 to 16 hours a day," he shares. But although the class helped him develop his practice, Shahani was always taken to art as a child growing up in Chembur. "I couldn't pursue it because I was a boy and it wasn't considered a viable career option. I always wanted to draw and paint and remember my art supplies being taken away when I was in the eighth grade," he recalls.
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Throughout his professional career, however, Shahani nurtured an interest for photography. "I travelled around the world and clicked pictures during journeys. What stood out for me were the pictures of ballet dancers that I photographed &mdash; not because of the dance form but the emotion and the fact that even though it is so painful, the artistes exude grace," he says. Ingrained in his subconscious, it was these images that translated into life-size clay sculptures cast in bronze and fibreglass, and Shahani felt like he could sculpt each dancer's emotion with his eyes closed. Another trigger that pushed him towards artistry was his son Avi's decision to become a musician. "It's not a traditional career path and seeing his passion made this [transition] very organic," he explains.
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Shahani never conceived of an exhibition and the proposal came to him through Gallery Art &amp; Soul's Tarana Khubchandani who loved his work. Now in Mumbai, it's almost as if he's returned as a different person. "It feels like I've left things unsaid. It's the first time I'm being able to express myself. Even though my work was putting dollars in my pocket, I didn't feel like I had achieved anything. This is my achievement," he says. Stating French artists Auguste Rodin &mdash; whose exhibition, Shahani recalls, travelled to Mumbai in the '80s &mdash; and Edgar Degas as his influences, he hopes that visitors will be able to take back joy. He adds, "I want it to be a celebration. I feel like a dancer myself. Not just somebody watching one."
TILL November 10, 11 am to 7 pm ON Jehangir Art Gallery, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda. CALL 24965798 FREE
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New York-based businessman-turned-artist Raj Shahani opens his maiden solo show in Mumbai with 25 sculptures that capture dancers in motion

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Shaping a new career

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