Six decades ago, when the Indian art scene flourished largely in Mumbai and Delhi, Madras was starting to take baby steps towards the contemporary art scene. While the first art institution in the country was established in this city, artists found it difficult to show their work or engage with collectors and the audiences. It was in this context that Soli Daruwala and Moti Daruwala founded Sarala’s Art Centre in 1965 — a visionary step that would go on to shape the trajectory of modern art in the South.
The gallery has always been more than a professional space where canvases replaced conversation. At a time when the city had little exposure to contemporary art, the gallery became a meeting ground for artists, collectors, and enthusiasts. “Artists had no place to exhibit or interact. People didn’t even know what contemporary art was,” says Sarala Daruwala Banerjee, director of Artworld India and Sarala’s Art International.
The space helped famous artists like MF Husain, Ram Kumar, KCS Paniker, and Akbar Padamsee to strengthen their roots in the industry by displaying their works. “My parents were instrumental in promoting many artists. As the artists grew, they grew with them,” she notes.
This year, as the gallery marks 60 years, Sarala’s Art International and Artworld India are celebrating this milestone with Garden of Memories I, an exhibition conceived both as a tribute and a reflection of their legacy at Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai. Premiered on March 8, the gallery brought together works by “150 artists and counting,” who have been associated with the gallery over the decades. “For us, this milestone means everything. We are already in the second generation of the business and the third generation is coming up. It’s a small family enterprise, but we love doing it and we believe we have contributed quite rightly to Indian art,” says Sarala.
The exhibitory celebration brings together paintings, sculptures, and prints spanning multiple generations of artists connected with the gallery. Some works are archival pieces that have never been exhibited before, while others are newly created for the occasion. “It’s a very mixed show, which is why I call it a garden. Some artists were so enthusiastic they said, ‘We want to be part of the celebration,’” adds Sarala.
This celebration also functions as a kind of living archive as each work represents a moment in time, a memory, and artistic dialogue. Together, they form a collective narrative of friendship, collaboration, and shared history that has shaped the gallery’s evolution.
The choice of Chennai as the centre of this journey is intentional. Sarala credits the city’s cultural richness for influencing the gallery’s ethos. “Chennai is culturally very vivid. The temple festivals, music festivals, so much happening quietly, without ostentation resonates with the gallery and its vision,” she says.The gallery’s long-term sight remains unchanged. “The vision was always to bring art to people. In modern times there is a tendency to stress the value of the useful. We want to stress the value of the beautiful,” she notes.
As the exhibition opened to the public, its early success has already prompted the gallery to plan a second edition. With such events, Sarala’s Art Centre is creating newer exposure to the next generation. Sarala adds, “They (next generation) will bring fresh perspectives and adapt to new forms of artistic practice. They have different outlooks and different ways of doing things,” she says. Till then, “We are here to give true value art to people, grow with the artists, and continue this journey for another 60 years,” concludes Sarala.
The exhibition will be open till March 14.