Shalini Passi: An Indian Art Collector's life through Art

Shalini Passi at her home in New Delhi, India. Image Source: Telegraph India

In my previous article, I delved into my theory on how the process of collecting art is like meeting one’s ‘new loves and old flames.’ We travel the globe to see art, and while admiring works by artists we’ve been loyal to for years, we also encounter endless surprising new talents that become our new favourites. Reflecting on this phenomenon, I thought, why not start a series focusing on collectors’ ‘new loves and old flames’ to discover which artists are capturing the hearts and minds of collectors and art industry insiders right now?

My first collector in this series is my dear friend, Shalini Passi, an Indian collector based in New Delhi who is also a talented artist and philanthropist.

Shalini’s love affair with art dates back to her childhood. Her earliest memories of art stem from a black-and-white landscape painting created by her father. Her childhood visits to museums and galleries of different cultures nurtured and built her relationship with art.

Shalini’s upbringing ensured that from an early age, she had access to high culture and the social resources of the Indian elite. It was a privileged upbringing, but the resources she has accumulated from her father, her natural talent, her constant research, and her passion for the arts are all essential elements that have made Shalini the person she is today. They have enabled her to utilise these resources and generously devote herself to the arts and good causes.

While Shalini may seem to live the glamorous life of a socialite, always dazzling on Instagram, behind the scenes, she has been instrumental in advancing the development of India’s art scene. Her impeccable taste has secured her a prominent spot on the advisory board of Khoj Studios (a Delhi-based non-profit contemporary art organisation) since 2012, and she is a patron of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and a long-standing supporter of the Kochi-Muziris International Biennale. To further her artistic ambitions, Shalini founded her own eponymous art foundation and digital platform for art and culture, MASH (My Art Shalini @mash_india), to better encourage artists from all walks of life to expand their creativity and take art to new avenues.

Shalini’s passion for promoting India’s contemporary culture is also prevalent in her daily life. When we travel together, she is always brimming with enthusiasm, chatting about the latest happenings in India’s arts and culture scene, from noteworthy galleries to emerging contemporary artists and designers. It was she who first introduced me to Indian actor Ranbir Kapoor’s famous “towel-dance” song “Jab Se Tere Naina” on a rooftop in Venice, which quickly became my summer anthem. I recommended it to all my girlfriends and gay friends to beat the summer heatwaves. She also brought the 80s classic “Jawani Jan-E-Man” into my life, a tune that instantly lifts your spirits. With Shalini, true passion isn’t just about signing up for some official project or putting your name on an organisation; it shines through in everyday conversations and her zest for the little things in life.

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Shalini Passi’s personal art collection is a treasure trove of some of the most coveted names in contemporary art, including sought-after Indian artists Bharti Kher, Anita Dube, and Atul Dodiya; international luminaries Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst; and Indian modernist masters MF Husain, Manjit Bawa, and Ram Kumar. Her passion for art and design also extends to her collection of furniture, tapestries, and rare antiques. Although she originally aspired to be an architect, her shortcomings in mathematics led her to pivot, diving into extensive reading on different schools of architecture. This opened her horizons, and from the 1980s onwards, she began meeting and learning about different artists and designers, frequently visiting studios and laying the foundations for her now diverse collection.

The garden was designed by One Degree North landscape architect Trevor Hiller and features a large sculpture of a Buddha’s head made in 2012 by the renowned Indian contemporary artist Subodh Gupta. image source: AD India
On the curved wall of the corridor is Rivas Komu’s 2010 work Lost Resonance II, made from recycled wood, automotive paint and tin, with Ravinder Reddy’s sculpture of a female head placed in the middle. On the far wall is a mixed media installation from Anita Dube’s 1999 series Sade Theatre. Image Source: AD India

The floors, walls, and ceilings of Shalini’s nearly 2,000 square metre mansion in Golf Links, one of the most exclusive areas in New Delhi, are adorned with rare works of art. Her home features not only Indian art but also significant contemporary works by artists and designers such as Ron Arad, Vladimir Kagan, Flemish Cabinet, and Herve Van Der Straeten. Shalini Passi’s home and fabulous collection are not only a sight to behold but also evoke the strong personal narrative of a private collector. Each piece in her collection carries a connection or story about Shalini’s own history and personal interaction with artworks and artists.

Shalini Passi’s home in Golf Links. On the late 18th century Italian walnut dining table is a series of glazed porcelain ‘Puppy vases’ by artist Jeff Koons, flanked by gilded brass candlesticks from the 18th century. On the wall behind the table is Rikshawpolis, a mixed media work on canvas by Jitish Kallat from 2008. image source: AD India

As a collector, Shalini has always seen art as an extension of the cultural, social, and ideological developments of an era. She continues to explore how art can be linked to her vision of innovation and creativity, using images and photographs to gather multiple narratives that tell stories of the past and present through her role as an artist.

‘Old flames’ – one of Shalini’s favourite pieces in the collection and what makes it so special:

Several pieces in Shalini’s collection are particularly dear to her as they relate to her history and personal memories. One of her favourites is Theatre of Sade (1998) by Anita Dube, who made an in-depth study of the liberal philosophy underlined in the literature of the Marquis de Sade. Shalini is fascinated by Dube’s visual language as a way of expressing her views on different cultures and social phenomena through her work.

Anita Dubé, Theatre du Sade, mixed media, 1998. Photographed at the home of Shalini Passi.

A Recent Acquisition:

A recent addition to the Shalini Passi collection is Anish Kapoor’s classic work entitled Random Triangular Mirror. Made of highly polished stainless steel, the work is Kapoor’s exploration of the relationship between light, space, and image production. The image on the concave surface becomes a separate element in the work as it is refracted by the surface. Shalini feels that this work is a meditative presence, which integrates perfectly with the rest of the collection around it and enhances the atmosphere in the space.

Anish Kapoor, Random Triangular Mirror, stainless steel and resin, 2013. photographed in the home of Shalini Passi.

JR, Ballet, Palais Royal, Paris, France, 2020, colour print on aluminium, 2022. image courtesy of Evergreen Gallery.

‘New Loves’ – What are the 3 most recent artists discovered by Shalini Passi?

One of Shalini’s more recent favourites is the French artist JR, particularly his fascinating work entitled Ballet, Palais Royal, Paris, France, 2020, in which JR photographs ballerinas on the roof of the Palais Royal in Paris. Those familiar with his work will quickly notice that subjects on roofs recur many times in his work and that similar locations have become an outlet for the artist’s introspection, dialogue, and expression. By juxtaposing the grand cityscape with the graceful balletic figure, the artist continues to experiment with deepening his creative practice in relation to balletic elements, as presented in Portrait of a Generation, Women as Heroes.

Soumya Sankar Bose, Discreet Exit through the Darkness, inkjet print on aluminium, 2020, image courtesy Experimenter.

Continuing the idea of connecting artistic practice with stories of personal experience, there is a chilling quality to photographer Soumya Shankar Bose’s Discreet Exit Through the Dark, which was also exhibited at this year’s India Art Fair. In this work, Bose’s photographs retell the impact of his mother’s disappearance as a nine-year-old on her family. Adopting a magical realist style to emphasise fragmented collective memories, the photographs are shrouded in an aura of mystery and hallucinatory shadows that inspire a sense of spectacle, thus expressing the minimalist aesthetic of the photographic medium.

Faiza Hassan, exhibition view, SKE Gallery.

In a similar vein, Shalini Passi discusses the work of artist Faiza Hasan, who is in sync with the narrative style of the contemporary Indian visual art system. She says Hasan finds a more personal perspective – the work is like a visual story written in charcoal and gold, but also an emotional record of the artist’s own life: how life unfolds around her in moments of stillness and movement. In Shalini’s view, her contemplation of the ordinary everyday is endlessly intriguing.

-The End-
Text: Luning
Copyedit: Rosie