Malavika’s Mumbaistan: His Art Beats For Mumbai

It’s been not even a month since Dinesh Vazirani’s ambitious 4-day art extravaganza, Art Mumbai, the first-of-its-kind in scope and vision has concluded at the Mahalaxmi Race Course and by all accounts - it has exceeded expectation

What do you say to one of the country’s top-flight art auctioneers, who had not one but two record-breaking, headline-grabbing sales that very morning?

Malavika’s Mumbaistan: His Art Beats For Mumbai

Dinesh Vazirani CEO and co-founder of Saffron Art and Art Mumbai, is even more ebullient than his usual self when he shares the news of an Akbar Padamsee canvas that sold for RTS 25 crores and another by Ghulam Mohamad Sheikh for ₹20 crore, through his live auction.

But this is not the only thing that is making the fifty-something Harvard MBA with an additional degree in engineering and fine art, so buoyant.

It’s been not even a month since his ambitious 4-day art extravaganza, Art Mumbai, the first-of-its-kind in scope and vision concluded at the Mahalaxmi Race Course and by all accounts - it has exceeded expectations.

The extravaganza that offered a generous helping of art, sculpture, food, fashion, music and Bollywood and society glamour, along with the usual suspects seen at such events, witnessed a footfall of 15,000 people, many of them first-time art gallery visitors -and what’s even better-along with their kids in tow; and though the sales figures have not come in yet, Vazirani says that the 53 participating gallerists have reported almost 100% sales, with many going in for rehanging of fresh pieces during the duration of the show.

But of course, as in all debut ventures, there have been a lot of learnings. “There were flaws that perhaps only we could see.” He shares, with characteristic candour. “We could have structured the navigation of the 25,000 square feet venue space better, expanded the discourse around art by engaging people with additional interactive discussions, had more activity for children, improved the F&B offering etc. But all this learning will go into the planning for next year’s edition, which will occupy almost double the space (around 45,000 square feet) and feature many more attractions,” he says.

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Vazirani is one of those Mumbaikers who wears his love for his city unabashedly on his kurta sleeve. Hence his passion for giving Mumbai an annual art festival (“Four days of art, food, music, discovery and love!”) that does justice and celebrates its remarkable verve and spirit. “Culture begins in Mumbai - after all, it is the city of dreams!” He has often been known to proclaim. “ I love my city - yes it’s maximum for sure, but all heart!”

This intense love for ‘amchi Mumbai’ accounts for Vaziani’s determination to take art out of the rarified ivory tower that it has been mistakenly confined in so far and make it accessible to a newer, younger demographic.

The first edition of Art Mumbai saw collaborations, support and endorsements from the likes of film producer and director Karan Johar and fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani. “It is important to make art mainstream. People like Johar and Tahiliani are leaders in their own fields and therefore an important and recognizable benchmark for bringing in people who are not necessarily familiar with the art world,” he says. “Johar’s family and mine have been long-time friends and we even used to go on holidays together when we were kids. His support as Art Mumbai’s Cultural Ambassador positioned it for a larger audience.”

The run- up, a social media campaign for the festival had featured Johar who’d bought his first canvas from Vazirani -a Raza - decades ago, encouraging audiences to visit the fair and then, in his famous Koffee with Karan, tongue-in-cheek style haranguing Vazirani for a return gift (hamper?) of a painting for his efforts.

The easy camaraderie between the two men had been palpable in the exchange. “We gave him two beautiful Kishen Khanna sculptures” Vazirani shares good humoredly when asked if Johar had been indeed rewarded.

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But perish the thought if you think that pulling off Mumbai’s first Art fair and breaking records with his live auctions would encourage Vazirani to rest his oars.

Next week will see Vazirani’s own exhibition of canvases, ‘ Blurred Lines’, a tribute to Mumbai and its dichotomies, opening at the Akara Art Gallery.

“Yes it is finally happening! “he says” Three decades after getting my BA in Fine Art, I am doing my first solo exhibition. It’s a slice of our lives in Maximum Mumbai. A city that has an unsettling edge to it, but also one I love dearly!”

The dream had begun when as a student of Cathedral and John Connon school, Vazirani, the son of an industrialist, had demonstrated an early talent for art. My teachers encouraged me to even take it as a subject for my boards” he says, adding “And then at Stanford, though I was pursuing my major in engineering to please my dad, my professors suggested I get my minor in fine art.”

The canvasses on display feature impressionistic depictions of Mumbai. Enigmatic, shrouded in mystery but unrecognizably the skyline of his favourite city.

Which are his favourite parts of it?

Unselfconsciously and perhaps unaware of the great North-South divide, Vazirani who grew up on Marine Drive, but now resides at Malabar Hill, admits to being a lover of South Mumbai. “I guess everything from the Race Course onwards” he says” In fact from my balcony at home, I get a beautiful view of the Queen’s necklace…”

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Unbeknownst to many, Saffron Art, which he’d co-founded in 2000 with his INSEAD-trained wife Minal, had not launched as an art enterprise alone. “There have been many verticals, like Saffron Soul for holistic healing, along with verticals for Saffron Design for furniture, jewellery and fashion,” he says. “But having launched Saffron Art we quickly realised that we did not have the capacity to give the other enterprises the attention they required.”

The online auction site, the first of its kind in India, had been a runaway success but had also faced severe challenges during the economic downturn of 2008 when the art market had taken a major hit.

Mercifully, there has been a resurgence from those days going by the recent prices paid for masters like Padamsee and Sheikh this week.

In fact, everything appears to be coming up roses for the affable Vazirani. “Today Saffron art is involved in the jewellery, design and interior spaces too,” he says, referring to the earlier more expanded ambition for the venture that they’d forgotten.

That and his upcoming debut exhibition of paintings opening next week, indicate that life for Vazirani is indeed coming full circle.