An artistic haven, 1Shantiroad in Bengaluru has transformed art culture for two decades.
Born in 2003, 1Shanthiroad has completed 20 years of existence. (Supplied)
In the hustle and bustle of Shanthi Nagar stands an artistic space free from the confines of time and place. This quaint yellow-coloured building, popularly known as 1Shanthiroad, has played an important role in shaping the artistic landscape of Bengaluru.
Its courtyard, with a Badam tree, has witnessed numerous art soirees, incredible art exhibitions, book launches, and cutting-edge performance art events, and has hosted artists from across the world, functioning as an art residency.
Born in 2003, 1Shanthiroad has completed 20 years of existence. In its two decades, 1Shanthiroad has emerged as an alternative space for art that can coexist with commercial art galleries.
Before 1Shanthiroad became a creative sanctuary, it was home to Suresh Jayaram’s parents — a welcoming open house for friends and community members to drop by for food, tea, and conversations.
In its two decades, 1Shanthiroad has emerged as an alternative space for art that can coexist with commercial art galleries. (Supplied)
Suresh, an art historian and curator, envisioned an open space that would incorporate a private living space for himself and an exhibition-cum-residency space for artists.
He retired from the position of principal at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath and launched 1Shanthiroad.
“1Shantiroad has a long history of being very hospitable to people. It was like an open house. So when Shanthi Road started, the same mandate continued in terms of being open to others coming and experiencing the space. Since it was in the centre of the city, it became a very important hub for many contemporary artists to experiment and explore. Bengaluru was also going through a phase where a lot of people were working with new material media,” recalls Suresh.
It soon evolved into a residency space with Khoj, a non-profit organisation encouraging contemporary art and up-and-coming South Asian artists working with 1Shantiroad.
Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh giving a talk on the Ramayana for the ‘Relook’ talk series curated by Pushpamala N. (Supplied)
Describing its growth, Suresh says, “That led to an opening up of the space for an international audience. Soon, the Goethe Institute got interested in the idea of a residency space. With Goethe came other collaborations in Australia and New Zealand. Then we had Fulbright scholars from America. So, it became a regular hub for artists coming, living, working here, exploring Bengaluru, and working with the artists in Bengaluru with locally available materials. 1Shanthiroad slowly established itself as one of the prominent residences in the country.”
To date, 1Shanthiroad has hosted 150 artists from different parts of the world.
Not only is 1Shanthiroad a popular destination for residencies but it has also become a hub for exhibitions, especially for up-and-coming artists.
In 2017, Heena Pari returned to the art world and held her first solo exhibition, Breaking the Pattern, which included installations, mixed media, collages, and a video. The play highlighted her predicament of being torn between her work goals and her responsibilities as a homemaker, which resonated well with 1Shanthiroad’s interior design.
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There are three separate living areas: the public gallery exhibit spaces, the living room for Suresh Jayaram and his family, and the living area for the artists who stay and work there. The gallery’s two stairs creatively link different areas.
“A very special memory for me is during the two-week showing of my solo show Breaking the Pattern. Most times a visitor entered, they used to be offered tea/coffee. It added to the experience, especially because my show was about my journey as a homemaker and an artist. Another memory from the show is how a very close friend of mine, who came from Mumbai to see the show, prepared an entire dinner meal before she took her flight back. She and the artists who had the food prepared by her never even got to meet,” recalls Heena.
Artist Indu Antony, who also had her first solo show at 1Shantiroad in 2010-2011, asserts that 1Shanthiroad provides a haven for young artists.
“It is a space where a lot of artists came together. It’s a space where you get to see different kinds of mediums of artwork, which is not easy to find. At 1Shantiroad, one is assured of getting food, which works for those who have just come out of art colleges. It’s pivotal for a city to have a safe space like 1Shanthiroad. When we started Kanike, we realised we needed a space for artists to just walk in,” shares Antony.
Next Step residency featuring Madav. (Supplied)
“You will barely find 1Shanthiroad’s doors closed. We don’t have a gallery culture in Bengaluru, a fact that underlines the significance of artist-led spaces. Unlike New Delhi, which has a vibrant gallery culture, a lot of Bengaluru’s art culture comes from these places,” stresses Antony.
The variety of events hosted at 1Shanthiroad, including talks, movie screenings, workshops, music events, and performance art, reflects its versatility.
Many people still recall Shabnam Virmani’s performance of Kabir songs in the small room of 1Shanthiroad with fondness.
Umesh Madanahalli, a contemporary artist, converted 1Shanthiroad into a kitchen and immediately made meals for the guests. The performance was called Meals Ready. Poet Mamta Sagar’s evening of poetry, Kavya Sanje, was another noteworthy event held at the venue.
Bengaluru-based artist Ravi Kashi, who has exhibited at 1Shantiroad, says, “I have loved many shows that happened at 1Shanthiroad. But one of the recent ones, a show by Surekha, was memorable. It was a collection of footwear from labourers and brought back all the disturbing memories of COVID-19 days. It also showed us how quickly we forget the trauma.”
Urmila VG woodcut show. (Supplied)
Kashi is preparing to display another collection of his artwork there on 23 and 24 December. The exhibition, titled Shadows Left Behind, is an artist’s remembrance of his brother, mother, and father.
Under the auspices of Relook, a series of conversations with art historians from around India, over 40 debates have taken place. Art historians such as Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, Tapati Guha Thakurta, and Shivaji Panikkar, have participated in these talks led by the well-known artist Pushpamala N.
Kashi sums up the essence of 1Shantiroad well. “It has remained an alternative space as opposed to a gallery space where monetary considerations are paramount. 1Shanthiroad is a space where different kinds of art, that don’t fit the existing frameworks, can be imagined and realised without any limitations.”
The audience during a talk. (Supplied)
The effort, however, may succeed or fail, notes Kashi. “But, the space enables such thinking. In itself, the space has remained fluid in its character and tentative in its footprint, not settling down or fixed, which enables a critical reimagination of art practices and accommodates diverse approaches. In that sense, it brings an art space, physically and metaphorically alternative, to the city. It has been an able catalyst for experimentation,” Kashi concludes.
1Shanthiroad is located at, Shanthi Rd, Bheemanna Garden, Shanti Nagar, Bengaluru. Instagram @1.shanthiroad
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