079|STORIES Purva Damani

What’s Your Story?
My story started from the corporate field. I was doing recruitments at a higher level, of the banking and financial sector, so hardcore into corporate life. I was in Bombay for three years. I did my communication marketing from the US and when I relocated back to Ahmedabad, I started my recruitment company here but unfortunately, I had multiple miscarriages and I took a sabbatical from work. And you know, when you fall deep down or flat on your face, that’s when you realise what you want to do in life and what you’ve been doing and you know, there is this sudden correction and the evolving process starts. That’s where I realised that art had been my passion. I didn’t have a formal study but I was always extremely passionate about art and culture, being born and brought up in Ahmedabad, I wanted to do something where I can give back to the city, where I can give back in some kind of form. So, the whole idea of 079|STORIES emerged. I wanted to bring stories from different parts of India, with curated exhibitions and the idea evolved and it turned into an art gallery and a cultural space.

What is your curatorial process for exhibits and cultural engagement?
When it comes to culture, we try and engage with different kinds of musical shows, theatre programs, stand up, open mic which always has a message, and is presented maybe once in a month and mostly in winters because of weather.

Then we have different kinds of outdoor exhibits, which is again art related. We do Studio Potters Fest, where we have potters coming in from all across India, exhibiting in a market space that we create outside at the amphitheatre. Of course, the monologues, then jazz and blues festivals; so different kind of cultural programs which Ahmedabad city has not seen much, however now it is evolving. We also have a dialogue between art and a visual art performance, where we open our art show with a traditional dance form, maybe Kathak dance and there is a dialogue between both the forms of art. So, every show is conceptualised in a very different way. Sometimes we conceptualise art shows based on a subject where we have an international artist and a national artist, where we’re blurring boundaries and talking about the different aspects of their work. Then there issometimes a material-based show. My roster of artists work with ceramics, metal, clay and charcoal; different kinds of material basically.

For such diverse programming one requires an extremely versatile and fluid space and 079|STORIES is exactly that. The inside and outside merge. There is conversation between the ground and first floor and even though there are different areas for different things, it’s a very open and inviting space and not constrained at all.

So, what was your thought and did you give a brief to your architects?
So, it was a mix of both, this is one of Khushnu Panthaki Hoof and Sonke Hoof’s major projects in Ahmedabad. We had a couple of ideas and along with my husband, who was very active in designing and is also the co-founder for this place, we shared our thoughts with the architects. 079|STORIES is divided into a lot of different things. We have an amphi-theatre. The 1st floor consists of an art gallery where we host art shows, we collaborate with different galleries across India. The smaller space has a studio workshop space. Here, we do a lot of different kinds of workshops of different dying artforms. And then there is a smaller space, which is art for all. So, we are trying to promote emerging and mid-level artists, original art. Everything is under 1.5 lakhs, which is original art. And we have a roster of a hundred artists so far. We have played with light; the openness. Everything is fluid, connected to everything. I think that’s the best part of the architecture.