Dr. Arshiya Lokhandwala is an art historian and curator and  [Ph. D. Cornell University] Master’s of Arts in Curating, Goldsmith College, London], and the founding director/curator of Lakeeren Gallery, Mumbai, India. Opened in 1995, Lakeeren Gallery was one of the first galleries to exist outside
 the South Mumbai circuit, but its uniqueness stemmed from the fact that it challenged itself to present contemporary art that emerged at that moment. It showcased several historic exhibitions including Cinemascape-a look at 100 years of Cinema, The Looking Glass Self an exhibition of some of the most accomplished Indian artists, and Aparanta an exhibition of abstract masters such as V. S. Gaitonde, S. H. Raza, Ganesh Haloi, and Nasreen Mohammedi to name a few.

 

Dr. Lokhandwala after completing her Ph.D. in History of Art at Cornell reopened Lakeeren Gallery in a Colaba location in which the exhibitions undertook a stronger art historical inquiry for example All That is Solid Melts Into Air: Indian Contemporary Art in Global Times, including the works of Sheela Gowda, Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat to name a few; Punctum: South Asian Photography including the works of Anita Dube, Sheba Chhachhi, Tejal Shah, and Sonia Khurana amongst others. History is…based on Walter Benjamin’s understanding of time included the work of Waqas Khan, Shaurya Kumar and Anita Dube and Uncomfortably Numb:  Investigating the Uncanny in Contemporary Times that examined the work from the psychoanalytical perspective of Sigmund Freud showcased Raqs Media Collective, Shilpa Gupta and Prajakta Potnis. Lakeeren Gallery has presented over 200 shows over the period of 25 years.  

 

From 2021 Lakeeren Gallery will function as virtual space showcasing avant-garde artists from South Asia and the US engaging in a critical and discursive platform for the arts.