LOCATION: Jaya-Hey, the GVK museum of Indian art & non-art locates itself in the function-less residual spaces created at the intersections of curved geometries evolved due to the X-shaped morphology of the Mumbai Terminal-2 airport. The art-space exists within the subliminal here-and-there space, neither clamoring for attention nor disappearing into the amorphous whole firmly contained by its glazed boundaries. Intelligently placed alongside passenger travel routes it blends within the somewhat ubiquitous volumes of airport-ness. 

TYPOLOGY: Rather than the typology of a traditional museum it is more of an art exhibition space primarily because the artifacts it holds, do not necessarily possess historical value attributed to found-objects from the past, in the sense of factual time. They are recreations of traditional patterns and are made in contemporary India by artisans whose past-generations have been steeped in the history of making this art. Commissioned contemporary works of art suggest thematic approaches were curatorially driven and not necessarily the effort of an artistic expression emerging out of the creative pangs of an expressionistic endeavor.

But again, how is it different from the typology of a gallery? It has an almost permanent collection on display and curatorial themes are permanent too. The well-established theory of the white-box for a museum/gallery space has been done away with and the art is not for sale.

UNIQUENESS: 80 million eyeballs graze the surface of this art every year making it the most visible art space in the history of galleries. Art has always been hung on the walls and from the ceilings of airport spaces. The departure here is that a space separate from the normative social space of a typical museum or gallery has been created to house an ambitious art collection (claims vary between 3000 to 7000 pieces of art). Its brilliance lies in its contextualization of the Indian cultural scenarios. The expose is most certainly well-conceived, covers works from the length and breadth of India and admirably executed.

ENHANCING ENGAGEMENT: The speed of mobility attracts selfie addicts and an occasional art lover. However, to elevate the overall intellectual level of the exhibition space, state-of-the-art digitally operated engagement devices need to be provided for art buffs seeking to delve into the cultural scenario of India adding depth of knowledge to the visitor’s experience.