Embarking on a visually compelling journey into landscape, geometric, gestural, and abstract forms, the Saloni Doshi Collection, presented by the Space118 Art Foundation, opens its doors to the public with The Presence of Absence – works from the personal collection of Mumbai-based patron Saloni Doshi. The exhibition, curated by renowned interior architect Kunal Shah, offers an expansive view into a world of form, colour, and riveting narratives that emerge from fragments of familiar yet unrecognised forms.

"Non-figurative art isn't that which stops before the creation of form; it is art that transcends beyond known structures. It can make us uncomfortable, perplexed enough to ponder on underlying meanings."

– Kunal Shah

Absence is never empty; it becomes a field charged with resonance and possibility. What remains instead is not silence, but presence: the quiet pulse of colour, form, and thought. An invitation to explore the vastness of absence, the exhibition covers a wide range of media and art practices, including Viswanadhan’s bold, red hued work, freeing space from the esoteric notions of geometrical abstraction, M Krishna Reddy’s prints, reflecting his colour viscosity process, producing a range of extraordinary colours in his works, Zarina’s maps of Shahjahanbad (erstwhile Delhi), one of Mehlli Gobhai’s rare works in vivid colour, from the series, Don’t Ask Me About Colour circa 1970’s, Jyothi Basu’s plethora of minute geometric forms, Seher Shah’s etchings; studies of incomplete lines that lie somewhere in between architectural abstraction and music notations, Dashrath Patel’s paper on plywood Collages, the fluid rhythmic structure in Manisha Parekh’s Wings series created through her use of harmonious forms taking on connotations of the human body and more. The collection, which focuses on well-known and emerging names in the Indian contemporary art scene, reflects Saloni’s long-term commitment to supporting the arts and introducing upcoming and established artists to young and future collectors.

A few thoughts from the Curator, Kunal Shah

Humans have always sought comfort in form. We trace shapes in clouds, find faces in shadows, and read meaning into patterns. But when form is stripped away, we are unmoored. We search for symmetry, we try to rebuild what has been denied. Abstraction reminds us that perception is elastic, that the eye can unlearn and the mind can see beyond the constraints of form.

How, then, do we speak of absence? If the figure is gone, what remains? Perhaps it is the presence of absence that invites us to see ourselves anew, to dwell in the space beyond representation and image. The distillation of shapes, forms, and structures drawn from reality embodies the “abstract”. In this realm, imagination crystallises into formlessness and thought finds rhythm beyond the familiar. Here we find revelation through deprivation, the hidden meanings and structures that underpin perception itself.

This show asserts that abstraction is vital to opening spaces for reflection, intuition, and access to the unseen facets of experience. Embedded in geometries, grids, and colour fields are the stories we don't even know we tell ourselves, questions we didn't even know to ask. Abstract art isn't that which stops before the creation of form; it is art that transcends beyond known structures. It makes us uncomfortable, perplexed enough to ponder on underlying meanings. While expanding the horizons of our imagination, it also gives us boundless space to perceive, to visualise and believe what we individually deem fit. An artwork in the realm of abstraction becomes a playground of imagination and creativity, where the pressure of intellectual pursuit ceases to exist.

In that context, The Presence of Absence is an invitation to dwell in the ether, to lose oneself in formlessness, to find the meaning that emerges not from what is shown, but from what is withheld. A fresh exploration of the possibilities of absentia.

The Saloni Doshi Collection (SDC) is a continuously expanding, diverse art collection comprising over a thousand contemporary Indian and South Asian artworks, encompassing paintings, photography, textiles, sculpture, printmaking works, and other ephemera, collected over a period of twenty-three years. SDC is dedicated to bridging the gap between public accessibility and private patronage, under the stewardship of Mumbai-based patron Saloni Doshi.

Over the last few years, Saloni has been showcasing her collection publicly through meticulous groupings and sensitive curation with The Right to Look (2023), a contemporary photography show curated by Amit Kumar Jain, followed by The Woven Path (2024), a textile and fibre-based exhibition curated by Sharan Apparao, and most recently, Sculpting Air (2025), a sculpture show curated by Sumesh Sharma.

At its core, the collection reflects an unwavering commitment to supporting the artist community, outreach to the public, education in the arts, and cultural access, grounded in the belief that art holds transformative power for society. Today, SDC positions itself as a vital hub within the cultural ecosystem, fostering a community of new-age collectors and enthusiasts.

The Presence of Absence
Works from the Saloni Doshi Collection
Curated by Kunal Shah

On View:
13 November, 2025 - 16 February, 2026
11 am to 5 pm
Open everyday, including Sundays and all public holidays

More Information on Saloni Doshi Collection.