THE ART OF FASHION

DESIGNER SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE'S ART FOUNDATION FINDS A LASTING HOME AT ASIAN PAINTS' NILAYA ANTHOLOGY IN MUMBAI

- -Deepali Dhingra

What’s it like to be Sabyasachi Mukherjee? “Tiring!” responds the renowned fashion designer. “You can’t let the ball drop when there are so many people depending on you. I’m getting old—my mind is razor-sharp but the body is failing. When there is a conflict between mind and body, you start feeling tired,” he confesses.

However, on the night of the launch of décor destination Nilaya Anthology—a 100,000 sq. ft space comprising retail outlets, an art gallery and a co-working space—in Mumbai, where the Sabyasachi Art Foundation has found its permanent home, the designer seemed far from tired, enthusiastically introducing the captivating works of artist-in-residence Atish Mukherjee to the guests in attendance. Sabyasachi established the foundation in 2014 as an initiative dedicated to mentoring and empowering artists from India. “I’ve been working with Nilaya for a long time and we built the brand together. When I learnt they are opening Anthology, I realised this is the right place to start the Foundation’s first art gallery and give Atish his first show,” he says, of the décor destination developed by Asian Paints.