After corporate roles with KPMG and McKinsey in the United Kingdom, Ayesha Parikh returned to India and started Art & Charlie as a nomadic space in 2019. Initially the gallery staged pop-up shows in hip restaurants and cafes before securing its current home in a charming Portuguese colonial-era house in Bandra, a sea-facing neighborhood in the western fringes of the city, in 2022.
In Mumbai, opening a gallery in the western suburbs would have seemed counterintuitive to many, but has worked to Parikh’s advantage. “I was aiming to draw in a new generation of collectors to art, and Bandra felt like the right place—after all, a large number of Bollywood celebrities, architects, designers, and finance professionals live here,” Parikh said.
As a new entrant, her penchant for not going down the beaten track was apparent at the India Art Fair in February, where instead of renting a booth, she collaborated with the fair to present an anti-caste installation by Yogesh Barwe. In addition to Barwe, the gallery represents emerging artists like Saviya Lopes, Kumar Misal, and Sukanya Ayde, among others. Having found success while not following the beaten path, Parikh is gearing up for more mainstream responsibilities as Art & Charlie has also been nominated as one of the two galleries to organize Mumbai Gallery Weekend’s next edition in January.
Address: 71A, Pali Village, Bandra (West), Mumbai.
