SAGA Foundation Creates A Platform To Increase Awareness Of The Global South Asian Art World

In 2005, Ali Adil Khan, a globally renowned art lover, critic and collector, created the South Asian Gallery Of Art (SAGA) a commercial art gallery which focuses on showcasing and selling key art works from the South Asian art world. One year ago in 2019, Khan expanded it even further by creating the The Shehla and Adil Giving for Art Foundation (SAGA), a non-profit organization focused on expanding the platform to create awareness of South Asian historical contributions to the global art world. With an unique opportunity for art lovers that’s coming to fruition, Ali Adil Khan shares their story.

Our Organization: Shehla and Adil Giving for Art (SAGA) Foundation 

Email: [email protected]

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Launched In: South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA) was launched in 2005. Shehla and Adil Giving for Art (SAGA) Foundation was launched in 2019.

City, Country:  Toronto, Canada

Mission Statement: The South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA) is a commercial art gallery established in 2005 in Toronto, dedicated to the promotion, marketing and sale of South Asian art while the Shehla and Adil Giving for Art Foundation (SAGA Foundation) is a not-for-profit organization. The two entities are separate organizations.

Target Market: South Asians between the ages of 25-60

What We Offer: Access to exclusive art exhibitions, auctions, other events showcasing South Asian art. Advise on starting a private or public art collection. Connecting with local artists and arranging studio visits.

Fund Raising Campaign: Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Art from SAGA Collection: Dec 25, 2020 to Jan 15, 2021.

Founder Ali Adil Khan shares their story. 

Art Of Giving 

Shehla and Adil Giving for Art (SAGA) Foundation was established in May 2019 as a not-for-profit organization in Canada to support a wide range of visual art forms emanating from South Asia and to encourage learning, enhance appreciation and build community. Although nascent, its dynamic board of directors and advisors have come together to help fund and support exhibitions, private as well as public art projects, artist development through residencies, publications and art archiving related initiatives. Its aim is to promote South Asian art and culture in Canada and globally.

Some recent examples of SAGA Foundation initiatives making an impact nationally and internationally include, cataloguing and archiving of Indo-Canadian artists Panchal Mansaram (1934-2020) and Youngo Verma (1938-2014) extensive body of art produced during their lifetime, leading to gift/acquisition of their works by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), publication of an exhibition catalogue for Toronto based Bangladeshi-Canadian artist Syed Iqbal, webinar presentation on the “Dying Art of Bollywood Posters” for members of Eat Your Heart Out Tours, an organization based in Toronto.

Since establishing the South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA) in 2005, I have been actively promoting emerging and established South Asian artists in Canada. At the same time, I have been supporting and collecting South Asian artists’ works. Now, it is my pleasure to offer an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of art, beginning on December 25, 2020 and closing on January 15, 2021. These consist of 25 works from my collection of 700+ art objects to raise funds for the SAGA Foundation.

SAGA Foundation is privileged to have a board of directors and advisors that brings valuable experience, interest and passion for social impact.

Shannon Anderson is an experienced contemporary art curator and writer working both independently in public galleries and in the healthcare field. She is the Art Curator for Halton Healthcare, supporting the role of art in a healthcare setting through programming and exhibitions. She is currently developing independent curatorial projects for the Art Gallery of Sudbury; the Koffler Gallery, Toronto; the University of Waterloo Art Gallery; and Contemporary Calgary.

Sandhya Kohli has had a varied career in the arts, law, and education. Before entering the field of law and dispute settlement, Sandhya cultivated a grounding in the Arts, having performed as a classical pianist at the Aspen Festival of Music, and obtaining a Masters of Arts in English Literature & Language. In 2009 Sandhya curated an exhibition featuring South Asian contemporary art at the Gibsone Jessop Gallery in the Distillery District, Toronto, and she consistently helps wherever she can to promote South Asian artists living and working in Toronto and the Diaspora.

Adnan Khan is the youngest member of the Board and is currently working as a Manager in the Strategy & Operations Consulting group of Deloitte Canada. He has advised senior executives on market entry, operating model transformation, talent retention, and organizational design. Adnan is also the Founder of EduGate, an education-focused not-for-profit organization, and Co-Founder of Exec Viva, an organization that hires, trains, and deploys virtual assistants to support executives. He has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada for the past decade and currently serves on their National Youth Mentorship Advisory Council.

Dr. Marika Sardar (not pictured) is an advisor to the SAGA Foundation board and a specialist in South Asian Art. Her significant curatorial, research and exhibition experience include former positions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and her role as Associate Curator for Southern Asian and Islamic Art at the San Diego Museum, where she was instrumental in reorganising the South Asian galleries. Most recently, she held the position of Curator for South Asia at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Dr. Sardar holds a PhD in Islamic Art and Archaeology from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. She joined the Aga Khan Museum in April 2019.

Manjari Sihare-Sutin is an Assistant Vice President and Head of North America sales for the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art Department at Sotheby’s auction house in New York. As an advisor to the SAGA Foundation board, she brings a breadth and depth of knowledge in the field. Manjari has worked extensively in India and the United States with leading public and private institutions, including the Lalit Kala Akademi, Goethe Institute and The Biennale Society as well as Gallery Espace and Savara Foundation for the Arts. Manjari also served as Studio Manager for Rina Banerjee, a leading South Asian contemporary artist and then joined Saffronart, launching and managing their blog and special online projects. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Manjari held the position of Curatorial Manager for Queens Museum, New York.

Dr. Nadia Mahnoor Khan is an M.D. and post-graduate 4^th year resident in General Surgery at the University of Ottawa. She earned her Doctor of Medicine from Western University and Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences and English Literature from Queens University. She has held research positions at; the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada; the injury prevention research office and the department of Neurosurgery of St. Michael Hospital in Toronto; pain management division of Baylis Medical company in Mississauga; and the gastrointestinal disease research unit of Kingston General Hospital. Nadia serves as an advisor to the SAGA Foundation board.

Dr. Nitin Deckha holds a PhD in Anthropology from Rice University, Houston, and is an educator and learning consultant. Since 2006, he has taught at the University of Guelph-Humber, Toronto. Nitin has published two works of fiction, and has written about urban revitalization, creative industries, heritage and art. In the past, he served on Desh Pardesh, a former South Asian diaspora multi-genre culture/politics festival and collaborated with the South Asian Visual Arts Collective, including writing an introduction to an exhibition catalogue and reviews for Art India. He currently volunteers with the Friends of South Asia, which supports the appreciation and cultivates awareness of the Royal Ontario Museum’s South Asian gallery and collection.

Nitin believes in the art of giving and says “we might think of gifting as one-sided, but, taking a broader look, we know that gift exchange is reciprocal and ties us to the other, to the person or entity to whom/which we give. This idea of social reciprocity is captured in South Asian practices of len den, which describes formal and informal exchanges of goods that create and establish linkages and alliances between kin groups, and by extension, communities and societies. This idea of building community is intrinsic to this present offering, where art enthusiast and collector, Ali Adil Khan, who has amassed an incredibly varied collection of South Asian art works, is releasing a number of these works to raise monies for his nascent foundation, the SAGA Foundation. The SAGA Foundation is planning a range of initiatives to nurture and support South Asian artists and deepen the presence and impact of South Asian art, through exhibitions, auctions, art research and advice locally, nationally and globally. The true ‘Art of Giving’ art is thus not merely creating and strengthening the link between the artist and collector, but more deeply, a ritual that links and connects us fundamentally together as a community.”

As Canadians embrace diversity, they must also deepen their understanding and appreciation of the arts and music of diverse cultures forming its fabric. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary must aspire to become New York, Paris, London and Berlin when it comes to being recognized as global art centres of the world. It is my belief that only when South Asians in Canada and globally take pride in their art and artists, and support them, will South Asian art thrive and prosper. If SAGA Foundation can plant that seed and nurture it, it has done its job.

All Photos Courtesy Of Ali Adil Khan/SAGA Foundation