{"id":140025,"date":"2026-02-20T14:52:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140025\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T14:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:52:29","slug":"house-of-santal-a-new-manhattan-gallery-spotlights-south-asian-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/140025\/","title":{"rendered":"House of Santal, a new Manhattan gallery, spotlights South Asian design"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are many galleries specialized in collectible design<\/a> in New York.<\/a> Clustered in neighbourhoods like Chelsea and Tribeca, these established platforms tend to focus on American, European and, to a certain extent, Brazilian design but few have ever exhibited work from South Asia. Cue House of Santal<\/a>, a just-opened gallery filling in the sizable gap and offering the city’s ever-voracious collector base something fresh.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

Taking over a sprawling seventh floor office space in Midtown Manhattan, looking out over the Radio City Music Hall marquee, the gallery showcases a diverse array of one-off and limited-edition furnishings in carefully-staged vignettes.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

‘Uncovering these talents and what contemporary South Asian design has to offer has been an obsession of mine for over six years,’ says founder Raksha Sanikam, who left a career in finance to join her family’s construction business as an interior designer. It was through a master’s degree at the Pratt Institute that she fine-tuned her interest in collectible design, cultivating her own expertise and shrewd curatorial eye.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

Within the gallery, a central ‘courtyard’ evoking traditional Indian gathering places is used to present a tightly curated sampling of works, hinting at what\u2019s on view in the more intimate annexes. A deep burgundy is used throughout on the entrance and display platforms, a move that evokes the colour of santal, the rare sandalwood and the gallery\u2019s namesake.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

The inaugural exhibit highlights 13 diverse Indian<\/a> talents. ‘The idea is to showcase modern works that are mostly handmade using different Indian crafts in new ways,’ Sanikam explains. ‘We don\u2019t want to be antiques dealers and will only exhibit contemporary pieces, many of which reinterpret furniture typologies common in the region.’<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

Many of the designs on view cleverly incorporate recognized materials and ornamental flourishes but with a nuanced touch. A good example is Nynika Jhaveri, Anikesa Dhing, and Thamshangpha (Merci) Maku\u2019s Fuzzy Bottom design, a ‘playful take’ on the ubiquitous Naga bench. The trio refined the familiar form and added playful tufted seat mats that perfectly fit into carved crevices.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

Upasana Jain\u2019s <\/a>SS Cross Chair also stands out. The low-slung settee\u2019s polished steel frame and lattice webbing conjures the traditional craft of woven mats popular across India<\/a>. An equally gleaming piece is Aashka Desai\u2019s<\/a> organically formed Wall Sculpture Drava, made out of Tencel yarns and carved high density fibreboard finished using the age-old silver foiling, a technique also deeply rooted in India\u2019s artisanal heritage.<\/p>\n

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

Though the first show only features Indian<\/a> talents, subsequent exhibitions will highlight work by talents hailing from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal.<\/p>\n

\n

\"House\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Joe Kramm)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n