The article features an interview between NMWA Assistant Curator Hannah Shambroom and collector Komal Shah about the exhibition 'Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection.' The show, drawn from Shah and her husband Gaurav Garg's collection, presents approximately 80 works by women artists exploring abstraction, including pieces by Howardena Pindell, Sarah Sze, Kapwani Kiwanga, and Jacqueline Humphries. Shah discusses her transition from a technology career to art collecting, her focus on women working in abstraction, and how the exhibition emerged after publishing a book on the collection in 2023, with curation by Cecilia Alemani.
This exhibition matters because it highlights the vital but historically overlooked role of women artists in the evolution of abstraction, challenging a field long dominated by men. By making the Shah Garg Collection publicly accessible, it contributes to broader efforts to diversify art historical narratives and supports living women artists. The interview also underscores how collectors can use their resources to advance scholarship and representation, with Shah's philanthropic commitment to women driving the collection's focus and the exhibition's creation.