Mumbai has no shortage of things to do. Launches, dinners, weddings, business meetings, hush-hush rendezvous - it's all on the calendar, arranged months in advance to avoid the social faux pas of double-booking (gasp) and missing out on a commitment in a city that thrives on relationships. And yet, come November, everyone quietly rearranges their schedules to accommodate one single event: ART MUMBAI, now in its fourth season at Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
Last evening, celebrated couturiers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla returned to ART MUMBAI with a fashion presentation titled ‘Disco Inferno’, which was a glittering celebration of ‘70s and ‘80s glamour and the audacity of that era. Over a 100 models walked the ramp dressed in a dazzling array of outfits, showcasing sequins, disco balls, intricate beaded embroidery on denims and abs (so many glistening, contoured abdominal muscles), while a dazzling 20-foot-tall elephant installation called 'Rani', created by A Wonder Room, stood watch.
But beyond all that glamour and pizzazz, the four-day exhibition brings together a whopping 94 exhibitors including galleries such as Experimenter, Chemould Prescott Road, DAG, Nature Morte, Vadehra Art Gallery, Gallery Maskara, Phillips Antiques, Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art, Ben Brown Fine Arts and Rajiv Menon Contemporary.
Here are 5 highlights that you shouldn’t miss out on:
The Sculpture Park
The Sculpture Park at ART MUMBAI features 13 works that explore the overarching theme of ‘Material and Memory’. Artists like Jonathan Trayte, Satish Gujral, Sakshi Gupta and Sumakshi Singh showcase how materials hold histories, evoke associations and shape our understanding of the world around us.
Rajiv Menon Contemporary (Booth C85)
The gallery makes its ART MUMBAI debut this year with ‘West Coast’, a presentation of Los Angeles-based artists who explore how migration and memory inform cultural exchange in our chosen spaces of being. The theme and displayed artworks are sure to resonate with those living in India's maximum city, seeing how both LA and Mumbai share many similarities, not least of which is the fact that they host major global film industries and are home to a diverse range of ethnicities and cultures.
Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art (Booth C88) & Rukshaan Art (Booth C54)
Rukshaan Art features artwork by Ajay Dhapa and Girjesh Kumar Singh, both of which are breathtaking in their complexity and verve. Dhapa’s work, in particular, is sure to be a standout at this year’s showing - his pieces have a way of transporting you to a land that smells of Guerlain's Shalimar. Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art features works by artists like Arvind Sundar, Nur Mahammad and Ravi Joshi and while these pieces differ vastly from those at Rukshaan Art, they are equally . . . meditative. Mathematically so, even.
DAG and KNMA
DAG and KNMA are perpetual favourites at the four-day showcase each year and for this edition, the former is presenting ‘Visions Across Time’, an exhibition that explores how India has been seen, interpreted and imagined through art, spanning the 18th to the 21st century. KNMA, in collaboration with the SaffronArt Foundation, is presenting ‘Earth: Women, Nature, Power’, which showcases art traditions like Bhil, Baiga, Madhubani and more which highlight the intense role women play in preserving these traditions.
Soho House Mumbai Lounge
For guests and visitors who want to appreciate art and a good Picante, there is no better space to place yourself than the Soho House Mumbai lounge. However, beyond the featured art by Baseera Khan, Keerat Kaur and Radhika Gupta-Buckley, the highlight, according to me, is bound to be ‘Young Collectors' Eye’, taking place on Saturday, 14 November, from 4pm to 5pm at the lounge. Speakers like Atyaan Jungalwala, Rajiv Menon, Siddharth Somaiya and Goose Leigh will guide the audience on how to take their first steps into collecting, from developing an eye for art and understanding the market to building a collection over time.