Fifteen years after the India Art Fair began in Delhi in 2008, Mumbai will see the inaugural edition of its own fair, “Art Mumbai”, set to take place at Mahalakshmi Racecourse from November 16 to 19.
“We have been talking about this since before the pandemic but even during Covid we realised that contrary to everyone’s expectations the market for Indian art really flourished in terms of transaction value. Revisiting the conversation regarding an art fair in Mumbai, we thought this might be the right moment to launch this platform meant to bring together a wide range of galleries showcasing their best artists and works at one place,” says Minal Vazirani, co-founder, Saffronart and Art Mumbai.
The organising team also includes co-founders Dinesh Vazirani, CEO of Saffronart; Nakul Dev Chawla, director of Chawla Art Gallery, Conor Macklin, director, Grosvenor Gallery.
The art fair will offer possibilities to discuss and understand art, and interact with gallerists and artists, Vazirani said adding the consolidated space is a fertile learning ground and an avenue to acquire art.
Featuring 53 galleries and works of over 300 artists, the display will range from modernists to contemporaries.
Apart from prominent Indian participation, the international names will include Aicon Gallery (New York), 1×1 (Dubai) and Volte (Dubai).
While each gallery will present a selection of artists, the event will also see the coming together of arts, with an art installation by fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani, stand-up comedy by Bunshah, and a conversation with the event’s cultural ambassador filmmaker Karan Johar.
“We want to demorcratise access to art, taking away the intimidation people have to walk into galleries or museums,” adds Vazirani.
While the fair will feature a range of mediums, a segment curated by the Art Mumbai team will celebrate sculptures through works of eight artists in varied materials.
A concept notes states: “The works are composed in primarily two sections of a garden area; one which deals with animals and nature along with the correlation to man, and the second which moves into more human forms that hold a correlation to elements of the earth such as wind and water.”
If Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi’s “Chaturayatan-3” in stainless steel is named after the fourth step of the pilgrim’s journey Teertha Yatra, Harsha Durugadda’s “Pyramidal Love” is inspired from Hasidic rabbi Abraham Twerski, who talked about the difference between “selfish love and true love”.
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The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, meanwhile, will pay homage to artist Vivan Sundaram, who passed away in March.
“This is a modest tribute to the vanguard artist who influenced subsequent generations of Indian artists through active participation and collaborative practice that led to conceptual and material exploration,” says Kiran Nadar, Chairperson of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
While curated walks across the venue will take place during the course of the event, several exhibitions will also open across Mumbai, and walks will be held to introduce the audience to diverse aspects of the city and art.
On November 18, Alisha Sadikot, co-founder, Art & Wonderment, Mumbai, will lead a walk around the iconic neighbourhood of Kala Ghoda, and curator and textile revivalist Lavina Baldota will give a walk-through of “Sutr Santati”, an exhibition of contemporary Indian textiles, at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai.
