MUMBAI: Way before a certain reality show questioned Mumbai’s cultural competency in comparison to New Delhi, Dinesh and Minal Vazirani of Saffronart looked past the glitz and glamour to launch Art Mumbai – the city’s first international art fair — with partner Conor Macklin, director of Grosvenor Gallery, London, and Nakul Dev Chawla, owner of Chawla Art Gallery, Delhi, last year. Now, about to unfold its second edition at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse next month, Art Mumbai 2024 takes an eclectic turn to reflect the host city. Art, therefore, will mesh with education, entertainment, fashion and theatre.

Mahalaxmi Racecourse set to host art show meshed with theatre and fashion
Mahalaxmi Racecourse set to host art show meshed with theatre and fashion

Over 70 gallerists have acquired booths already.

Bigger and better

“This time you’ll find the fair is 2.5 times bigger,” said Dinesh Vazirani, adding his team worked on crucial learnings from last year’s programme. They include reworking the flow of visitors to the fair, amenities and allowing participating galleries time to set up booths to ensure compelling displays; there is also a detailed on-stage programme including the Speaker Series, where industry leaders will discuss various aspects of Indian art industry, dance and theatre performances and a Sculpture Walk, which will map sculptures scattered around the entire fair.

“We have selected around 20 large-scale sculptures out of proposals invited from the participating galleries,” said curator Veerangana Kumari Solanki.

The walk through will feature pieces themed around interactions between nature and the city; and how nature co-exists amid constant urbanisation in Mumbai. An example is sculptor Alex Davis’s towering sculpture, which at a height of 22 feet aims to merge into the Mumbai skyline visible from the Racecourse. Parag Tandel, belonging to the city’s Koli community, will present his installation Vitamin Sea, Coastal Road Project 3, which is a series of sculptures of plankton and marine organisms. The work refers to the Koli indigenous practices of subsisting with nature and the destruction of such biophilic practices through colonialisation and urbanisation.

Artist Wolf draws on Mumbai’s historical rise from the opium trade to industrialisation with Sea of Poppies. Other offerings will include British artist Julian Opie’s Walking Figures, Netherlands-based Monali Meher’s site-specific installation Unknown Landscapes and a Ravindra Reddy head.

The economic upswing

For many, the idea of an international art fair in a post-pandemic economy might seem untenable. However Vazirani says the art market has boomed since 2020. “We started Art Mumbai after seeing what was happening in the art market. Covid-19 gave people time to learn,” he said, referring also to the popularity of online auctions and art education programmes conducted by Saffronart and others amidst the pandemic.

“Art is on top of the mind of the wealthy – and there are a lot of them today – who have the knowledge to choose. In fact, we are in the right economy for art to flourish,” he said.

Vazirani’s sentiment is echoed by many participating gallerists, some of whom have returned after a successful showing last year.

“We had a successful first edition as it translated to sales. We also connected with new and old collectors in Mumbai,” said Roshni Vadehra, director, Vadehra Gallery, New Delhi. “There was great energy at the fair, and positive feedback on our booth which was curated by Anish Gawande.” This year, their booth will feature works of Mumbai artist Atul Dodiya’s well-known shutter series.

Conor Macklin said, after they made sound sales last year, this year, they will return with a significant Raza work, which will be up for sale to buyers in India for the first time. They will also show works by Francesco Cemente, Senaka Senanayake and FN Souza.

New York’s Aicon Contemporary has also found Mumbai’s collector base very welcoming. In response to what associate director Manya Kochhar called “Mumbai’s openness to the new”, they are returning this year debuting works by diaspora artists Shradha Kochhar and Alex McAdoo.

Mumbai-based galleries are equally pumped. “A fair in Mumbai is significant because the art community here has been growing immensely over the past few years, and this is an additional treat for regular gallery visitors,” said Hena Kapadia, director of Tarq. “It’s a wonderful place to meet local and international collectors who we haven’t seen in a while for various reasons.”

“The fair energized the city,” said Prateek Raja of Experimenter, which holds spaces in Kolkata and Mumbai. The gallery will present artists such as Naeem Mohaiemen, Julian Segard, Ayesha Sultana, Prabhakar Pachpute and Biraaj Dodiya, some of them showing work here for the very first time.

After encouraging sales last year, Gallery Nature Morte, will have a diverse body of works by Subodh Gupta, Mark Prime, Aaditi Joshi, Suhasini Kejriwal and others, reflecting a dynamic interplay between the urban and natural landscapes, everyday objects, and intricate explorations of materiality and memory.

For first-time participants, the excitement is palpable. New Delhi’s Gallery Nyva debuts at Art Mumbai’s second chapter, with a unique curation, The Magic of Gold, featuring UK-based diaspora artists The Singh Twins whose interest in their diasporic experience and Indian miniature art comes together beautifully in their paintings, and digital and mix media work.

Coming to Mumbai for the first time are also Galeria Continua, who hold eight spaces across the world including France, China, Dubai and Cuba. While they represent Subodh Gupta, Shilpa Gupta and Nikhil Chopra, they are bringing an iconic Anish Kapoor conclave disc in a deep purple hue this time. “There’s something intimate and delicate about this work, and unveiling it here for the first time feels like a momentous occasion,” said co-founder Maurizio Rigillo.

The Speaker Series will cover topics as diverse as the need for lasting art institutions supported by private individuals and patrons, how South Asian art is defining its identity in a global market, and how the global art market perceives Indian art. Speakers will range from patrons and collectors including Kiran Nadar and Sangita Jindal to curators such as Shanay Jhaveri, Nancy Adajania, Roobina Karode, among others integral to the business.

To balance the talks in an inimitably Mumbai way, Vazirani hinted at the return of Karan Johar, and Tarun Tahiliani’s fashion show.

(Art Mumbai, 2024, will be held at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse between November 14 and 17.)



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