I enjoyed a pause to catch up with the important. Sometimes what seems as a knockout can bring a reconnect with yourself. The hope and euphoria that art brings helps!
The Art of Finding Yourself
A TRAIN journey or a zip via the coastal maze satiates the yearning for the cultural bounty that self-driven Mumbai has to offer. It is as if you inhale through virgin eyes and feed the parched art-soul void. It is this feeling that Laila Khan attempts to convey through her expression. Her exhibition at Snowball and Art & Soul relayed her journey over the years that put her heart out there.
May is for Museums
WHILE May is the month we celebrate museums, it is an all-season go-to. For my vital art oxygen, a good place to start my lifeline — Nature. The In Dappled Light exhibition at Paul and Pavitra’s Sarmaya Arts Foundation dream space at Fort. Sounds that resonate with trees, including one funky vinyl by John Lennon, drew the curtains to the many workshops. The program was slanted for young minds and is a big plus for kids.
The FD Alpaiwalla Museum is yet on the list to be explored. The recently restored museum at Kareghat, is a visual narrative of the history of Zoroastrianism.
What I did catch up on is Eckart Muthesius and Manik Bagh — pioneering modernism in India in collaboration with the museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin (Asian Art Museum), and the German Consulate General Mumbai at our very own Natural History Museum, Dr Bhau Daji Lad (BDL) Museum at Byculla. It is wonderful to have in the public domain the personal rare photographs and watercolours by the Berlin architect Echart, who was commissioned at the palace in Indore by the Maharaja Yestwant Rao Holkar II in the 1930s. The design and architecture mark the epoch of modernism in India.
On till August 17, 2025.
November Rain
ROCK Band Guns and Roses strung an epic performance in the Mumbai jungle. The energy of Axel Rose, Duff McKagan, the iconic playlist, and Slash at his fiery packed in the nonstop three-hour performance. The legends were matched by Issac Carpenter, the new drummer. The unseasonal thunderstorm paid obeisance to the resilience of the support crew at the sprawling Mahalaxmi Race Course. The concert delivered music that will be etched in the memory of the mind of its fan devotees.
Cadre is 10
IN good times and in rough, over the last decade Cadre Project Support Solutions takes a bow. The initiative saw the opportunity in that event that organizers need consistent onsite backup. The young team of Rafael and Rhea have braved many a challenge, like the vagaries of the Covid lockdown, to mobilize young manpower in its 2.0 version.
Upscaling college kids to be career-ready as they earn while they learn at the best gigs, is a celebration of channelling human resources. More power to the bravehearts!
Life goes on!
MAXIMUM City was swept off its concrete feet in May as unprecedented rains shut down what we know is our lifeline. The trains. It takes a day for us to bounce back on our arty feet and catch up on myriad events treading gently in our comfort of geographies at first. For me, it was the tear-jerker real-life story film “Stanley ka Dabba” directed by Amole Gupte at Title Waves, Bandra, where I drew what held so much nostalgia.
Schools that have lunch breaks prepare the young ones for social interaction. The neighbourhood SPICE again hosted Polyphony with a book launch dwelling on what has developed into a movement of “Love Amory.”
Dreamers
CHEMOULD Prescott has Gurjeet Singh with his work acquiring the tapestry dimension through collaboration with Jaipur Rugs. He had earlier exhibited at Chemould Colaba — “How to Kill a Bully with Kindness” — through his stuffed and canvas expressions. Sit on the bench and soak it in!
Vibha Galhotra’s works at Nature Morte carry stories of Ladakh and the northern Himalayan belt before the border tension. The stoic installation of boulders encased in tall iron grids on the floor almost cried out to the heavens. They brought an instant connection to the irony of timing. Her signature Ghungroo artworks, in contrast, hung in mute testimony. A stroke of luck that I got to meet her as she was in Mumbai for a conversation with Siddharth Bhatia that was deferred in due sensitivity to the situation.
Bhopal-based Yogeeta Yadav’s ELEMENTAL – abstractions at Artisans captured the natural forces of life on earth. Drawing on primeval expressions of art, she leaves impressions and marks across the layered surface of her paintings. She is moved by the indigenous art of India’s heartland and observes their way of life, observes their way of life, where a balance with nature predominates.
“I am inspired by the ephemeral elements of nature: I see tidal water ebbing within dark caves; the changing colours of earth on which crops grow; the weathered bark of trees and dry leaves in dense forests… I seek these changing forms, and capture their colours and textures.”
As always DAG has a remarkable offering of oils and watercolors by reputed foreign artists spanning the pre-independence period. It calls for a dekko again!
Gieve Us More
CONVENED by Ranjit Hoskote, six noted poets based in and around Mumbai presented their work as a tribute to the memory of the poet, playwright and visual artist Gieve Patel (1940-2023), who was an inspiration to all of them. The poets who drew inspiration from Patel read from his own poetic oeuvre.
This concluding program of Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation gallery at CSMVS’s exhibition “A Show of Hands/ In Memoriam”: highlighted the many facets of Gieve as artist, art critic, poet and playwright.
Lest We Forget
“SHAPE of Silences” by well-known photographer Sanjay Das was held at Cymrosa Art Gallery. The outstanding photographic capture of some known and unknown heritage structures preserving them for posterity, was organised by the KIAN Foundation. The exhibition curated by Ina Puri was an effort of the Mumbai Research Centre of The Asiatic Society of Mumbai,
Sixty Swag in the Art World
TATA Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) at the tip of south Bombay houses the visionary outcome of science and the visual artistic flair of India’s foremost scientist. Founder Homi Bhabha. Befittingly on its 80th (a milestone day that I share) the picturesque high-security campus drew art lovers to the 1st art and archive colloquium delivered by gallerist Mortimer Chatterjee – “The Epoch of Pioneers.”
Pheroza Godrej, art historian, drew perspective from the 2011 exhibition held at NGMA Mumbai, with inputs of the contribution of the then DG Prof Rajeev Lochan. She handheld the audience to a peek into the green room over the years of the collection that she has been instrumental in carrying forth its legacy.
As you got accustomed to the perfectly placed masters of art like “Rag Mala” by MF Husain, or sculptures that stand distinct in the picturesque location, it was prep for the treasure trove of tales that accompanied each artist and artwork. Particularly endearing was how Jamini Roy thought his work was commissioned instead of a call for a competition. The rest they say is history
Mort who has been closely associated with the collection wove tales of how Homi Bhabha got around to getting the art collection a sanction of 1% of the total budget of the institution among other inside stories.
Celebrating a diamond
THE Museum Society of Mumbai (MSM’s) celebrated its 60th (actually 62nd) milestone. Sabyasachi Mukherjee of CSMVS shared an interesting nugget that it was initially called The Prince of Wales Ladies Club. MSM has always been an integral extension of the museum team The August gathering was studded with a formidable line up of past chairwomen, and historians who have been pillars of the cultural ecosystem.
The launch of a commemorative book to mark 60 years of legacy and learning and a postal cover with an MSW logo special cancellation and a Rs5 stamp depicting the CSMVS structure, was released by Chief Post Master General Amitabh Singh, Maharashtra. What tugged at my heart was in her keynote address outlining its journey, Pheroza Godrej remembered the contribution of the telephone operator Shakuntala, who facilitated communication in the pre-mobile era for the society. Kamalika Bose delivered a lecture on the rich “Maritime History of Western India.”
Kabhi Kabhi Tho Lagta Hai
THE solo exhibition by Mrinal Dey at the Glass House at Great Eastern is a tongue-in-cheek commentary. As the curator sums Dey’s work, “Known for his bold figural compositions and striking use of space and symbolism, Dey’s work challenges the viewer to confront the constraints of contemporary society — from commodification to confinement.
His acrylics, influenced by folk traditions, are rich with meaning and political nuance. Soak in the many hues of natural light that play with the gallery throughout the day.
On till 22nd June
Nine Fish Munificence
“APNE Hisse Mhe Suraj” is Rajesh Pularwar’s introspection in striking black and white. The artist community was out in full force and the space was filled with camaraderie. For a while, you forget Mumbai and its metro woes!
Presenter Dotline Studio had artists fresh from a workshop on printmaking by mentor Anant Nikam. I tried my hand at the final step of turning the wheel to get the impression on paper, and it calls for a revisit to the space. Till then, here’s wishing us a monsoon shower of art in June.