Mumbai galleries remain shut in solidarity with Palestine

This AI generated image has apparently been shared by 47 million people on social media worldwide; (right) Image used by galleries across the city to make the announcement

Following the recent social media campaign ‘All Eyes on Rafah', art institutions from across the city called for a one-day strike on Friday to show their solidarity for Palestine. Galleries from Mumbai that participated in the movement included Gallery Art & Soul, Sakshi Gallery, 47-A, Chemould Prescott Road, and
Strangers House Gallery, among others.

Vivan Sundaram and Shireen Gandhy

This strike was called for by The Mosaic Rooms, an art institution run by a British-Palestinian family in London. They had requested all global art institutions to show their support for Palestine by going on strike," said Sumesh Sharma of Strangers Art Gallery.

Geetha Mehra of Sakshi Gallery

"This call was made on a joint WhatsApp group by gallerists from across the city," revealed Shireen Gandhy, director and owner of Chemould Prescott Road. The galleries also selected a single image by artist Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai to use on their social media platforms to make the announcement. "The Indian art community has done little to support anything happening in Palestine. There are very few civic movements currently taking place across the country in this regard. Although I do not consider this a worthy enough outcry for what is happening to Palestinians, considering this was something I could contribute to [in spreading across the message], I joined in," Gandhy added. "There is no real call to action by the people in power. And I am aware that we [artists] are not doing anything extraordinary. But I hope that this collective call encourages artists from India to use their creative practices to raise their voice against this humanitarian crisis," said Sharma. Gandhy further revealed that making a last-minute announcement has inconvenienced visitors who weren't in the know. She, too, had to postpone the last day of an ongoing exhibition.

"But is it a greater inconvenience than the ongoing massacre in Palestine?" she asked. To this end, Geetha Mehra of Sakshi Gallery added, "Civilians are dying as the perpetrators watch. I will protest every war in any which way I can."