04 January,2025 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Junisha Dama
Some exhibits at Mumbai Gallery Weekend
Immersing yourself in art or hopping from one gallery to the next is what Mumbai Gallery Weekend (MGW), organised by the Mumbai Gallery Association, is all about. Whether you are a first-time gallery-goer or a connoisseur looking forward to the exhibits 2025 has in store, the MGW is for you.
In 2012, MGW launched with nine to 10 participating galleries, now throughout the weekend one can visit 35. "What we hope to achieve is to continue to create educational platforms with informal walkthroughs, to keep the galleries accessible throughout the year. Culture is soft power, and through the galleries' programming audiences are afoot with issues that art continues to inform," says Shireen Gandhy, organiser at MGW 2025 and creative director at Chemould Prescott Road.
MGW is unique as it allows you to explore exhibits at your own pace. This year, MGW will be held from January 9 to 12, and we get the scoop on exhibits you should not miss out on.
Shailee Mehta's body of work for this show started with addressing the notion of curiosity and re-witnessing rendered by the female gaze. The show includes multiple images exploring this through intimate encounters with nature or with one's own body, with a sense of wonder rather than ownership and control. For Mehta spending time with the non-human has been her biggest inspiration. Her practice has always focused on femininity but in this show, the feminine becomes inherent. It no longer needs to be spelt out. "It is expressed as much in the crevices of a tree trunk as it is in the bare chest of a woman. There's an active parallel I'm drawing between the "body" of land and the ecology of the body and the kind of violence they both have endured. The work is unafraid of bruises and wounds and celebrates the caregiving and that's something very new for me," says Mehta.
Gallery: Chemould CoLab, Colaba
Artist: Shailee Mehta
Exhibit: Chants from the Hollow
Atul Dodiya's exhibit is a nostalgic tribute to Indian film music maestros between the 40s and 60s. He pays homage to the songs that he heard over the transistor radio throughout his youth and still returns to every day in his studio. This exhibit honours a list of stalwarts but also mirrors who we are, and where we came from. Mohammed Rafi, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Talat Mahmood, and Sajjad Hussain, among others. But Dodiya also points out that Muslims were an important part of this industry. "They were not singled out as outsiders or bullied to prove their patriotism. This was secularism in action. The listeners of this music, spontaneously and truly, expressed their pleasure in these songs and a love for the makers," he says and adds that he wants to spotlight their humanity and erase the differences that have crept up in our current political climate through this exhibit.
Gallery: Chemould Prescott Road, Fort
Artist: Atul Dodiya
Exhibit: Radio Ceylon Paintings: Vol. I
Sandeep Manchekar's world of ceramics is seen across six distinct sections, each portraying a complex engagement with both tradition and modernity. His monumental installation, Hum Kumhaar, features ten life-size pots, each symbolising a different community of potters and reflecting the diverse types of soil from which they have emerged. These pots are placed on a traditional bullock cart, a symbol of ancient civilizations, where pottery was not just a craft but a vital cultural anchor. Each pot is a metaphor for the connections between people and the land they inhabit. The installation also addresses the contemporary relevance of the caste system in India.
On why he loves to work with clay, Manchekar says, "Each clay body has its unique characteristics, which can interact differently with the heat and atmosphere during firing. While the outcome can't always be guaranteed, this variability provides endless possibilities for exploration."
Gallery: Nine Fish Art Gallery, Byculla
Artist: Sandeep Manchekar, curated by Gourmoni Das
Exhibit: Mati Kahe Kumhaar Se (The Dialogue)
Dutch artist Paul Beumer's first solo show in India is a new series in collaboration with the lungi weavers in Karà «r, Tamil Nadu. Formally trained in painting, Beumer chose to experience art and textiles through travel in non-western cultures. For him, textile-making is like painting. He is alive to the optical and visual illusions of form and colour. "The title of the show is a quote from Johannes Itten and sums up the central message of my work. I'm exploring the language of modern art through the ancient craft of hand-weaving. For this series, I've pushed the possibilities of Madras Checks, which I have long admired. I enjoy working with colour, form and technique. And within these limitations, I search for magic," says Beumer.
Gallery: Artisans, Kala Ghoda
Artist: Paul Beumer
Exhibit: Play Becomes Joy, Joy becomes work, work becomes play
Artist Viraj Khanna titled his show Brain Rot, the Oxford Word of the Year 2024, as it is a reflection of our dependence on social media and the impact it has on our day-to-day activities. How did his exhibit take shape? He says it was organic, as his show is a literal reflection of all that's happening around him. "The irony is that while I know how much excessive technology use affects my mental health, I continue to use it excessively," says Khanna of his social media usage. His show reflects this. Khanna has created mobile phones showcasing screen times to make viewers realise how much time they spend on their phone, and that not everyone's life is as rosy as it seems on our phone screens. Apart from there he also has textiles like artificial leather and astroturf that he has hand embroidered. "To most people, my textiles look like paintings, and I love this."
Gallery: Tao Art Gallery, Worli
Artist: Viraj Khanna
Exhibit: Brain Rot
Spaces of Possibility: The Founding of Hong Kong's Museums and Cultural Institutions
This discussion features panellists from three leading modern and contemporary art institutions in Hong Kong.
Art & Wonderment Walkthroughs: On January 10, 11, and 12, the city's art walk guides will take you across the galleries and introduce you to exhibits. Full schedule on Mumbai Gallery Weekend's Instagram.
