Mumbai Galleries
We had the opportunity to visit some vibrant contemporary art galleries during our short stay in Mumbai, allow me to present just a few:
Project 88 // Amol K Patik
We had the absolute delight of being hosted by Dr. Amin Jaffer, collector Poonam Bhagat Shroff, and the founder of Project 88 Sree Goswami for a wonderful luncheon centered around the gallery’s exhibition of Amol K Patil’s project, Black Masks on Roller Skates. The project itself was first exhibited at Documenta Fifteen.
The exhibition features various forms of art including kinetic sculpture, drawings, holographic videos, music, and performance art. It presents a collaboration between Patil and the Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch, a group of young Powada (a musical performance style that originated in the thirteenth century) writers and musicians. Together they weave lyrics from Patil’s grandfather and the young Powada writers to criticize land politics and social separation. Patil’s exhibition at Project 88 is an amalgamation of history, culture, and politics that explores the city’s journey and those who live in it.
Photos courtesy of Poonam Bhagat Shroff and Project 88
Jhaveri Contemporary // Guarav Gupta
Founded in 2010 by sisters Amrita and Priya, Jhaveri Contemporary represents artists from different generations and nationalities with connections and traditions across South Asia. Amrita serves as a trustee on the board of the Kochi Biennale, and, together with her sister, they focus on exploring lesser-known art histories and facilitating dialogues between artists, curators, and historians to contribute to the wider field of art.
On display while we were there was Guarav Gupta’s exhibition Confluence which explored Indian public space as characterized by a vibrant spatial imagination that counters the government’s attempts to limit 'visual chaos.' The artist’s paintings capture the motion and musicality of the city, evoking the sounds that permeate the space.
Experimenter // Kanishka Raja
At Experimenter Colaba, a gallery founded by Prateek and Priyanka Raja in 2009 originally in Kolkata, we saw "Ground Control," featuring the late artist Kanishka Raja's works. The exhibition explores various aspects of Raja's multidimensional practice.
Raja's childhood in a family involved in textile design influenced his interest in handloom weaving, which he incorporated into many of his artworks. The exhibition showcases woven paintings created through collaboration with skilled craftspeople in Phulia, West Bengal.
The artist’s works undergo a transformative process, from drawing to painting to scanning and ultimately weaving, exploring notions of control and its absence.
Isa // David Brian Smith
Galerie Isa hosted David Brian Smith's first solo exhibition in India titled 'Tripper', which explores the artist's imaginary journeys to different landscapes he has always wanted to see. Smith's paintings are known for their large, trippy landscapes and vibrant colors, creating a visual celebration of patterns.
The exhibition features meticulously rendered paintings with intricate details, reminiscent of both Renaissance and Indian miniature art. Smith's choice of material, a linen tweed with a herringbone weave, holds significance to his rural upbringing and adds to the unique texture of his works. The combination of color, texture, and text in Smith's paintings invites us as viewers to embark on a joyous journey into an alternate world full of energy and light.
Mirchandani + Steinruecke // Ratheesh T.
Founded by Usha Mirchandani and Ranjana Steinruecke in 2006, their eponymous gallery showcased Ratheesh T.’s exhibition “Dark Terrain,” exploring societal inequities and the artist’s personal experiences. Ratheesh’s paintings shed light on social and physical mobility within the region of Kerala, and his exhibition features recontextualized works that depict complex narratives and dream-like mythologies.
Ratheesh's recent figural works focus on portraiture, addressing prejudices based on skin color and caste, particularly through representations of his beloved daughter. His loose approach to painting combines naturalism with mythological elements, seen in a range of self-portraits. Ratheesh's work reflects a layered reality that is both timeless and contemporary, offering a unique perspective shaped by personal experiences.
Chemould // Shakuntala Kulkarni
At Chemould Prescott Road, we witnessed how Shakuntala Kulkarni's drawings depict human bodies in peculiar and unusual forms. The fusion of costumes and armor with the body creates bizarre appearances, and most of the images portray women, reflecting Kulkarni's focus on depicting the lives of women in society.
This exhibition showcases seven series of drawings that combine symbolic representations of pain, violence, defeat, resistance, and triumph. The dominant use of black pigment in many works enhances the sense of dread, while other pieces feature free and lively lines to outline the body's contours. Overall, Kulkarni’s work explores the complex and cyclical relationship between safety and the loss of freedom, and the juxtaposition of sanctuary and prison.