Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre: Days of Celebrations
The opening festivities of the Cultural Centre lasted three days and exceeded every expectation. The first evening of our time in Mumbai, we were invited for a theatrical performance celebrating Indian history.
India in Fashion
During our second night in Mumbai, we attended the Cultural Centre’s opening gala, coinciding with the vernissage of its exhibition entitled India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination.
Beyond the glamour of the gala itself, India in Fashion is an exhibition that delves into the influence of traditional Indian dress, textiles, and craft on the international fashion world from the 18th century through the present day. It showcases various Indian sartorial and textile traditions like transparent muslins, chintzes, draperies of the sari and dhoti, and shawls from Kashmir that have inspired designers globally, from royal courts and haute couture to contemporary design and fast fashion.
The exhibition, curated by Hamish Bowles, the global editor-at-large for Vogue and editor-in-chief of The World of Interiors, and designed by Patrick Kinmonth with Rooshad Shroff, is the first of its kind in India and also covers the emergence and growth of the Indian fashion community. The show features iconic Western couture and ready-to-wear designs from the 20th and 21st centuries that have been influenced by the subcontinent.
The showcase includes the works of trailblazing Indian designers like Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Anamika Khanna, Anita Dongre, Anuradha Vakil, Manish Arora, Manish Malhotra, Rahul Mishra, Ritu Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Sanjay Garg, and Tarun Tahiliani. Their designs are then placed into a dialogue with the works of their global counterparts like Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, Jean-Philippe Worth, Mainbocher, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Sangnam / Confluence
On our last day in Mumbai, after our fabulous breakfast at the collector Poonam Bhagat Shroff’s beautiful home, we made our final stop at the NMACC for the opening of the exhibition Sangam/Confluence, co-curated by American curator Jeffrey Deitch and Indian cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote.
The exhibition celebrates India's diverse cultural heritage as the debut show of the Art House at the NMACC while using the metaphor of Sangam or "Confluence" to highlight how Indian artists explore a range of mediums, styles, and languages in their work.
On display are works by Indian artists Bharti Kher, Bhupen Khakhar, Ranjani Shettar, Ratheesh T, and Shantibai, who showcase a range of traditional and contemporary art practices.
It also includes works by international artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Cecily Brown, and Francesco Clemente (all three never before exhibited in the country), as well as Lynda Benglis and Raqib Shaw, who have all been inspired by India's rich artistic traditions.
