In the middle of the pandemic, the ninth edition of the Mumbai Gallery Weekend (MGW) holds new meaning in getting art lovers to embrace gallery hopping once again.
The event scheduled from January 14 – 17 has 22 participating galleries and design venues. Tara Lal of Chatterjee & Lal who has organised the event this year says that MGW has been planned keeping the safety of visitors and the gallery staff in mind.
The previews are spread out over four days to ensure that there is no overcrowding. There aren’t any talks this year and the walkthroughs have been limited to one a day.
“MGW comes at a time when the city is cautiously re-opening. As such, we feel this is an appropriate moment to welcome visitors back to our galleries. We expect a steady and controlled stream of gallery goers spread over the four days of the weekend,” says Lal.
Read: How a traditional Indian art gallery transitioned from offline to online in the pandemic
“Apart from the wide choice of art exhibitions, we are thrilled to be partnering with design Ateliers Ashiesh Shah and Rooshad Shroff. Increasingly, the art and design fraternities are finding common cause, and adding these two Ateliers provides MGW visitors with an ever-broadening range of activities to enjoy over the weekend,” adds the gallerist.
Architect Ashiesh Shah’s Atelier will showcase OTLO at the soon-to-be-launched One8 Bungalow (which was once Indigo) in Colaba while Rooshad Shroff’s signature pieces are on display at his new studio in Horniman Circle.
Some of the notable exhibitions that are part of MGW are:
Gravitas by Antonio Santin at Gallery Isa
Madrid-based artist Antonio Santin’s hyper-realistic, dramatic paintings depicting skillfully executed ornamental tapestries. Inspired by the unique fusion of Josef Albers sharp and boldly colored squares with the fuzzy, blurred palette of Mark Rothko, Santin subverts the experience of flat color field paintings by ‘crumpling’ the very view.
Tyler Street Art: A Solo Exhibition at Method Art Space
Coined as India’s Banksy, Mumbai-based graffiti artist who goes by Tyler is having his first solo exhibition at Method Art Space in Kala Ghoda and Bandra. While his works will be on display, the artist who has maintained his anonymity over the years will continue to do so.
Reincarnate: We meet here in the Afterlife by Shilo Shiv Suleman at Art Musings
Award-winning Indian artist Shilo Shiv Suleman will showcase paintings, sculptures and poetic letters in her solo exhibition. Suleman’s work blends magical realism, art, technology and social justice.
Somethings are always burning by Aditi Singh at Chemould Prescott Road
Singh’s work speaks of an exploration of self in contemplation, whether in Nepal, the Sierra Nevada Mountains or the Lake District. The richly layered drawings and paintings speak of light, splendour, growth, fragility, and tenacity.
Birth of a New World by Rithika Merchant at TARQ
With the world around us constantly evolving, Rithika Merchant looks to a more primordial time, where she begins to search for answers in the stars.
Head in the Clouds, Group Show at Chatterjee & Lal
The gallery has hosted a number of exhibitions in an ongoing series titled Simple Tales. The latest installment features works of Nikhil Chopra; Anju Dodiya; Piyali Ghosh; Kausik Mukhopadhyay; Nityan Unnikrishnan and others.
Proximate Paths by Bhupen Khakhar and Jogen Chowdhury at Akara Art
The two artists were drawn into a larger movement towards politically engaged forms of narrative figuration. The art gives viewers a glimpse into the minds of these preeminent makers.
Participating auction houses Pundole’s and Saffronart will be previewing their January auctions. Pundole’s will have their much-awaited auction of modern, contemporary and classical works and Saffronart has a stellar auction of KG Subramnayan works lined up.
For more details visit MGW’s website.
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