Highlights from the Mumbai Urban Arts Festival
- Art Featured
Jade Crasto- 12 minutes read
Jade Crasto
Sassoon Dock, one of Mumbai’s oldest harbours, also houses the city’s biggest wholesale fish market. Further, it is one of the few public docks in Mumbai. This 144-year-old port is the perfect location for heritage and food because more than 1,500 vessels bring in more than 20 tonnes of catch each day. Now, the old dock has turned into an art hub for artists from nearly all over the world. After a successful run in 2017, St+art and Asian Paints have returned to one of the oldest docks of Mumbai to collaborate again with Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA), this time on the special occasion of its 150 years anniversary.
In the spirit of celebration, reimagination, and development, Sassoon Dock, right in the heart of South Mumbai has become an art hub open to all. Permanent outdoor murals enrich this hyper characteristic site while leading to the 3 indoor experiential exhibitions. Large scale site-specific installations, new media, and light-based works will immerse the viewers in reflections between the sea and the city. Over the weekends, a host of workshops, talks, art walks, performances, concerts, dance events, kids activities and more will activate Sassoon Docks.
Since 2014, St+art India and Asian Paints have collaborated to make art accessible to diverse audiences while contributing to urban regeneration and the cultural landscape at large. This has included areas such as Mahim East, Sassoon Dock, and Bandra, as well as iconic sites such as Churchgate Station and Jindal Mansion. MUAF therefore continues to engage with Mumbai through a long-standing effort of contributing to the contemporary public art heritage. Every two years, the festival will bring together artists and diverse practitioners to create interdisciplinary projects.
MUAF will explore different areas of the city, in an attempt to offer opportunities of rediscovering lesser-known paths and forgotten narratives. From the suburbs to the center, and from marginalized neighbourhoods to heritage locations, the aim of MUAF is to look at the city as an interconnected organism where inclusivity through creativity becomes a foundation for action in the public realm.
The first edition of the festival traverses the idea of a “city in flux”, where the city, like water, is porous, regenerating, and fluid. A city of contrasts and coexistence where there is always room for imagination, beauty, darkness and most of all – complexities. A maximum city, which continues to embody versatility and mobility in its character of being a port city, where every inch of space and engagement is often seemingly transactional.
“Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) is pleased to be a part of the art exhibition at Sassoon Dock, which is one of the oldest docks from where the cotton trade evolved and this dock subsequently became a fishing harbour. MbPA has always been supportive of such initiatives and believes that art sensitises the communities for better appreciation and understanding of the subject, and also brings different segments of our society to a common platform. After the successful Sassoon Dock Art Project 1.0, we look forward to celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Mumbai Port on a grand artistic scale by collaborating with St+art India Foundation. The port has been a standing testimony of Mumbai’s evolution and this art initiative is a step further in this direction.”, says Mr Rajiv Jalota, IAS, Chairman, Mumbai Port Authority.
The 3-month long Art Festival will take on a city-scale endeavour which will include landmark murals, experiential exhibitions, immersive installations and public programming across key venues.
Sassoon Dock Art Project Part 1 – Intuitions. Between the sea and the city, (22.12.22 – 22.2.23)
Spanning diverse geographies, the exhibition aims to pose questions about our complex relationship with the environment, more specifically with water and the expanding hyper city.
Sassoon Dock Art Project Part 2– Illusions. Between the sea and the city, (12.01.22 – 22.2.23)
In a path from darkness to light, this venue will reflect on some of the complexities of our transactional reality, by proposing alternative, fluid, and expansive views.
The AP Art House, (14.1.23 – 5.2.23)
The Art House will consider what a ‘home’ can be, if inspired by creative living and modular design.
Mahim (E) Art District, (1.2.23 – 22.2.23)
Ongoing since 2014, the District lies at the intersection of Mahim Station and Dharavi and features 20 murals by local and international artists. This year will see the addition of 3 large scale murals, urban tactical interventions such as edible gardens, multipurpose seating, sport courts, and more. Workshops and participative artworks will engage the community, making it an integral part of the festival.
The Bandra Project, (22.1.23 – 22.2.23)
Two temporary installations, a permanent artwork over the popular Carter Road Skatepark and a tailored walk & talk, will include the historical and hip neighbourhood of Bandra in the festival’s map.
Landmark Murals
Hyperlocal narratives focused on ecological and historical narratives will be painted on large facades in visible and nodal spots of the city. Amidst the concrete and glass jungle, these interventions will engage the public’s imagination and create value for the city at large.
Light Night Colaba, (12.1.23 – 15.1.23)
A spectacular installation at Apollo Bunder and light-based artworks and performances at the Sassoon Dock will light up Colaba during the Mumbai Gallery Weekend.
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