Art Mumbai to Launch at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in November
The new contemporary art fair is shaping up as India's biggest after India Art Fair, which takes place in New Delhi in February.
Steve McCurry, Moonrise over Mumbai, India (1994). Fujiflex Crystal Archive Supergloss digital C-print. 101.6 x 152.4 cm. Courtesy Sundaram Tagore Gallery.
Dinesh Vazirani took to Instagram yesterday to confirm that the inaugural Art Mumbai will go ahead in India's most populous and wealthiest city from 16 to 19 November.
'The excitement is both exhausting and exhilarating!!' he wrote, adding 'Let's celebrate our Maximum City! Aamchi Mumbai!!'
Vazirani and his wife Minal are the co-founders of auction house Saffronart. Both are co-founders of Art Mumbai along with Grosvenor Gallery's Conor Macklin and Nakul Dev Chawla, founder of online art sales platform Global Art Hub.
'Art Mumbai is an art fair that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Mumbai through a focus on South Asian modern, contemporary, and indigenous art,' Chawla told Ocula Magazine.
'The tremendous potential of the region, with its burgeoning art scene, is certainly not to be underestimated and is in the process of rewriting its position on the international stage. As such, Art Mumbai is a forward-looking platform that seeks to grow with the changing dynamics of the cultural development of South Asian Art and its market,' he said.
Chawla said the fair has been in development since early this year, and the support from the art community had exceeded his expectations.
Art Mumbai aims to show around 50 galleries, with 43 now listed as exhibitors on the fair's website, including leading Indian galleries such as Jhaveri Contemporary, Nature Morte, and Experimenter.
'Having opened our third space, Experimenter Colaba in Mumbai last year, we realise there is a keen audience and a growing collector base for our programme in the city and hopefully we will see a similar response at the fair too,' said Experimenter's Priyanka Raja.
No major international galleries have been announced so far, but Raja was not discouraged by the inaugural event's local focus.
'We are completely in support of smaller scale, boutique fair models where the conversations with the local audience are more fulfilling,' she said. 'Even if future editions may attract international galleries and collectors, our success in India will focus on building the strength of the Indian collector base.'
Aparajita Jain, Director of Nature Morte, concurred, saying, 'India has a potentially large market and hence, I believe it's great if we can explore the market domestically first.'
Art Mumbai will be smaller than the India Art Fair, which brought together 71 galleries in 2023. India Art Fair is organised by Angus Montgomery Arts and directed by Jaya Asokan. Its 14th edition takes place in New Delhi from 1 to 4 February 2024.
Teesta Bhandare, Director of Art Mumbai said by comparison, Art Mumbai would be 'more tightly curated, and its ideal location at the charming Mahalaxmi Racecourse in the city centre lends itself to a more experiential visit for our audience.'
Bhandare said the fair would be both a celebration of South Asian art and a special tribute to Mumbai. Alongside the gallery presentations, she said the fair would feature speakers, a robust VIP programme, musical performances, culinary experiences, and children's workshops.
'As a future-facing fair, from a sculpture garden to digital art, you can expect the unexpected,' she added.
For Art Mumbai to succeed long-term, Jain said, 'I think they would need more international people to come in and perhaps a curated section that could showcase some of the young emerging talent from the region.'
Experimenter's Raja emphasised that, 'the fair cannot compromise on the quality of the exhibitors selected and material presented. If there is great material this fair is bound to be a sustained success.' —[O]
