Gateway
to Influence: Mumbai’s Cultural Soft Power
As India ascends globally, Mumbai
is its vibrant gateway, this conversation brings together Mumbai’s
quintessential cultural catalysts, creative visionaries, and industry experts
including Founder and Creative Director,
Pavitra Rajaram Design Pavitra
Rajaram, and Creative Director, Chanakya International
& Chanakya School Of Craft Karishma
Swali to explore how Mumbai is heralding India's cultural renaissance on
the world stage.
Art Mumbai - Mumbai’s Own Art Fair
Making its home in Mumbai, the Gateway of India, Art Mumbai has established itself as one of India’s leading art fairs that presents art from South Asia and the world. Founded by the Founders of Saffronart, Minal and Dinesh Vazirani, Director of Chawla Art Gallery, Nakul Dev Chawla, the Owner and Director of Grosvenor Gallery, Conor Macklin, the art fair carries the vision of creating a platform to celebrate the global artistic community, including artists, galleries, institutions, curators, and collectors. In addition to its exhibitions, Art Mumbai curates its speaker series with leading industry experts and creates a sculptor park —- all within the iconic Mahalaxmi Race Course. Its inaugural exhibition took place in 2023 with 53 participating galleries from around the world, 300 artists, and around 2,000 artworks.
South Asian Art
Encompassing the present-day countries of India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, South Asia represents a melting pot of diverse communities, layered histories , and transnational identities. From the terracotta structures of deities of the Indus Valley Civilisation to the Buddhist sculptures of Nepal to the prominence of Hindu sculptures with the rise and fall of the kingdoms of Chola, Gupta, and Hoysala, the region’s various religions have had a large influence on the region’s early art, especially its sculptures. From the 15th to 19th century, the Mughal rule saw the flourishing of Persion-inspired detailed miniature paintings that depicted court scenes, hunting, portraits, and illustrations of Indian and Persian literature. Through the colonial period and in the wake of the seismic consequences of India’s Independence to the subcontinent, the various art movements in India have reflected a plurality of lived experiences in the colonial and post-colonial world. The nationalistic revivalism of the Bengal School of Art, the modernism of Progressive’s Artist Group, the socialist approach of the Kerala Radicals, and the catapult of Feminist Art in the public eye on a large scale have produced path-breaking artists including F.N Souza, M.F Husain, Amrita Sher-Gil, Abindranath Tagore, Arpita Singh, and Nalini Malani.
Brief History of Art Fairs
Art fairs and exhibitions trace their history back to Antiquity, where fairs intertwined with religious festivals showcased rare items by the elite members of society and would be visited by people of similar social standing from neighboring regions. Today, art fairs have become the foremost marketplace and platform for artists to exhibit and sell their work. Established fairs attract attendees in large numbers with Art Basel 2024 witnessing 91,000 visitors, Venice Biennale attracting around 800,000 attendees in 2022, and Art Dubai welcoming 30,000 people in 2019. Approaches to the commercialization of every fair and exhibition differ, making some exhibitions more important for visibility rather than sales, as is observed with the Venice Biennale and Art Basel. Due to the sales ban at the Venice Biennale in 1968 and its proximity in timing to Art Basel, Art Basel is often referred to as the ‘“unofficial sales office” of the biennale as a large number of artists that are featured in the biennale are also featured in Basel.
