Mumbai Gallery Weekend: Must-visit exhibits for art enthusiasts

Immersing yourself in art or hopping from one gallery to the next is what Mumbai Gallery Weekend MGW organised by the Mumbai Gallery Association is all about Whether you are a firsttime gallerygoer or a connoisseur looking forward to the exhibits 2025 has in store the MGW is for youIn 2012 MGW launched with nine to 10 participating galleries now throughout the weekend one can visit 35 ldquoWhat we hope to achieve is to continue to create educational platforms with informal walkthroughs to keep the galleries accessible throughout the year Culture is soft power and through the galleriesrsquo programming audiences are afoot with issues that art continues to informrdquo says Shireen Gandhy organiser at MGW 2025 and creative director at Chemould Prescott RoadMGW is unique as it allows you to explore exhibits at your own pace This year MGW will be held from January 9 to 12 and we get the scoop on exhibits you should not miss out onThe female gazeShailee Mehtarsquos body of work for this show started with addressing the notion of curiosity and rewitnessing rendered by the female gaze The show includes multiple images exploring this through intimate encounters with nature or with onersquos own body with a sense of wonder rather than ownership and control For Mehta spending time with the nonhuman has been her biggest inspiration Her practice has always focused on femininity but in this show the feminine becomes inherent It no longer needs to be spelt out ldquoIt is expressed as much in the crevices of a tree trunk as it is in the bare chest of a woman Therersquos an active parallel Irsquom drawing between the ldquobodyrdquo of land and the ecology of the body and the kind of violence they both have endured The work is unafraid of bruises and wounds and celebrates the caregiving and thatrsquos something very new for merdquo says MehtaGallery Chemould CoLab ColabaArtist Shailee MehtaExhibit Chants from the HollowSecularism in actionAtul Dodiyarsquos exhibit is a nostalgic tribute to Indian film music maestros between the 40s and 60s He pays homage to the songs that he heard over the transistor radio throughout his youth and still returns to every day in his studio This exhibit honours a list of stalwarts but also mirrors who we are and where we came from Mohammed Rafi Suraiya Shamshad Begum Talat Mahmood and Sajjad Hussain among others But Dodiya also points out that Muslims were an important part of this industry ldquoThey were not singled out as outsiders or bullied to prove their patriotism This was secularism in action The listeners of this music spontaneously and truly expressed their pleasure in these songs and a love for the makersrdquo he says and adds that he wants to spotlight their humanity and erase the differences that have crept up in our current political climate through this exhibitGallery Chemould Prescott Road FortArtist Atul DodiyaExhibit Radio Ceylon Paintings Vol IFrom soil to soulSandeep Manchekarrsquos world of ceramics is seen across six distinct sections each portraying a complex engagement with both tradition and modernity His monumental installation Hum Kumhaar features ten lifesize pots each symbolising a different community of potters and reflecting the diverse types of soil from which they have emerged These pots are placed on a traditional bullock cart a symbol of ancient civilizations where pottery was not just a craft but a vital cultural anchor Each pot is a metaphor for the connections between people and the land they inhabit The installation also addresses the contemporary relevance of the caste system in IndiaOn why he loves to work with clay Manchekar says ldquoEach clay body has its unique characteristics which can interact differently with the heat and atmosphere during firing While the outcome canrsquot always be guaranteed this variability provides endless possibilities for explorationrdquoGallery Nine Fish Art Gallery BycullaArtist Sandeep Manchekar curated by Gourmoni DasExhibit Mati Kahe Kumhaar Se The DialogueThe Madras checksDutch artist Paul Beumerrsquos first solo show in India is a new series in collaboration with the lungi weavers in Karr Tamil Nadu Formally trained in painting Beumer chose to experience art and textiles through travel in nonwestern cultures For him textilemaking is like painting He is alive to the optical and visual illusions of form and colour ldquoThe title of the show is a quote from Johannes Itten and sums up the central message of my work Irsquom exploring the language of modern art through the ancient craft of handweaving For this series Irsquove pushed the possibilities of Madras Checks which I have long admired I enjoy working with colour form and technique And within these limitations I search for magicrdquo says BeumerGallery Artisans Kala GhodaArtist Paul BeumerExhibit Play Becomes Joy Joy becomes work work becomes playThe one offscreenArtist Viraj Khanna titled his show Brain Rot the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 as it is a reflection of our dependence on social media and the impact it has on our daytoday activities How did his exhibit take shape He says it was organic as his show is a literal reflection of all thatrsquos happening around him ldquoThe irony is that while I know how much excessive technology use affects my mental health I continue to use it excessivelyrdquo says Khanna of his social media usage His show reflects this Khanna has created mobile phones showcasing screen times to make viewers realise how much time they spend on their phone and that not everyonersquos life is as rosy as it seems on our phone screens Apart from there he also has textiles like artificial leather and astroturf that he has hand embroidered ldquoTo most people my textiles look like paintings and I love thisrdquoGallery Tao Art Gallery WorliArtist Viraj KhannaExhibit Brain RotAlso check outSpaces of Possibility The Founding of Hong Kongrsquos Museums and Cultural InstitutionsThis discussion features panellists from three leading modern and contemporary art institutions in Hong KongArt amp Wonderment Walkthroughs On January 10 11 and 12 the cityrsquos art walk guides will take you across the galleries and introduce you to exhibits Full schedule on Mumbai Gallery Weekendrsquos Instagram