Art Mumbai has become the Mecca of contemporary Indian Art — a place not just for viewing, but for gathering, thinking, and connecting. This year, Art friends flew in not just from India, but from across the globe. And while the fair itself is the draw, what enchants me most is how it has evolved into a meeting of like minds, over days of Art dinners, fashion shows, Art parties, and conversations, all orbiting around Indian art. This time I cancelled my visit to Japan so I could attend at least two of the four days spanning Art Mumbai!
I also see what I’d predicted nearly a decade ago — that the lines between fashion, architecture and fine art are dissolving, becoming one seamless, interwoven expression- until it all becomes a single, harmonious language of Art!
A Grand Tribute to a Living Master
This year, alongside the very focused Gallerist Anaita Banerjee and her veteran mother Sarala Banerjee of Gallery Sarala, I had the honour of hosting a lunch in celebration of the iconic Akkitham Narayanan. Gallery Sarala, founded by Soli and Moti Daruwala since 1965, was where my own journey began — I bought some of my first Laxma Gauds, Ramchandrans, and Husains from them. Together we paid tribute to one of the greatest artists of abstract Art - Akkitham, who had flown in from Paris with a selection of his works, and it felt magical.
His canvases — geometric patterns that allude to nature with an almost meditative stillness — were displayed against the verdant backdrop of Keiba All Saints’ greenhouse like interior, replete with fountain and vines trailing the walls. And Akkitham, as ever, spoke softly: “Let the canvases do the talking. I won’t explain my work because my works will” The afternoon flowed naturally into tea, discussions about Art, and a gentle celebration of colour, form and quiet brilliance.
Seaside Elegance: Kavita Singh’s Dinner Soiree
One of the stunning homes of Mumbai that intertwine exquisite art with drama and asthetic brilliance it is Kavita Singh’s. Her seafront home — a confluence of ancient Tibetan, Indian indigenous and modern art — served as the stage for one of my most memorable Art Mumbai evenings. Though I couldn’t stay for the formal dinner, I already felt exultant : the home was a feast of what has always enthralled me- Art and more Art.
The magnificent scale of the Buddhas, the ancient art ceilings with inverted lotus juxtaposed with the best names in modern and contemporary Art felt like a living poem, a dialogue across time and place. I was transported and felt like there are kindred spirits in the world for me. For as long as I can remember I’ve been a lover of Yali’s, exotic ceilings, intricate temple pillars and Chettinad brackets. But after traveling and living from Japan to Italy to California this remains one of the more magnificent homes!
Rusi House Reverie: A Collector’s Showcase
Another Art Mumbai evening that shimmered with art and conversation, was held by Art Mumbai founders Dinesh and Minal Vazirani at the majestic Rusi House. Every room was a gallery in itself, filled with luminous modern and contemporary works. I have fond memories of attending Dinesh’s birthday here many years ago — and now, Rusi House stands as a tribute to his personal collection, one befitting the founder of Saffron Art. Dinesh and Minal have shifted out and dedicated this home to sharing their Art with the Art Mumbai fraternity. Seems like yesterday four of us sat in my living room when Saffron Art Auction house was still a gleam in his eye as was what is now a movement of art – called Art Mumbai.
The evening had select guests moving from room to room drinking in the art carefully curated and hung in series and collections while enjoying the hors d’oeuvres and cocktails that floated around silently.
Warm Wit and Artful Edge: The Karan & Shilpa Bhagat Salon
While i was not at the dinner hosted by Shilpa and Karan Bhagat at their skyscraper home— I know it must’ve been stimulating! Not just because of their warmth, but because their “living gallery” is so thoughtfully curated. Their Worli home, recently featured in Architectural Digest, houses everything from M.F. Husain to Ai Weiwei. They believe art should spark conversation, and I couldn’t agree more. For them, collecting is not a hobby — it’s a way of life. Shilpa , who is a fitness expert- went on a journey with Karan to find pieces that gave an edgy feel to their interiors while also brining meaning and depth to their space. They enjoy entertaining at home because they find sharing their works gives it more meaning. Says Shilpa “The wildest artworks don’t ask for logic. They ask for surrender. Keep your mind open, your heart curious.”
Meeting the Masters: Artists & Icons
And most exciting apart from the art cocktails, banquets, art dinners was walking through the actual hangers where Galleries from India and the world were their select and best art was showcased for buyers and art lovers to savour appreciate and buy.
I found myself in animated conversations with some of my favourites — Rekha Rodwittya, Jayashree Burman, Subodh Gupta, Bose Krishnamachari, Sudershan Shetty and Paresh Maity — as well as trailblazing figures like Anjali Sen and Saryu Doshi, true pillars of the Indian art movement.
The opening party at Snowball Studio was a brilliant mash-up: designers, architects, Gen-Z collectors and party-goers, corporates, artists — all drawn together by a shared love of art. It felt democratic, inclusive and alive as it should be!
Flashback to Tarun Tahiliani’s Spectacle: A Fashion Parade to Remember
Speaking of inclusion — I harken back to year before last Tarun Tahiliani’s show at Art Mumbai. Instead of a conventional runway, models, dancers, and floats paraded down a never-ending driveway, with the audience flanking either side, gasping, cheering, applauding and cat-calling! It felt joyous and spontaneous, like a celebration but more importantly everyone who attended the Art extravaganza felt special viewing the grand couture show!
Unlike the more gated fashion event that followed this year- Tarun's was open, exuberant, and wonderfully connected to the art fair’s soul. This year many longing hearts were turned away by hefty bouncers and security, leaving many “VIP” guests feeling rejected and shafted! Not at all in sync with the spirit of Art Mumbai that has an international flair with and typical hospitable, warm, welcoming Indian heart!
Art Mumbai 2025: The Expanding Universe
This year’s Art Mumbai felt larger, more ambitious. Art Mumbai brought together eighty two galleries with nearly 2,000 works I’m told, melding established Indian spaces — like Chemould, Salshi, Pundole, DAG, Vadehra, Experimenter — and international names such as Lisson, Galleria Continua, and Leila Heller.
One of the most moving highlights was a Tyeb Mehta retrospective, presented by the Tyeb Mehta Foundation, Kiran Nadar Museum, and Saffron Art. It revisited decades of Mehta’s practice — his early drawings, his later series — a beautiful meditation on his legacy and lineage.
Sculptures in the Open: The Sculpture Park
One of my favorite features that is reminiscent of my life in Europe was the Sculpture Park this time - a dedicated outdoor arena for women sculptors, curated by Veerangana Solanki.
Sculptures in steel, ceramic, bronze, fibreglass and found-object materials rise across the racecourse lawns — reflecting on labour, migration, identity, reclamation, and memory. Among the works is Meera Mukherjee’s cast-bronze Balance, where the tension between Purusha and Prakriti is rendered in graceful relief. This is not simply a walk-through; it’s a conversation with scale, form, and the stories that mould us.
Cultural Currents & Conversations
The Talks, Walks and Performances I felt were as much a festival of ideas as of art. The speaker series pulsed with urgent, global conversations — themes like “Shifting the Axis of Influence,” exploring how Asian patrons are reshaping the art ecosystem, or “Funding Futures,” which probes how cultural investment and education sustain creativity. And what was also warm and wonderful were the guided walks, led by curators and art historians, inviting visitors into an intimate exploration of the fair’s most compelling corners.
Meanwhile, live performances — from orchestral recitals to theatrical acts — unfurled on the main stage, blending Mumbai’s rich multidisciplinary heritage with bold experimentation.
Art Mumbai captivates me because it is a living, breathing ecosystem growing each year, making India proud of its culture . For me it pulsed with possibility — art, ideas, people. And watching it grow since its inception each year is watching Mumbai’s heart beat in vivid colour and form.
As you’ve often heard me say - cities that celebrate Art are more peaceful and more bonded. Such cities succeed more and the people are happier.
Each year, feels like watching the city breathe in colour — a symphony of canvases, conversations and connections. It is where creativity finds community, where strangers become companions in wonder, and where Mumbai, in all her spirited complexity, reveals a little more of her soul.
Write to Nisha JamVwal at Indiapheonix@gmail.com
