An art gallery-hopping guide for the Mumbai Gallery Weekend 2023

Art lovers can cheer as one of Mumbai’s most-awaited art and culture events—the Mumbai Gallery Weekend—is back for the 11th year in the city. Starting today, the event will present a fantastic opportunity to engage with visual arts—paintings, sculptures, photography, media art, installations, decorative arts, and whathaveyou—at participating galleries across the city—from Colaba, Fort, Kala Ghoda, to Lower Parel, Byculla and Bandra.

So much to see and do, in such a short span of time! Here’s a low-down on what’s on and the best galleries to visit over the four days to soak in all the art! 

APRE Art House, Colaba 
APRE Art House and The Upside Space are collaborating to presents ‘Futur Proche’— an exhibition curated by Sayali Mundye. It brings together physical and NFT works by a bunch of artists from South Asia, who are responding to specificities of an imagined time—some are warnings, drawing into the past while hoping, creating, critiquing, and reflecting for better times. 

When to visit: January 12-15, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm

DAG, The Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba 

On display here is the first-ever commissioned painting by Raja Ravi Varma—this portrait of the Menon family can be considered the first work of Modern Art’ to emerge from India. This historical painting was created 152 years ago, in 1870, and heralded the Modern Art movement in India. It went on to be a game-changer for Indian art in general, and portraiture in particular.

When to visit: January 12

Taj Art Gallery, Taj Mahal Palace
The gallery is hosting ‘Grey Mirrors of the Sea’, an exhibition curated by Mortimer Chatterjee, which includes paintings from the collection of the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.

When to visit: January 12-15

Ice Factory Ballard Estate (IFBE), Ballard Estate
IFBE will host Young collectors' weekend, a group exhibition showcasing the works of 14 contemporary artists including Tito Stanley, Tara Anand, Akshita Gandhi, Hashim Badani, Megha Gavireddy, Purvai Rai, Divya Singh, Sachin George Sebastian, Teppala Kodandarao, and Birender Yadav among others.

When to visit: January 12-15

Tao Art Gallery, Worli

In addition to a couple of concerts and expert talks over the weekend, Tao Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition which will be on display until January 31. With ‘Unstructured Pursuit of Perspectives, curated by Sanjana Shah’ artists Smita Kinkale and Rajesh Wankhade explore the fundamentality of existence. The works, in different and distinctive mediums, are layered by not just materiality but also in thought, challenging notions of time and space, presence and absence.

When to visit: Until January 31

Concert: Tilia Quartet of Staatskapelle Berlin
On January 13 and 14, the art gallery is hosting two concerts. On 13th, you can attend Works for String Quartet by Anton Webern, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and 14th it will be Works for String Quartet by Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. Both the concerts are ticketed event with limited seats of 120 people only on each day. 

Art and Charlie, Bandra
‘The Ghost Dance’, a live movement performance by Gia Singh Arora is a piece that reflects on the body when in a state of darkness. One that’ll make you wonder what it is that we can see and infer in dark. If you’re looking for an immersive experience, then this is one not to miss as the audience gets to light the performer’s bodies to bring the performance they see into the light. This limited-seat event is free to attend and on first come first serve.

When to visit: Sunday, January 15, 7:00 to 8:00 pm 

That’s not all, the Mumbai Gallery Weekend also presents a host of walkthroughs that you can register for

13th January

Nine Fish Art Gallery & Dot Line Space
11:00-11:25 am

Tao Art Gallery
12:00-12:25 pm

Kathiawada City House
3:15-3:50 pm

Art and Charlie
4:20-4:45 pm

14th January

DAG
11:00-11:25 am

Taj Art Gallery
11:30-11:55 am

Tarq
2:00-2:25 pm

IFBE
4:45-5:10 pm

Pundoles
6:50-7:15 pm

15th January

Art Musing
11:00-11:25 am

Apre Art House and TheUpSideSpace
12:20-12:45 pm

Akara Art
3:15-3:40 pm

Experimenter
4:15-4:40 pm
Cymroza Art Gallery
6:30-6:55 pm

Image credits: Feature image-They Built on a City by Hashim Badani; Square image: Artist Osheen Siva