Mumbai’s Sassoon Docks turns into an open air artwork gallery

This month, Mumbai is festooned with a contemporary coat of color, because it embraces buildings, scaffolding, tree trunks and partitions. Persevering with the celebrations of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Mumbai Port Authority, the Mumbai City Artwork Competition (MUAF) has actually painted the city crimson, and likewise white, yellow, and inexperienced.

MUAF on the Sassoon docks is an artwork venture that began this 12 months. It’s an extension of the Sassoon docks artwork venture that began in 2017 to revive the historic heritage of the 142-year-old docks. That 12 months St+artwork India basis, in affiliation with Asian Paints and 30 artists from world wide gave the dock—house and lives of the Koli neighborhood, an entire makeover.

Like yearly this 12 months too the artwork venture was about conservation and telling tales of the ocean and its folks. This 12 months St+artwork India basis and Asian Paints with its motto ‘Art for all’ additionally determined to not limit artwork to the dock alone. Up to date artist, inventive director of St+artwork India basis Hanif Kureshi says “we want to reclaim the streets to create art for all. Everyone should be able to enjoy art in their everyday life. Which is why many artists, in fact anyone who feels like expressing themselves through art have joined us in paintings walls and streets of Mumbai.”  

Sea life and people
| Picture Credit score:
Prabalika M Borah

The pageant — an initiative of Asian Paints and St+artwork India Basis — consists of the current launch of the Asian Paints Artwork Home at iconic Sassoon Docks. It homes three installations: one by artist Steve Messam (from the UK) and two extra by Ayaz Basrai (Busride studio) from Pune.

Sassoon Docks is among the oldest dock in Mumbai. It was in-built 1875 by Sir Albert Abdulla David Sassoon, a Jewish service provider. It was Western India’s first ‘wet’ dock–one the place ships can sail in whatever the tide. Strolling into this space is like stepping in an enormous fish wholesale market. .

The artwork home on the entrance of Sassoon docks

Power from particles

The Artwork Home stands on the entrance of Sassoon Docks. On the primary ground conical constructions jut six metres out of the constructing. The set up is made with inflatable textiles, explains Steve, including that he’s demonstrating how air can air be a medium of artwork by spreading the fabric sideways. Steve makes use of the identical materials used bouncy castles to create his cloth artwork sculpture.

Steve’s set up portrays the co-existence of individuals. When requested why his constructions don’t level up in the direction of the sky, however are as a substitute parallel to the bottom, he says, “upward isn’t the only direction. At times we need to spread out and reach out.” 

Serge’s Sea by no means dies
| Picture Credit score:
Prabalika M Borah

The second artwork work at The Artwork Home by Ayaz portrays a ‘home.’ Fabricated from fibrewood, the set up exhibits artistic residing in modular design. It’s devoted to Mumbai’s residing area the place each inch is made to make use of to accommodate one’s belongings.

To create Currents, the third set up contained in the artwork home, with paint and gum Ayaz has repurposed particles, cloth (retrieved burlap from the dock) and different bits and items discovered across the dock to create an power vortex. The whirlpools of water in his artwork piece signifies water’s robust currents.  

Faces within the crowd

Inside Sassoon Docks, artist Paola Delphin from Mexico balances on a crane as she provides the ultimate touches to her work on a dilapidated constructing that’s about 40 ft tall, unfazed by the fishy pungency of the dock. The black and white work titled Humanity, within the type of avenue artwork, exhibits the faces of a number of fisherwomen within the dockyard. Their faces replicate myriad feelings: endurance, happiness and disappointment. Via her work the artist says she desires to relate the tales of the folks working at Sassoon docks.

Humanity by Paola
| Picture Credit score:
Prabalika M Borah

See the ocean

The partitions of the baraf karkhana (ice manufacturing unit) one other constructing on the dock has an untitled art work created by 10 artists. It options hues of blue progressively mixing right into a inexperienced, nearly mirroring the ocean. On them, in white, are fish of all sizes, turtles, aquatic vegetation, particles from boats, and nets. Swimming amongst them are plastic packets, bottles and rubbish, telling the story of how aquatic animals are compelled to stay with what people discard carelessly. Satirically, most onlookers simply use it as a backdrop for selfies, after which stroll away. Via this art work the artists need to speak about not littering the ocean.

Antonim Katre and his work
| Picture Credit score:
Prabalika M Borah

Reverse the baraf karkhana , Antonim Katre from Paris shakes his cans of paint, spraying color on his horizontal art work on a constructing. Creating the impression of coming into a maze, the masked artist works with vivid crimson, orange and yellow, then attracts symmetrical panels over them in daring black paint. The work transports viewers right into a seemingly unending hall of an enormous constructing. Contained in the constructing is ‘Illusions’ put collectively by 10 artists. A playful sequence of works, this takes viewers on a a path from darkness to gentle, a transition from depth to floor.

Sea of plastic

Sea By no means Dies by Serge Attukwei Clottey from Ghana is part of an ongoing physique of labor referred to as Afrogallonsim. Via this art work, he explores the themes of environmental safety and social justice. Sergei — an set up, efficiency and sculpture artist — has used hundreds of thousands of equivalent plastic chips comprised of oil cans to create what appears like a larger-than-life fishnet. The plastic chips are held collectively by copper wires to kind a web measuring a number of hundred metres.

Rero’s work

Past Sergei’s set up, lies French artist Rero’s untitled work comprising mirrors, black nets and phrases painted in mirror photos (black lettering on a white wall within the artist’s signature strike-through typographic type). The set up is all about wordplay, reflection juxtaposes mirrors and fishnets that intervene with the studying, because the viewers attempt to disentangle the phrases ‘sell fish’, ‘selfish’, ‘shellfish’ and ‘no selfie zone’.

The set up at Sassoon Docks, Mumbai, is up for viewing till February 22.

The author was at The Mumbai City Artwork Competition on the invitation of Asian Paints