Mumbai has found itself a new and unconventional art space, the Sassoon Docks. The 142-year-old space, the oldest docks in the city, will transform into a public art exhibition with murals, installations, film screenings, talks, and audio-visual experiences. This is the Sassoon Dock Art Project, a part of the St+art Mumbai 2017 Urban Art Festival and it is here to paint the town red, white and every other colour imaginable.
It’s not just art that will be on display. Expect a talk by urban designers Faizan Khatri, AWP, Ayaz Basrai and Sameep Padora, screening of aerial videos and a graffiti workshop. Through the weekends in November, there will be special schedules, which will include guided walks, interactions with international artists. For instance, the Singapore Weekender, November 17 to 19 will see artworks by The Yok & Sheryo, Tan Zi Xi, a Zine festival and screen printing workshop, an exhibition, film screenings, and performances by Turntablist and Producer DJ KoFlow. In addition, chef Gresham Fernandes (Social) and chef Bjorn Shen (Artichoke) will create a special collaborative menu. The festival is being organised in association with Asian Paints, Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT), Singapore Tourism Board, Bonjour India, and Institut Français. Here are some of the international artists to watch out for.
The Yok & Sheryo
Sheryo is a Brooklyn based Singaporean visual/mural artist, while Yok is an Australian-born artist. The duo will be putting up an immersive installation titled ‘Varuna Vessel’. “It pays homage to fisherman from the Koli tribe and celebrates the bond between their life and vessel (boat), which is their livelihood,” says Yok. The murals are inspired by their travel around South East Asia and Singapore, and time spent in India. “Since Singapore also started as a fishing village similar to Sassoon Dock, we wanted to draw parallels” says Sheryo.
Tan Zi Xi
The Singapore-born, London-trained artist Zi Xi will be giving a lesson on ocean and pollution with her installation. Titled ‘Plastic Ocean’, the installation is a space that gives the illusion of being trapped underwater, surrounded by plastic waste. “The four walls are covered with mirrors. The idea is to show a microscopic representation of pollution in the oceans,” says Xi. She wants people to realise what it must be like for fish living in the ocean, slowly choking to death on plastic. The installation will use recycled plastic sourced from Dharavi. “It was highly disturbing to read about plastic pollution in the ocean. We often take shortcuts when disposing our waste without realising it is one day going to come back and bite us,” she says.
LIVIL (Olivier Holzl)
Olivier Hoelzl alias LIVIL works with stencils, and his work uses a combination of picture and text. His work at the festival will include a stenciled artwork of Koli women. “I did thorough research on the community from my home in Vienna, Austria and with the support of the organising team, gathered all the necessary material for my installation for the project. As I like to work with on topics concerning communities, I decided to showcase the Koli community and how they work together,” he says.
Clemens Behr
The Berlin-based Behr creates abstract installations, composed of cardboard, wood, paint, tape and found materials, often resulting in subtle confusions between 2D painting and 3D objects. Behr will create two large installations. “The first one is outside [in the courtyard] and is a mix of mural and installation and a mix of construction and deconstruction. The work inside is a kind of cityscape with aesthetic elements, materials and impressions from the city. It can be seen as an accessible painting too,” he says.
Instagramming art
One of a kind
At the St+art Mumbai festival, Instagram in collaboration with local emerging street artists Do x Khatra, is unveiling a #KindComments themed wall. As part of the global initiative, Instagram has turned walls all around the world – New York, Dallas, Mexico City, Jakarta, Tokyo and more – into beacons of kindness. The Mumbai mural will see hand gestures coming together to form a heart, supported by words and symbols of kindness conceptualised in colourful graffiti. “The theme of #KindComments is meant to encourage our communities to consciously think about how they can do their bit to keep Instagram a kind and positive place for everyone. “Anyone can be a part of the #KindComments movement – all they have to do is share an Instagram post of something meaningful and uplifting, share a kind comment with their friends, or leave a positive comment on someone else’s post; and sit back and watch the positivity spread from one person to the next,” says Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach, Instagram, India.
