An art festival that takes you out of the conventional gallery space.
If you are familiar with the art scene in India, then the name St+art should ring quite a few bells. After all, the foundation has successfully organised 6 St+art festivals and numerous public art projects in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, creating iconic landmarks within all these cities. An organisation dedicated to making art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of the conventional gallery space and embedding it within the cities we live in, St+art India Foundation was formed on the principle of βArt for Allβ.Β After the successful completion of the Mahatma Gandhi mural at Churchgate Station, St+art India Foundation is happy to announce the St+art Mumbai 2017 Urban Art Festival, returning to Mumbai after the previous edition in 2014.
With support from Asian Paints and associations with Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT), Western Railway, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Singapore Tourism Board, Bonjour India, Institut Français and JSW Group amongst a host of other partnerships with cultural institutions and embassies, this festival is going all out by bringing over 40 Indian and international artists!
St+art Mumbai 2017 kicked off on October 18th and will host five art projects between October 18th and December 30th, 2017, which will reflect on the nature and DNA of the city of Mumbai. It will involve working on iconic locations like Churchgate Station, Mahim (E), Sassoon Dock and Jindal Mansion. Up until now, the Churchgate station got an artistic makeover with a tribute mural to the father of the nation – Mahatma Gandhi by legendary Brazilian street artist, Eduardo Kobra.
As part of the Sassoon Dock Art Project experiential exhibition, there will be special programming across all weekends through November and December, which will see workshops, talks, curated tours, screenings etc.Β St+art Mumbai 2017 will also organise the Singapore Weekender, hosting several Singaporean artists in association with Singapore Tourism Boardβs new brand ‘Passion Made Possible’.
Between November 17th and 19th, Sassoon Dock will see artworks by The Yok &Sheryo, Tan Zi Xi, a Zine festival and screen printing workshop with Knuckles & Notch – a design + risograph press based in Singapore, an exhibition by photographer Darren Soh and film screenings by Objectifs Centre for Film and Photography, performances by Turntablist and Producer DJ KoFlow, while Chef Bjorn Shen will make a special menu for Anti Social, Khar.
Check out the schedule for the list of events to follow:
Mahim (E) Art District (November-December)
The creation of the Mahim (E) Art District – St+art Indiaβs second public open-air art district will witness the coming together of Indian and international artists and urban designers regenerating several of Mahim (E)βs common spaces and transforming it into a vibrant walk-through art gallery.
Sassoon Dock Art Project (November 11th – December 30th)
Get reintroduced to Sassoon Dock through an experiential exhibition, which will see the creation of site-specific installations, murals, and audiovisual experiences which will delve deeper into the various layers of the space. The Singapore Weekender will be taking place at Sassoon Dock between 17th to 19th of November.
Inside Out Project (November 11th – December 10)
St+art urban art festival will bring to Mumbai iconic French artist JRβs global participatory project – Inside Out Project, whose largeβformat street paste-up project celebrates identity and amplifies untold stories. The project will celebrate the vibrant and diverse fishermen communities of Sassoon Dock through photo blowups of portraits.
Jindal Mansion (December 1st – December 15th)
The Jindal mansion on Pedder road is known to be a power center – a pristine building embedded in the heritage of Mumbai. A massive installation at Jindal Mansion by one of India’s top designers – Manish Arora will give passersbys an opportunity to admire a work of art when they are travelling through one of the busiest roads in Mumbai.
Check out this piece from the first edition in Mumbai in 2014!
Credits: facebook.com/startindiafoundation
Mr. Amit Syngle, Chief Operating Officer, COO, Asian Paints Ltd. said βLike every year, we yet again hope to add a bit of vibrance to the city and uplift the moods, spirits and lives of the Mumbaikars. We want to take art to the masses and make it accessible to a wider range of spectators. The idea is to open spaces to dialogues, conversations and culture creation through the lens of the city.β
Arjun Bahl, Co-Founder & Festival Director, St+art India Foundation said, βWe are delighted to be back in Mumbai for the 7th edition of the St+art festival.Β The curated projects will enable people to discover a different side of the Maximum City, spaces which are usually taken for granted. A project of this scale isnβt possible without a strong team and partners and I would like to thank Asian Paints, Mumbai Port Trust, Singapore Tourism Board, JSW, Bonjour India and our team for their continuous support to realize St+art Indiaβs dream.β
Head over to any of these locations to catch these heroes in action, because it’s something completely worth your while.Β