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Art Mumbai 2025: Expanding Horizons, Emerging Questions of Access by Prabuddha Ghosh




Art Mumbai 2025: Expanding Horizons, Emerging Questions of Access

by Prabuddha Ghosh

The third edition of Art Mumbai, one of South Asia’s most anticipated art fairs, concluded on 16 November 2025 at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Established and conceptualized by Dinesh Vazirani, Minal Vazirani, Nakul Dev Chawla and Conor Macklin, the fair has continued to expand its presence as a significant platform for artistic and cultural exchange in India and the region.

This year’s fair brought together a wide selection of Indian and international galleries, artists, cultural organizations and visitors. While the event has concluded, it has marked a notable moment for the art fraternity, drawing attention from artists, collectors, connoisseurs and the broader art-viewing public. The edition displayed a distinct dialogue between the legacy of Indian masters such as Raja Ravi Varma, K. G. Subramanyan, M. F. Husain, Sohan Qadri, Jatin Das, S. H. Raza, A. Ramachandran and T. Vaikuntham, alongside works representing the current generation of contemporary and neo-contemporary artists and practices.

Art Mumbai has shown a steady rise in prominence within just three years, reflecting the city’s growing cultural momentum alongside the dialogues with the rest of the world. The 2025 edition included participation from several leading Indian galleries, among them Akar Prakar, Chemould Prescott Road, Vadehra Art Gallery, Milaaya Art Gallery, Gallery Espace and TARQ. International representation also increased, with galleries such as Lisson Gallery, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Galleria Continua and Ben Brown Fine Arts contributing to the global dimension of the fair.

One noticeable feature this year was the expanded presence of international exhibitors. A total of 18 overseas galleries participated, including nine joining the fair for the first time. Well-known names such as Lisson Gallery of London and Galleria Continua of Italy provided Indian audiences access to a wider range of global artworks and practices.

The event presented several curated sections aimed at highlighting key directions in today’s contemporary and neo-contemporary art landscape. The Sculpture Park, held as an open-air segment, focused entirely on women sculptors—both established and emerging—whose works spanned materials including steel, ceramic, bronze and fiberglass. Another major highlight was the Centenary Tribute presented in honour of the Indian Modernist Tyeb Mehta, marking his birth centenary in 2025.

Alongside the exhibitions, the fair hosted a series of discussions featuring artists, collectors, curators and cultural commentators. The panels addressed a range of subjects, including the shifting centres of influence in the art world, emerging models of patronage in Asia and changing approaches to collecting.

Art Mumbai also drew considerable public participation through guided walks conducted by curators and art historians, live performances, and large-scale installations around the fairgrounds. The organizers emphasized accessibility and immersive engagement, designing the event to cater to both seasoned viewers and visitors encountering contemporary art for the first time.

In addition to the main venue, the fair included a number of offsite and VIP programs offering invited guests access to private collections, artist studios and selected cultural institutions across Mumbai. These parallel activities provided participants with a broader overview of the city’s artistic networks and practices.

With its third edition now concluded, Art Mumbai continues to position itself as an important meeting point in the South Asian art calendar. Its rapid growth, increasing global participation and strong curatorial framework indicate that the fair is steadily moving toward the stature of other established international art events. The combination of high-profile exhibitors, academic discussions and structured public engagement also suggests that Mumbai is asserting itself as a key site for contemporary cultural production in the region.

However, despite its expanding profile, the fair’s model raises questions about accessibility. The relatively high entry fee is likely to remain prohibitive for a large segment of emerging artists, students and general art lovers, potentially limiting the inclusivity and wider public engagement that such events aim to foster. As the fair continues to evolve, balancing global ambition with broader public access may become a central point of consideration.

Overall, Art Mumbai 2025 reflects both the opportunities and challenges of India’s growing art market—an ecosystem that is vibrant, ambitious and increasingly international, yet still negotiating how best to remain open and representative of the diverse creative communities it seeks to serve.

  

All Photographs by the Author Prabuddha Ghosh

#PrabuddhaGhosh #PrabuddhasArt #ArtINMe

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