A Morning Immersed in Art

Gateway programming launched with an interactive and unique experience

By Zoya Kathawala

In April 2024, Art Mumbai introduced Art Mumbai Gateway. Inspired by Mumbai city's iconic landmark, the Gateway of India, Art Mumbai Gateway is year-round programming that includes exciting conversations, exhibitions, workshops, performances, events and more, across India and around the world. Our first Gateway event took place on a summery Saturday morning at the Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVVU) for a studio visit with the 2024 IMMERSE fellows and a walkthrough of the exhibition, entitled 'State of Care', that marked the culmination of their fellowship-cum-residency.

Co-founded by Natasha Jeyasingh, Al-Qawi Nanavati, Siddharth Somaiya and Shaleen Wadhwana, the IMMERSE Fellowship and Residency programme has been designed to offer emerging early career stage artists and curators, the practical life skills they need to understand the arts industry. During the course of the residency and fellowship, 10 artists and one curator, have the opportunity to meet with experts in the field of art to hone their practice. This year's fellows interacted with artists, curators and historians such as Vikrant Bhise, Sameer Kulavoor, Lakshmi Madhavan, Veeranganakumari Solanki, Deepthi Sasidharan and Dr. Pallavi Jambhale.

The walkthrough was led by curator Shaleen Wadhwana and Haifa Maryam, IMMERSE curator fellow. Shaleen and Haifa took turns to carefully and thoughtfully explain how the artists responded to the prompts of care. The artists looked within themselves and their lives to identify how tangible and intangible states of being intersected to create various systems of care. Representing the length and the breadth of the country, from Kashmir, Kunnur, Assam, Goa, Howrah and Bihar, audiences were presented with the climate crisis, labour rights, abandoned landscapes, expressions of queerness and familial memories.

In the words of Haifa: "In times when notions of care have been individualised, commodified, and depoliticised, it becomes imperative to reexamine the fundamental concepts of attention and affection that underpin our existence. 'A State of Care' brings together the works of nine diverse artists from across India, each exploring the multiple modalities of care that shape and sustain our lives. From vulnerable communities to neglected ecologies, the exhibition constructs different perspectives on care and its absence, shedding light on the repercussions of disrupted systems of care."

The morning continued to the artists studios. Here the artists dissected their thoughts, ideas, notions and practice as they shared their processes and the urgencies that drive them. The studio walls and tables were covered in experiments and expressions documented in the forms of photographs, installations, video, oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings. They shared glimpses of their lives back home, their learnings from IMMERSE and what they hope to achieve going forward.

The morning concluded with a delicious college style lunch in an adjoining courtyard.
We could not have asked for a better kick off to our Gateway programming. Our brief interaction with the IMMERSE fellows took us on the journey of an artwork, from its inception, to making, to the final work at an exhibition. It allowed for participants to connect with the art in a meaningful way that not only opened up a myriad of conversations but also new gateways to seeing and engaging with the world.

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Zoya Kathawala is Head of Programmes, Art Mumbai.