10 MUST-SEE ART EXHIBITIONS AT MUMBAI GALLERY WEEKEND 2025
In the last few years, Mumbai’s art scene has taken center stage in India, largely due to the initiatives of commercial galleries and gallerists in this economic hub — making it an art district. To start the new year, Mumbai Gallery Weekend was held from January 9–12, featuring over 30 exhibitions across prominent galleries and private museums. Alongside gallery displays, photographer Ram Rahman has curated a showcase of Jyoti Bhatt’s black-and-white documentary photographs at Somaiya Vidyavihar University, while the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation is hosting Dayanita Singh’s solo exhibition, “Photo Lies.”
Although the Gallery Weekend has wrapped up, many exhibitions are still running. Here’s our selection of must-see shows at Mumbai’s galleries.
1. Aravani Art Project — On the Cusp of the Eighth Day
Gallery XXL
January 9–February 28, 2025
Led by Poornima Sukumar from Bangalore, the Aravani Art Project is a collective of Indian trans- and cis-women focused on raising awareness and advocating for LGBTQ+ communities through public art. Marking their nine-year journey, the collective’s first solo exhibition at Gallery XXL, “On the Cusp of the Eighth Day,” showcases works by Indian LGBTQ+ artists, celebrating their diverse, intersectional stories and highlighting the societal impact of art and the dialogues it initiates.
2. Christopher Kulendran Thomas — Exhale
Experimenter, Colaba
January 9–February 22, 2025
Berlin-based Christopher Kulendran Thomas, renowned for his exploration of generative AI, presents his inaugural exhibition in India. The show critiques the fluid boundaries between human and machine creativity by transforming AI-generated visuals into expressive human brushstrokes. His paintings delve into Sri Lanka’s colonial history, questioning the notions of individuality and freedom in Europe’s colonial narrative, while exploring identity and image-making in postcolonial South Asia.
3. Parul Gupta — In Praise of Limits
Nature Morte
January 9–February 23, 2025
Parul Gupta’s seemingly simple artworks reveal intricate perceptual experiences over time. Her overlapping lines and layered squares evoke architectural spaces, transforming static exhibition areas into dynamic entities. In “In Praise of Boundaries,” Gupta draws inspiration from minimalist figures like Rachel Whiteread, Robert Irwin, and Nasreen Mohamedi, exploring the poetry of form and space and challenging the limits of perception.
4. Kausik Mukhopadhyay — And I Want To Travel Unseen
Chatterjee & Lal
January 9–February 28, 2025
Indian artist Kausik Mukhopadhyay’s installations, crafted from repurposed electronics and household items, balance whimsy with unease. In his second solo exhibition at Chatterjee & Lal, Mukhopadhyay’s large sculptures resemble ships and watchtowers, commenting on the growing surveillance culture. The exhibition, titled “And I Want To Travel Unseen,” draws from Leonard Cohen’s haunting lyrics in “Suzanne,” reflecting contemporary societal concerns.
5. Atul Dodiya — Radio Ceylon Paintings: Volume 1
Chemould Prescott Road
January 9–February 22, 2025
Atul Dodiya, a chronicler of India’s modern history, presents “Radio Ceylon Paintings: Volume 1,” creating a gallery of India’s past. His canvases feature a plethora of figures from Hindi cinema’s Golden Age (late 1940s–’60s), celebrating a period of significant cultural transformation following India’s independence.
6. Soghra Khurasani — Grounded
TARQ
January 9–February 15, 2025
In her fourth solo exhibition at TARQ, Vadodara-based artist Soghra Khurasani showcases woodcut and etching prints that explore the connection between self and nature. Her works synthesise organic textures such as grass, soil, water, and the human form, emphasising our interconnectedness and rootedness in an increasingly fragmented world.
7. Santiago Giralda — Maps of the Invisible
Galerie Isa
January 9–February 22, 2025
“Maps of the Invisible,” a solo exhibition by Spanish artist Santiago Giralda, will be displayed at Galerie ISA. His four-meter triptych exemplifies his vibrant color palette and texture. Revisiting themes of landscapes in art history, Giralda examines the future of painting in a digitised world, encouraging reflection on the interplay between reality and the virtual, nature, technology, and self.
8. Shailee Mehta — Chants from the Hollow
Chemould CoLab
January 9–February 22, 2025
Created across three cities, Shailee Mehta’s “Chants from the Hollow” captures empathetic encounters where body and land intertwine in tension and beauty. Through delicate gestures, her paintings focus on the female body, exploring themes of self-reflection, care, and collective empowerment through a female perspective.
9. Rana Begum
Jhaveri Contemporary
January 9–February 22, 2025
London-based artist Rana Begum’s solo exhibition at Jhaveri Contemporary features abstract, geometric sculptures and watercolor paintings that investigate the interaction of light, color, form, and space. Notable works include “No. 974” and her Relief Panel series, which offer a meditative exploration of perspective and time.
10. Prajakta Potnis — Where Should the Birds Fly After the Last Sky?
Project 88
January 9–February 28, 2025
Prajakta Potnis’s solo exhibition at Project 88, titled after Mahmoud Darwish’s reflections, explores the eerie aspects of everyday domesticity. Her paintings on slate stone visualise intangible states like trauma through careful interplay of medium, texture, and density, bridging the personal and the external world.
Text by Shalini Passi
Image Courtesy: Gallery XXL, Experimenter, Colaba, Nature Morte, Chatterjee & Lal, Chemould Prescott Road, TARQ, Galerie Isa, Chemould CoLab, Jhaveri Contemporary, Project 88
Find out more about Mumbai Gallery Weekend 2025: