Here are two art shows to explore in Mumbai this week

Nature has been a favourite pastime for Gigi Scaria The artist has been documenting the rapid rise of urbanisation on his travels across the globe ldquoThe crisis has been coming for a long timerdquo he says adding ldquoIt is only in the last two decades that it has evolved into a model where you really donrsquot care about the consequencesrdquo These actions and the potential aftermath find their way into the visuals of Scariarsquos ongoing exhibition Biophilia at Chemould Prescott Gallery this monthNatural ConflictThe effect of rampant urbanisation finds representation in his works as the unstoppable bulldozer running through trees endless infrastructure and caged trees among other visual motifs The curation is not limited to canvas The Keralaborn multidisciplinary artist informs us that it includes sculptures and videos as well Among the four videos on display at the gallery one will include an endless cut of landscapes opening into other landscapes creating a visual illusion It is a take on the avantgarde artist Lucio Fontanarsquos Cuts transformed to video he explainsGigi ScariaAs for his influence of nature Scaria says ldquoRight now it is the most important thing for an artist to address I do not say that art has the bandwidth to influence change on a large scale but if you are a conscious artist and witness things it should reflect in your work It can help provoke likeminded people into generating sensitive art and perhaps conversationrdquoTILL October 14 11 am to 6 pmAT Chemould Prescott Road Queens Mansion Azad Maidan FortForgotten storiesRajendrasing Chaudharirsquos legacy in textile art finds expression with a posthumous exhibitionOn occasion it takes the world time to recognise artists While the late Rajendrasing Chaudhari was a wellknown name among his peers his work in textile and fabrics might still be unknown to the layman With a posthumous exhibition the Colaba space of Chatterjee amp Lal hopes to change thisldquoRajen as he was popularly called was a product of the Sir JJ School of Arts He travelled across India in the late rsquo50s to study textiles and weaving He was also among the first generation of artists to be involved with the National Institute of Design NID and CEPT in Ahmedabadrdquo gallerist and cofounder Mortimer Chatterjee informs usleft An untitled work from the mid rsquo90s Pic courtesyChatterjee amp Lal heirs of Rajen right a weave at the exhibition Pic CourtesyInstagramIn that sense the artist belonged to the generation at the cusp of a confident and modern India ldquoYou need to look back to Rajenrsquos generation where the intersection between design and arts was much more porous His generation of artists were imbued with Western influences but also the legacy of what we call the Bombay Revival Schoolrdquo Chatterjee notesWith the interest in textiles growing among the art community the gallerist remarks that it was as good a time as any to highlight Chaudharirsquos contribution to the field ldquoHe was incredibly active during the 1980s 90s and also the early 200s He did not have a gallery presence per se that is why he was not exhibited much He passed away in 2021 and this is really the first major commercial exhibition in his practice since he passedrdquo Chatterjee addsRajendrasing ChaudhariThe exhibition includes works that trace the 40year career of Chaudharirsquos journey and interactions with textile weaving His works highlight the influence of abstract weaves as well as figurative expression mdash a reminder of the influences from his years at Sir JJ school of Arts Chatterjee tells us The gallerist explains ldquoThe exhibition is an extension of the galleryrsquos efforts to highlight artists emerging from the Sir JJ School in the early to mid20th century and their influences that the school played on artmaking practices in the 20th centuryrdquoTILL October 26 12 pm to 5 pm Tuesday to SaturdayAT Chatterjee amp Lal Kamal Mansion Colaba