The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
PIC/Ashish Raje
A new dawn
The Moon casts a halo behind the Statue of Progress above the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on the last night of 2025
Songs from the desert
Members of the Tinariwen group in performance. Pic courtesy/@Tinariwen
There is a desert wind blowing towards the city in 2026. The Grammy Award-winning collective of Tuareg musicians, Tinariwen, will make a return to Indian shores this year. The group will headline the inaugural edition of the India Jazz Project that will be hosted in the city on February 7. The group had last toured India in 2023, and will be part of the three-city tour of the festival stopping by in Delhi and Bengaluru as well. Winners of the 2012 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, the band have influenced world music and will join a number of Indian names that will be part of the debut edition of the festival. Having stopped by in Mumbai during their last tour as well, it seems the group has a soft spot for the shores of the Maximum City.
A city’s history in faces
Portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar, oil on canvas, VB Pathare; (right) MF Husain, Self-Portrait, acrylic on canvas. Pics Courtesy/DAG
The New Year has barely begun, and the city’s art world is already busy at work. Coinciding with the Mumbai Gallery Weekend, DAG will host an exhibition that celebrates the many personalities who shaped its political, cultural, and civic life. Titled Face to Face: A Portrait of a City, the exhibition, opening on January 8, will feature thirty works that reflect the city’s evolving social fabric and artistic landscape from the 19th to the 20th Century.
Portrait of Albert Schweitzer, watercolour on paper, GS Haldankar
From the portrait of Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, India’s first baronet to the definitive image of Dr BR Ambedkar by VB Pathare, the works offer a fascinating insight. The showcase will also include the contributions of Bombay’s Progressive Artists’ Group, including a certain MF Husain. Organised across sections focusing on princely representation, influential figures, the Parsi community, artists’ self-portraits and portraits of common everyday folk, the exhibition strings together the diverse threads of the city’s narrative.
Back to the roots
A performer showcases lavani at a previous edition
All set to experience the folk culture of the state? TyoHaara, a three-day, multi-art, transformational festival, will open in the city from February 13 to 15 at Kamshet. The festival will focus on community building and the interconnection between humans, art, and nature.
An artist conducts a slacklining workshop. Pics Courtesy/@tyohaarafestival
With more than 40 artists performing across multiple genres, alongside eight immersive workshops, community circles, the venue will also have an adventure playground. The festival endeavours to revive the folk culture of Maharashtra by infusing traditional heritage with modern fusion art. The idea is to inspire future generations to discover the region’s rich artistry.
APRE is on the move
It is moving time for APRE Art House. This diarist learned that the Colaba art space is set to move out of Sanghvi House to a new venue. Patrons need not worry though as the gallery will retain its Colaba address, with the new venue located just down the road from its current position. With the Mumbai Gallery Weekend upon us already, gallerist Prerna Jain (left) is now busy wrapping up the final details of the new space. The upgraded gallery space is expected to be ready to welcome visitors in the second week of January; in time for the 2026 art season. It is the right time for a fresh new start, after all.
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