Mumbai’s Sassoon Docks turns into an open air art gallery

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Mumbai Port Authority, St+art India Foundation unveils an Art House at iconic Sassoon Docks

This month, Mumbai is festooned with a fresh coat of colour, as it embraces buildings, scaffolding, tree trunks and walls. Continuing the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Mumbai Port Authority, the Mumbai Urban Art Festival (MUAF) has literally painted the town red, and also white, yellow, and green.

MUAF at the Sassoon docks is an art project that started in 2017 to revive the historic heritage of the 142-year-old docks. That year St+art India foundation, in association with Asian Paints and 30 artists from around the world gave the dock—home and lives of the Koli community, a complete makeover.

Like every year this year too the art project was about conservation and telling stories of the sea and its people. This year St+art India foundation and Asian Paints with its motto ‘Art for all’ also decided not to restrict art to the dock alone. Contemporary artist, artistic director of St+art India foundation Hanif Kureshi says “we want to reclaim the streets to create art for all. Everyone should be able to enjoy art in their everyday life. Which is why many artists, in fact anyone who feels like expressing themselves through art have joined us in paintings walls and streets of Mumbai.”  

The festival — an initiative of Asian Paints and St+art India Foundation — includes the recent launch of the Asian Paints Art House at iconic Sassoon Docks. It houses three installations: one by artist Steve Messam (from the UK) and two more by Ayaz Basrai (Busride studio) from Pune.

Sassoon Docks is one of the oldest dock in Mumbai. It was built in 1875 by Sir Albert Abdulla David Sassoon, a Jewish merchant. It was Western India’s first ‘wet’ dock–one where ships can sail in regardless of the tide. Walking into this area is like stepping in a huge fish wholesale market. .

Energy from debris

The Art House stands at the entrance of Sassoon Docks. On the first floor conical structures jut six metres out of the building. The installation is made with inflatable textiles, explains Steve, adding that he is demonstrating how air can air be a medium of art by spreading the material sideways. Steve uses the same material used bouncy castles to create his fabric art sculpture.