Make-Shift Mumbai

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Getting Mumbaikars to make a long-term commitment is difficult. And who can blame them? With so many new things to do in the city each day, monogamy seems too cruel a rule. It’s no surprise then, that everything from stores to restaurants are playing the pop-up card.

High Browse

The newest venture catering to the cultural commitment-phobes is LaVA (Laboratory of Visual Arts), brainchild of celebrated artist and curator Bose Krishnamachari. At first, this temporary library seems like quite a departure for an artist best known for his psychedelic, mind-bending canvases. But look closely, and you’ll see reflections of his saturated hues and linear forms in the boxy bookshelves he designed for this project; the eclectic nature of his art, which covers everything from a symbolic swirl of colour to a solemn man in a Gandhi cap, is echoed in the wide range of materials present.

And a wide range it is, with over 5,000 books and 2,000 DVDs and CDs on art, cinema, architecture, design, fashion, cultural studies and philosophy. Available for browsing but not borrowing, these are the best short-term benefits in the city. Pay special attention to treasures from Krishnamachari’s personal collection, including works by Ed Roche, Damien Hirst, and the King of Pop-Art himself, Andy Warhol.

Canvassing for Art

Part of a celebration to commemorate Krishnamachari’s 20 years in the art world, the LaVA project, which opens at Gallery BMB today, has culled visual art practices from museums, institutions, galleries, shops and streets of global art capitals. With this library, first conceived in 2006, Krishnamachari tries to offer budding artists and lay people a deeper insight into the different and constantly shifting avenues of art. He calls it “a growing work in progress” – much like our fair city.

Getting there: Gallery BMB, Queens Mansion, ground floor, GT Marg, Fort, call 22000061. On until January 29, 2010.

A Tale of Two Cities

And nothing showcases Mumbai as a work in progress better than Bombay Then Mumbai Now, a new coffee table book written by Jim Masselos and Naresh Fernandes that launches today. Divided neatly into two sections celebrating the past and pondering the present, the book is almost eerily schizophrenic, similar to, some may argue, its subject matter.

One side of the book cover is sepia toned and wistfully vintage, the other bright-eyed and contemporary. Both sections feature some great photos, although the fisher folk, over-crowded locals and sweeping sea-link in the “Mumbai Now” have all been done before. The real gems lie in the “Bombay Then” segment, where the city looks like little more than a small seaside town. Photos from the latter part of the 1800s, which show the construction of Mumbai University and Rajabhai Clocktower, and a view of the Mahalaxmi Temple watching over a few low roofs, are particularly spectacular.

Getting there: Available at Crosswords, Rs 2,975.