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Exhibition traces Mumbai's transformation from seven islands to megacity
An art exhibition in Mumbai explores the city's evolution through centuries of political, economic, and social change, showcasing its layered identity via paintings, photographs, and multimedia.
From islets to urban sprawl
What began as seven separate islands inhabited by Koli fisherfolk has grown into a 20-million-strong metropolis. Colonial planners, Bollywood stars, and textile magnates have all left their mark on Mumbai's landscape, shaping its ever-changing character.
The city's reinvention is evident in its shifting skyline-from fishing villages to bustling ports, textile mills to modern malls-reflecting a constant state of flux.
A visual journey through time
The exhibition, Bombay Framed, curated by DAG art gallery, presents over 100 images spanning three centuries. These works capture Mumbai's diversity, from the opulence of Zoroastrian merchants and cinema icons to the daily lives of its working-class residents.
"The city itself is a kind of artwork-layered, complex, and shaped by countless experiences," says Gyan Prakash, the exhibition's curator.
Defining moments in Mumbai's history
Key transformations reshaped the city's geography and identity. In the 1830s and 1840s, land reclamation merged the seven islets into a single landmass. By the 1860s, the demolition of fort walls paved the way for colonial-era buildings, defining Mumbai's architectural legacy.
The 1920s and 1930s saw the rise of Marine Drive's Art Deco structures, marking a departure from Victorian Gothic styles. Since the 2000s, infrastructure projects like sea bridges and coastal roads have further altered the city's skyline.
Contrasts and contradictions
Mumbai embodies stark extremes-luxury high-rises stand beside slums, chaotic streets contrast with the calm Arabian Sea, and heritage sites coexist with cutting-edge research facilities. This duality makes the city's identity deeply personal, with no two residents experiencing it the same way.
Yet, its soul lies not just in its buildings but in its people. The exhibition highlights the lives of diverse communities, from Parsi philanthropists and Maharashtrian nobility to mill workers and migrant settlers.
Portraits of power and struggle
Early 20th-century commissioned portraits of Parsi elites reflect the community's mercantile influence and social ambitions. In contrast, works by artist Chittaprosad offer a sharp critique of working-class struggles, capturing the city's socioeconomic divides.
Cinema, too, has left an indelible mark. Vintage film posters from the 1950s and 1960s, once plastered across Mumbai's walls, are featured alongside JH Thakkar's iconic studio portraits of stars like Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari, which shaped the public's perception of Bollywood.
The name debate
Officially renamed Mumbai in the mid-1990s to shed its colonial past, the city's older name, Bombay, remains contentious for some. The exhibition's title, Bombay Framed, reflects the historical period of most artworks, though Prakash notes that Marathi speakers have long used "Mumbai."
"The name debate only becomes divisive when politicized. Many remain agnostic, reflecting the city's history of dual identities," Prakash says.
