Asian Paints and St+art India Foundation unveiled a one-of-a-kind project, called 'Asian Paints Art House' at the Mumbai Urban Art Festival (MUAF) along with the exclusive preview of ‘Illusions’, the second part of the Sassoon Dock Art Project. The endeavor also witnessed the announcement of ‘Silver Escapade’ as the 2023 Asian Paints Colour of the Year.
As one of the premier creations at MUAF, Asian Paints Art House was designed to represent a node in the ocean. Since Sassoon Dock has a visceral connection to the ocean and is witnessing a new sort of gathering of culture, art, and people, our aim was to design a maelstrom that pulls together currents in the Art House, creating an energy vortex. It was created by Ayaz Basrai from The Busride Studio, using waste, debris, upcycled fabrics, and other bits and pieces found around the dock. The Art House will also consider what a ‘home’ can be, inspired by creative living and modular design which is also created by The Busride Studio. The Art House incorporates the Colour of The Year – Silver Escapade too in very interesting ways.
Sassoon Dock Art Project II - Illusions - between the sea and the city proposes a series of works in a path from darkness to light, a transition from depth to surface. It reflects on some of the complexities of our transactional reality, by proposing alternative, fluid, and expansive views. It is open for public viewing from 13th January to 22nd February 2023.
The opening of the Art House also saw Asian Paints and St+art India Foundation drop 5 NFTs for the first time created by visual artist Amrit Pal Singh in collaboration with artists namely Atia Sen, Neethi, Osheen Siva, Shantanu Hazarika, and ZERO. He has created ‘Toy Faces’ a collection of portraits driven by nostalgia and childlike wonder. Over the last two years, Amrit has created several Toy Faces, and its signature style is like a canvas to him. For MUAF he extended this canvas to five individual artists, resulting in a playful collaboration celebrating various styles and mediums. Some of the NFTs also feature the Asian Paints Colour of The Year 2023 – Silver Escapade.
