Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre launches visual arts exhibition ‘RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN’
Jul 22, 2023
MUMBAI: The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) launched its second visual arts exhibition, ‘RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN' by TOILETPAPER, which had its India premiere at Art House, the Cultural Centre's dedicated visual arts venue.
The exhibition is the greatest global exhibition to date for TOILETPAPER, an image-only magazine and creative studio launched in 2010 by Italian artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari.
The first-of-its-kind exhibit, curated by Mafalda Millies and Roya Sachs of TRIADIC, signals a departure from linear showcase formats, where art is no longer about one-sided interaction between the exhibit and the visitor, but a vivid exploration of imagination through a deeply immersive experience.
Isha Ambani, daughter of Nita Ambani and the head of Reliance's retail business, said, "As an institution dedicated to showcasing the best of India to the world and presenting the best of the world to India, we are thrilled to bring this fun and quirky show to our country for the very first time. The imagery-laden, surrealist and sensory universe of RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN is both young and playful and pushes the boundaries of art as we know it. While fresh and innovative in its conceptual, often ironic approach, at the heart of this exhibit is the celebration of a curious, exploratory energy that is quintessentially Indian. I am certain that TOILETPAPER'S largest show to date will strike a chord with the younger Indian audience and give them an all new perspective of art that fuels imagination and creative energy."
The guests featured a diverse range of people from across the world, including renowned artists, art critics, gallerists and young art aficionados.
They travelled around Art House's four levels, each inhabited by a differently themed chapter that presents a confusing narrative by blending highly creative photos with a hyperreal and oversaturated visual style. The audience returned with their own unique interpretations of an overarching theme - how slowly one can run in an overdosed contemporary society full of visual stimulation - after interacting with a mixed bag of sensory stimuli such as bright shapes and silhouettes, interactive and auditory elements, and a series of shifting but interconnected narratives.
The exhibit's visuals included a carnival of colours, topsy-turvy perspectives, and eccentric but suggestive installations such as a swimming pool filled with 10,000 bananas, a vintage car, a lounging crocodile, and walls plastered with the recurring imagery of spaghetti - elements that turned every corner into a social media-approved photo opportunity.
The exhibition's larger-than-life vibe continued with a kitschy, retro-themed afterparty complete with drinks named by the artists, a DJ spinning a live vinyl set, and a beautiful Italian buffet.
The visuals at the exhibit included a carnival of colours, topsy-turvy perspectives, and eccentric but suggestive installations such as a swimming pool filled with 10,000 bananas, a vintage car, a lounging crocodile, and walls plastered with the recurring imagery of spaghetti - elements that turned every corner into a social media-approved photo opportunity.
The exhibition's vibe continued with a kitschy, retro-themed afterparty complete with drinks named by the artists, a DJ spinning a live vinyl set, and a beautiful Italian buffet.
The Cultural Centre houses three performing arts venues: the grand 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, the technologically innovative 250-seat Studio Theatre, and the dynamic 125-seat Cube.
