A game-inspired art trail sprinkled with clues and activities aims to rekindle the city’s love for art and architecture this weekend
Participants at a previous edition in Ranwar Village in Bandra; (right) a child takes notes at the Bombay YMCA
If you catch someone doodling like their life depends on it at an art gallery in SoBo this weekend, give them a pat on the back and cheer them on; they’re possibly racing against time in art educator Anika Goenka’s The Amazing Art Race. Conceptualised with co-founder Madhumita Srivastava, the art gallery-hopping trail returns for the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic with new visual clues, activities, and tasks, tomorrow.
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“As an art educator, I know that the quickest and most efficient way to get someone interested in art is to leave the classroom and head to an art gallery,” Goenka, a Parsons School of Design alumnus shares. To that end, four art galleries and six outdoor spots form part of the upcoming art trail. As for the beginning, that remains a mystery to be solved. “After we gather at the meeting point, participants will receive a written clue coloured in wordplay and rhymes that points them to their first checkpoint,” she reveals.
A mother-child duo observe an installation at CSMVS
For anyone who has ever stood in front of a painting and whispered “I could’ve made that,” the clues and tasks should be a test of their confidence. At a previous race, participants were tasked with making their own zines at art gallery Chatterjee & Lal, and later recreated etchings of the towering statues at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya to work their way through the trail. “Through these activities, the gallery and museum staff also become a part of the experience. Our clues are framed in accordance with the ongoing exhibitions at the galleries. In that sense, no two trails are the same,” the organiser adds.
The art race involves doodling and sketching as part of the tasks; (right) a girl marks lines on a sheet of paper at Malla Park in Bandra to solve a clue during an earlier edition of the race
You can’t possibly walk the streets of Colaba and not talk about its architecture, says Goenka. Ironically, most Mumbaikars have been doing exactly that. “I want the participants to stop and marvel at the intricate Art Deco, Gothic and post-Independence-style structures in Colaba. Our outdoor clues encourage people to interact with these structures and read the signage and texts engraved on them to find the answers. “When Watson’s Hotel [Esplanade Mansion] was in better shape, one of the tasks was to capture a panoramic shot from its rooftop,” Goenka reveals.
If art and its many isms and layered interpretations are a puzzle in the first place for you, you’re not alone. Goenka reassures us you don’t have to be an art connoisseur to win the race. “If you can hold a pen and take notes and doodle, you’re fit for the race. We have hosted parent-child duos, teenagers, working professionals and art students in the past. On most trails, it’s the children who emerged victorious,” she laughs.
Anika Goenka
In the seven years since the last race, the average Mumbaikar’s view of art has evolved, she believes. “There has been an uptick in the interest towards art and museums. Social media and the increased visibility art exhibitions get as a result have played a vital role,” Goenka remarks. To sustain this rising interest, the trail ends with an art appreciation discussion at a popular café in Colaba. While we know where to catch the discussion, we’ll leave you with a clue to rack your brains over: Where the sea meets the city, a gate stands tall. Think of an iconic cartoonist, and you’ll find him on these walls.
AGE GROUP 13 years and above
ON December 14; 10.30 am
AT Colaba (meeting point revealed on registration)
CALL 9820191354 (to register)
ENTRY Rs 1,200 (includes art supplies)
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