Second Life

After painting,clicking and taping Dharavi’s true colours over a period of three months,the three artists finally decided to show their multi-media exhibition at Dharavi’s 13th Compound,in Mumbai. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the exhibition was that it managed to make use of discarded parts from London-based artist Anish Kapoor’s recent exhibition in the city. Nolan explained,“We were taking a walk through Dharavi when we noticed canisters with red wax and realised they were from Kapoor’s show. We got in touch with him and showed him photos of Dharavi we’d taken. He became keen to contribute to the show.”

The exhibition had an extensive layout. “We took everyone on a tour of Dharavi — there were 14 spots where we put up murals,paintings,photo and video installations,that reflected Dharavi and its people,” said 32-year-old Nolan.The exhibition,a free event for the public,was supported by ACORN India’s Dharavi Project.

In the three months that the trio has been in India,they’ve come to have a deep appreciation and concern for the settlement that they have so lovingly captured in their work. “Dharavi is the ‘face’ of all slums and because of Slumdog Millionaire,it has gained a lot of media attention. However,it is getting increasingly isolated from the very city that it is in the heart of. Through this art initiative we attempted to depict its humanity. We tried to present a different view of Dharavi — the people here are as hard-working and honest as those from the rest of Mumbai,” concluded Nolan.