Get ready for Art Night Thursday!

Artists, and Art Enthusiasts and Art Lovers, It’s that time of the month, the first Thursday!

It’s time to get ready for Art Night Thursday!

‘Art Night Thursday’ is over a decade long tradition that stemmed from the idea of expanding the outreach of the art galleries in the Mumbai’s Art District to a larger number of art lovers. The concept of ‘Art Night Thursday’ in Mumbai is said to have been inspired from similar initiatives in London, known as ‘Art Night’ or ‘Thursday Late’ wherein art galleries and museums offer an extended viewing opportunity along with opportunities to interact with art community.

In Mumbai, the concept took shape when ‘Mumbai Gallery Weekend’ (MGW) started in 2012 as a collaborative initiative amongst contemporary art galleries in Mumbai. It is an endeavor to bring together potential art collectors and enthusiasts to broaden the reach and relevance of contemporary art.

Art Night Thursday is a simple solution. The timings of the art galleries are extended upto 9 pm on the first Thursday of every month, instead of the regular 5 or 6 pm. A curated list is made available, for people to plan their evening walk around. Most galleries being in the vicinity, art lovers can plan and visit many galleries in the same evening. It’s like a physical version of binge watching your favourite OTT content on weekends, which most of us seem to have accepted into our lifestyle.

The idea suits Mumbai very well, given the peculiarities of city’s lifestyle and work pattern. Most art galleries in Mumbai are in and around southern part of the city which is also the area where many of the offices are located. However, most office goers miss the joy of visiting the art exhibitions on weekdays as their office hours coincide that of the art galleries. Moreover, commuting on weekends specially for visiting art exhibitions may be a burden for many, who already spend half their life in daily commute. Nonetheless, the idea serves well for all art lovers.

As of now, MGW’s list has whopping 33 contemporary art galleries under this initiative. Clearly, one long evening is just not enough! To ease out the pressure of selection, MGW provides a listing which one can use to zero in on the shows of your choice. In addition, MGW organizes pre-announced guided walk-throughs occasionally. There is even an opportunity to interact with the artists, representing their exhibitions.

The entire experience would also serve to connect with art as well as with like minded people and art lovers, which would strengthen the art community. This would encourage citizens to be more involved with art, educate themselves about art, and perhaps even to find their passion.

Tomorrow on 8^th June, 2023, being the Art Night Thursday of the month, here is a plentiful platter you could plan your Art night for.

All interested art lovers can plan their visits based on the exhibitions which they find interesting.

They can then short-list the galleries by referring to the Programming guide provided by MGW and plan their walk-through.

For full Programming Guide, refer to https://www.instagram.com/mumbaigalleryweekend/

For further information, refer to www.mumbaigalleryweekend.com

Vineel Bhurke