Upcoming Event: Informal Cities

Informal Cities is an art exhibition and seminar series spearheaded by a group of professional artists and architects at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm, and organized in collaboration with Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC).  The exhibition and symposium will investigate urban growth, especially as manifested in the informal "cities" of the poor in growing, global metropoli.  First held in Stockholm in 2008, the exhibition will come to Mumbai between 30th October and 8th November at the Coomaraswamy Hall of the Chhatrapati Shibaji Maharj Vastu Sangrahalay (Prince of Wales Museum).

The exhibition will showcase works by internationally renowned artists Francesco Jodice, Stefan Canham and Rufina Wu.  The exhibition tells stories of the people from the informal cities of Kibera in Nairobi and Dharavi in Mumbai, as well as slums in Hong Kong and Sao Paolo.  As part of the week-long exhibition, two panel discussions are also planned, the first looking at "Ethics, Responsibility and Communication" as they pertain to professionals approaching work in informal cities, and the second focusing on Dharavi, with participation from the residents of Mumbai's largest slum.

The exhibition also marks the formal release of the book Dharavi: Documenting Informalities, a collaborative effort between the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm, SPARC, and the people of Dharavi.  The book release will coincide with the exhibit opening on 31st October.  Both the book and the event situate Mumbai in the larger process of global development from the perspective of the translators: film-makers, artists, architects, and journalists.

Entry to the exhibition is free of charge.  Advance registration is required for the seminars and panel discussions: please contact informalcitiesmumbai@gmail.com