Expansive art precinct planned in Navi Mumbai

MUMBAIKharghar, in Navi Mumbai, is poised to get a dedicated art district on approximately 4 hectares of land

MUMBAI

Kharghar, in Navi Mumbai, is poised to get a dedicated art district on approximately 4 hectares of land. To facilitate this, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of India’s ministry of culture, and the state government through the City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) on September 9.

It is envisioned to replicate the art precinct of Fort, in south Mumbai, which has prominent galleries such as the Jehangir Art Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS).

The city’s first NGMA, which operates under the administrative control of the ministry of culture, has been running in Fort since the 1990s. Now, as part of the new expansion plan, a second NGMA will open its doors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The art district will also provide space for private art galleries, a space for auction, art residency, an open-air performance space, a theatre hall to stage dance and music performances, etc.

“This will be the first art district built at this scale in the country,” said Cidco MD Ashwin Mudgal.

“There are many art collections stored away that deserve to be put on permanent display. The NGMA in the new art district will offer space for such an initiative. Even the Lalit Kala Akademi will participate from this hub,” said an official.

“As the new art district is close to the Navi Mumbai International Airport, it will contribute to Navi Mumbai’s economy as well,” said Chaudhari. “The project will be implemented by the union government in collaboration with the state government.”

It will be developed in phases on the given plot of land marked in the 2022 development plan of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.