ART MUMBAI has evolved into a cornerstone of not only the Indian art world, but Mumbai city life as well. We sat down with Udita, our Head of Communications, to talk about the significance of Mumbai as a home to the fair, how ART MUMBAI has evolved into becoming a space for community and connection, as well as art, and her tips and tricks on how to best experience the fair.

Hi. I'm very excited about this because you have known about ART MUMBAI since before it started. So my first question to you is: four years in, is ART MUMBAI what you thought it would be?

Udita: No, four years in, ART MUMBAI is not what I thought it would be—it is so much more. What seemed like a little vision and a little passion project has grown into something that the city really looks forward to. Actually, people from around the world and definitely from around the country really look forward to ART MUMBAI. I've felt in the last 12 months in particular that the amplification and resonance of the event has really grown. That's kudos to the entire team, but also very much to the people of Bombay who really rally and who are starved for wonderful outdoor events. It's also a marriage of so many fantastic aspects of this city: art is historically embedded in the history of Mumbai, and it's an outdoor venue. It's at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which feels quite central and has something for everyone.

You mentioned the location, which is so essential to what makes ART MUMBAI special. Can you tell us where ART MUMBAI takes place and what it means to be in that space?

Udita: ART MUMBAI has a home at the Mahalakshmi Racecourse, which has the sea view on one side at a higher level and bustling central Bombay on the other. With the coastal road and the changing landscape of the city, it enjoys a very interesting perspective—you see modern high-rises on one side, Hajiali Mosque at a distance, and just as the fair has modern and contemporary art, the location gives a sense of Bombay as a confluence of the contemporary, the modern, and the colonial. The Mahalakshmi Racecourse is a historical 19th-century venue, one of the last really green spaces we have, and a classic space where people come for concerts and events. ART MUMBAI is another addition to that thriving ecosystem.

As a Bombay girl, did you ever think that the Mahalaxmi Racecourse would host something like an international art fair of this scale?

Udita: No, actually, because growing up it was two things to us: the racecourse for horse racing, and the place where everybody went for evening walks except during the monsoon. It had that grown-up aspect of horse racing alongside a very democratic, egalitarian aspect of evening walks. I never thought it would host an international art fair of this scale.

For someone coming for the first time, what is the best way to approach attending ART MUMBAI?

Udita: On foot, with comfortable shoes! The best way to approach it is to give yourself time, because there is a lot and you won't want to miss any of it. Plan a little bit and think about what you want to see, but don't expect to see everything on your very first visit. Give yourself space to take a breath, see some art, sit at a food stall, have a drink at a coffee setup, or walk through the retail space. Sit under a tree and look at sculptures from a distance—and 100% you'll bump into at least 10 people you love and haven't met for ages. It turns into a social gathering, so keep two days aside.

Have you had the experience of getting to ART MUMBAI and running into people you haven't seen for a long time?

Udita: Every time! I see people I haven't seen for a long time or forgotten existed, and now there are people I expect to see once a year. The ART MUMBAI team has our space within the fair, and visitors know to look out for us. One year I saw so many people in a concentrated period that I was dizzy and saying hello to people who told me, "I just met you 5 minutes ago!"

As you said, ART MUMBAI is ‘so much more’. Why is it important that we prioritize non-art elements of the experience?

Udita: Our manifesto from the get-go has been that we are much more than an art fair—we are about capturing the cultural pulse of the city and bringing together elements that make Mumbai what it is. That is why we have fashion, film, food, music, retail, culture, talks, and activities for children. Just as art lives in your home as a living, breathing thing around which daily life happens, the art fair is a space where life happens around the art.

Two final questions: what should people expect at ART MUMBAI 2026?

Udita: Expect to want to start your art collection if you haven't already done so—come with your checkbook!

And what's your favorite ART MUMBAI memory so far?

Udita: My favorite memory every year is seeing the absolute delight on the faces of people who are overwhelmed by what they see and just so happy. It's the appreciation for a day well spent. For all of us who work at it, all the exhaustion, toil, heartbreak, and firefighting just evaporate in that moment.

Thank you so much for talking to us.

Experience the Magic of the Fair at ART MUMBAI 2026. Tickets Are Live on District Now