An exclusive tour of the Jaya He museum, at Mumbai’s Terminal 2, India’s largest art project
In 1967, Guy Debord, a Marxist theorist, writer and film-maker, wrote a book titled The Society Of The Spectacle. Developing the concept of the spectacle, Debord traced the evolution of modern society, showing how authentic social life had been replaced by its representation.
That premise can be one metaphor for India’s largest art project, the Jaya He museum at Terminal 2 (T2) of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. It is an extraordinary creative and commercial collaboration between Rajeev Sethi, one of Asia’s leading design gurus, and the vice-chairman of GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd, G.V. Sanjay Reddy. GVK runs the T2.
The only such trans-disciplinary, multi-arts space involving the work of 1,200 artists of different persuasions and regions, and curated by Sethi, Jaya He is a scenography exhibit. It has been mounted all over T2, from stand-alone artefacts, some dating back to the 11th century, to new artworks and huge installations (some on walls as high as 18ft) with architectural elements.
The first leg of this museum, which took more than six years to create, was opened to travellers in January last year. The remaining two levels will be opened gradually, starting this month.
Sethi, who gave us a personally guided tour of the museum, calls it an assimilation of “layered and seamless narratives”.
....
“Representation” has been an enduring term in Sethi’s decades-long work with design. A globally acclaimed scenographer, 66-year-old Sethi’s seminal career includes associations with a range of South Asian artists, Washington’s Smithsonian Institution museums and the role of World Bank’s prime mentor (2000-04) for the development of crafts and design industries in developing countries.