Bombay Blue

The intricacies of Mumbai—its contrasts, contradictions and controlled chaos—form the inspiration of artist Manish Nai’s work, realized on a canvas of recycled material.

- Nikhita Mahtani

A first glance at Mumbai-based artist Manish Nai’s three-dimensional artworks, monochromatic colour tones and accessible shapes might lead one to think of his art as fairly simplistic. But upon closer inspection, the complicated designs, original materials and years of engagement it takes him to conceptualize his work paint an entirely different picture. By using recycled materials such as jute, old newspapers, even yellowed library books, Nai envelops a part of his hometown within his exhibitions, even when they’re in places as far-flung as Galerie Karsten Greve in St Moritz and Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago.

This was intentional for Nai, whose close connection to the busy streets of Mumbai informs his work. “Bombay is chaos,” says Nai, referring to the colloquial term most Mumbaikars use for their city. “So my intention is to take that chaos and create something that looks inward.” It’s no surprise, then, that the majority of Nai’s designs are a dark navy—a calming hue that brings to his mind images of the night sky and childhood imagery of doodles scribbled in blue ballpoint pen.