Doug Aitken’s Debut in India
The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai is hosting a landmark exhibition, “Under The Sun.” This is the first-ever showcase of the internationally renowned American artist and filmmaker Doug Aitken in India. The Triadic (partners Roya Sachs, Mafalda Kahane, and Elizabeth Edelman) tailors the exhibition and is on show at the Art House, NMACC. This grand exhibition is on view from December 6, 2025, to February 22, 2026. It unfolds as a mesmerizing engagement that transcends time and speculates on the future. The exposition is conscientiously placed at the juncture of cinema, sculpture, architecture, sound, and light, challenging the traditional modes of displaying art. Aitken describes this event as “a kind of modern mythology.”
The calibration of this event is colossal. The displayed artefacts are the result of a biennium and a half of coordination across continents and 5 time zones. Each piece, thus, taps into immense philosophical value. Aitken’s work is highly focused on hyper-connectivity, modern isolation, and the evolving relationship between the “natural” and the “virtual.” In Isha Ambani’s words, this exhibition orients itself to NMACC’s aim “to foster global artistic exchange.” This ongoing display is an important link between Indian and Western cultures.
A Contemporary Mythology in Motion
“Under The Sun” is a synchronized view of sculptures, films, and illuminated installations that form the basics of Aitken’s practice. Spread across three floors, the artworks appear sleek and tech-driven from afar; upon closer look, they unveil a highly embodied experience. Aitken’s artefacts move, reflect, and offer a dense sensory disorientation. His key areas of interest lie in the inquiry into how people navigate their individuality amidst a media-saturated environment. This notion gets a boost in the Indian soil, as it is known to coalesce tradition and futurity, coexisting.
A striking feature of the exhibition is the development of specific artworks in collaboration with Indian artists over two years. A beautiful amalgamation is framed using locally sourced materials and Aitken’s global vision.
Key works include NEW ERA (2018), presented as a video installation, and LIGHTFALL / OTHER WORLDS (2025). These installations absorb the viewer into their frame and blur the lines between the observer and the artwork. “Light” is a recurring motif in his art, presented both as a physical entity and a metaphor. Light is the most essential thread that links the exhibits, symbolizing the succession of collapse, renewal, and transformation. Aitken’s art resonates with the post-medium practice and experiential art that have shaped global contemporary art since the late twentieth century. Hitherto, his artworks were discussed in relation to artists like Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell.
A Journey Through Time, Material, and Light
The First floor is transformed into a landscape of handcrafted artefacts encompassing Indian craft traditions with global elements. The materials include raw logs, debris, stained glass, and woven textiles. A colossal sculpture of human figures created through robotic milling and hand-finishing stands tall at its heart. Six textiles embroidered by Mumbai-based Milaaya Embroidery House for 600+ hours surround the human figures. These textiles represent India’s sacred rivers as veins across hands.
The Second floor metamorphoses into a kaleidoscopic environment with Aitken’s video installation, NEW ERA (2018). The chamber is adorned with mirroring walls and shifting scenes. The film features Martin Cooper, the inventor of the mobile phone. This display aims to convey the evolving relationship of humans and nature amidst the hyper-digital age. It also showcases the tension between global connection and personal isolation. The mirrored architecture fragments the viewer, making them a part of the accelerated, reflective circuits of the image machine.
The Third floor is the final culmination presented through LIGHTFALL/ OTHER WORLDS. This installation is utterly luminous with hundreds of suspended LED tubes adorning it. It represents something booming. It states the fact that both an atom and an AI consciousness are flickers of life. Both of them are considered pure energy in motion that alters the modes of perception.
The Exhibition At a Glance
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Exhibition Title | ‘Under The Sun’ (Doug Aitken’s first India exhibition) |
| Venue & Dates | Art House, NMACC; December 6, 2025 – February 22, 2026 |
| Curatorial Team | TRIADIC (Roya Sachs, Mafalda Kahane, Elizabeth Edelman) |
| Core Theme | A three-part journey through Past, Present, and Future. |
| Mediums | Film, light, sculpture, immersive installations |
| Special Feature | Site-specific works with Indian artisans |
| Collaboration | Two-year effort involving over a dozen Indian artisans using locally sourced materials (Gujarat wood, Mumbai-based embroidery). |
| Key Installation | NEW ERA (Video installation on the second floor); LIGHTFALL / OTHER WORLDS (Immersive light sculpture on the third floor). |
| Entry | Free for senior citizens, children under 7, and fine arts/media students |
Key Highlights
- First-ever solo exhibition of Doug Aitken in India
- Three-floor immersive installation integrating film, light, and sculpture
- The linear journey across Past, Present, and Future provides a rare structure that frames the individual art pieces within a larger, philosophical ‘novel’ on human existence and time
- New commissions developed with Indian artisans using local materials
- This conscious choice by Aitken ensures the work avoids “awkward colonisation,” weaving local craft into a global vision
- Major works including NEW ERA and LIGHTFALL / OTHER WORLDS
- The use of the mobile phone’s inventor in NEW ERA grounds the abstract concepts of technology and connectivity in a tangible human story, enhancing the work’s emotional resonance
- Curatorial focus on time, mythology, and sensory experience
- Strong alignment with global new media and experiential art practices
Takeaway
Under the Sun is a beautifully sequentialized encounter that demands time and attention. It is a pivotal show for both NMACC and Mumbai. It is not only a masterful display of a plethora of themes, but with every passing artefact or visual representation, the exhibits turn highly emotionally resonant. Most interestingly, Aitken’s use of light and mirrored environments serves a higher purpose. He employs these media to reflect on the viewer.
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Moreover, the significance of this exhibition lies in the localization of source materials. By doing so, it committed to Indian craftsmanship. It elevated the local materials to a global platform and made it worthy of an international showcase. It suggests that it is possible to imagine the future even while staying rooted in one’s tradition. Judging on a prudential scale, this exhibition has set a benchmark for future large-scale exhibitions in India.
This show is a must-see, not just for art enthusiasts, but for anyone seeking a refuge space to process the hyper-speed reality of modern life in a city like Mumbai.
