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The Communiqué News

The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre has opened the visual art exhibition 'RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN'

22 July 2023, Mumbai: The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) debuted its second visual arts show, 'RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN' by TOILETPAPER, which made its India debut at Art House, the Cultural Centre's dedicated visual arts space. TOILET PAPER, an image-only magazine and creative studio founded in 2010 by Italian artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, has had its largest global show to date.

Run as slow as you can

NMACC Official


The one-of-a-kind display, coordinated by TRIADIC's Mafalda Millies and Roya Sachs, marks a change from linear showcase forms, in which art is no longer about one-sided contact between the exhibit and the spectator, but a vivid exploration of imagination through a deeply immersive experience.

"As an institution dedicated to showcasing the best of India to the world and presenting the best of the world to India, we are thrilled to bring this fun and quirky show to our country for the very first time," Isha Ambani, daughter of Nita Ambani and head of Reliance's retail sector, said. RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN be imagery-laden, surrealist, and sensual realm is both fresh and fun, pushing the frontiers of art as we know it. While this display is fresh and inventive in its conceptual, often satirical approach, at its centre is a celebration of a curious, exploring energy that is very Indian." She added, "I am confident that TOILETPAPER'S largest show to date will strike a chord with the younger Indian audience, providing them with an entirely new perspective on art that fuels imagination and creative energy."

Among those in attendance were renowned artists, art critics, gallerists, and young art enthusiasts from throughout the world.

The exhibition will stay at NMACC, Mumbai from 25 July 2023 to 20 August 2023.


Why you should visit?

  • TOILETPAPER's largest exhibition, and their first in India.

  • There are four aesthetically fascinating chapters dispersed across the Art House.

  • Contains archival items from the studio's Milan offices.


The tickets are free for Children, Senior Citizens and Art Students. The general public can buy at Rs. 299 + Taxes from NMACC and BOOKMYSHOW









Nita Ambani Brings Proud for India: MET, USA is About to Witness Indian History Like Never Before!

The exhibition 'Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE-400 CE,' supported by the chairperson of the Reliance Foundation and the creator of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, will be on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) beginning from July 21, 2023, till November 13, 2023.


Swati Bhat

Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE-400 CE

MET official


A special preview of 'Tree & Serpent...' was just organised at The Met. It was attended by Nita Ambani and hosted by Max Hollein, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Marina Kellen French, a connoisseur, and supporter of art in the United States and abroad. The event also drew distinguished guests from the art world and beyond, including Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian Ambassador to the United States, Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India, and John Guy, the Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian and curator of Tree & Serpent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Reliance Foundation and Nita Ambani-backed exhibition 'Tree & Serpent...' brings over 125 artifacts spanning from 200 BCE to 400 CE to The Met. Nita Ambani's communiqué on Art and Event, "I am from India, the land of the Buddha, and it is a great honor for me to support 'Tree & Serpent' through the Reliance Foundation's collaboration with The Met." With approximately 125 pieces from ancient India, this historic exhibition recounts the origins of early Buddhist art from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD. We are extremely proud of the 'Tree & Serpent,' which demonstrates the deep relationship between Buddhism and India. Buddha's teachings are intertwined with Indian ethos and continue to affect global ideas. I hope visitors from all over the world come to enjoy this one-of-a-kind event. We remain dedicated to presenting the best of India to the rest of the world, and the best of the rest of the world to India."

"Buddhism inspired an extraordinarily innovative and beautiful flowering of art in ancient India," remarked Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director of The Met. It is a fantastic honor to present this spectacular show to our global audience, as well as to introduce fresh discoveries from this key period in art history. We would like to thank the Government of India and the six state governments in India, as well as institutions in Europe and the United States, for their generous lending to this groundbreaking exhibition."

"This exhibition presents the story of the origins of Buddhist art through the lens of newly discovered masterpieces from early India," said John Guy, Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at The Met. It depicts the origins of Buddhist art in southern India and situates it within a larger landscape of early Buddhist devotional practice centered on the Buddha and his relics. Buddhist monasteries were places for meditation but also for loud feasts, the air thick with the aroma of new flowers and perfumes. The role of beautiful stories that found expression in the art embellishing the stupa, as well as the lived traditions of early Buddhism, are foregrounded here. This is an exhibition that, like Buddhist prayer, embraces the senses."


Look out for more Art on display:








TMC & IN have Signed an MoU to Revive The "Ancient Stitched Shipbuilding Method" (Tankai Method)

Remarkable attempts by the Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy to resurrect a 2000-year-old shipbuilding technology.


19 July 2023: The Ministry of Culture and the Indian Navy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to resuscitate and maintain the 2000-year-old stitched shipbuilding method' of shipbuilding.

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The MoU signing ceremony on July 18, 2023, was graced by the presence of distinguished individuals such as Shri Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture; Smt. Uma Nanduri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture; Smt. Priyanka Chandra, Director (AKAM), Ministry of Culture; Rear Admiral Shri K.S. Srinivas; and Commodore Shri Sujeet Bakshi, Commander Shri Sandeep Roy from the Indian Navy.

The Indian Navy will oversee the project's implementation and execution. The Indian Navy's cooperation assures flawless project management and adherence to the highest standards of safety and precision as stewards of maritime security and specialists in the sector. Their tremendous experience and technical knowledge will be critical to the successful restoration of the traditional stitching technology and the building of the stitched ship.

Given its historical significance and the preservation of traditional workmanship, the stitched ship has tremendous cultural value in India. India has a long nautical history, and embroidered ships have played an important role in trade, cultural exchange, and exploration. These ships, built by stitching together wooden planks rather than nails, provided flexibility and durability, making them less vulnerable to damage from shoals and sandbars. Despite the entrance of European ships, the practice of stitching ships has survived in a few coastal districts of India, primarily for small local fishing boats.

It is critical to resurrect and revitalise this vanishing art form in order to secure the preservation of its cultural legacy for future generations. The ambition to build an ocean-going wooden stitched sailship employing the old Indian craft of stitching is admirable. The project intends to capitalise on the skills of India's last traditional shipwrights and highlight their remarkable craftsmanship. By sailing along ancient maritime channels using traditional navigating procedures, the study hopes to acquire insight into the historical contacts that permitted the spread of Indian culture, knowledge systems, traditions, technologies, and ideas across the Indian Ocean.

The importance of the interwoven ship project goes beyond its physical structure. It aspires to rekindle marine memories and foster pride in India's rich maritime legacy in its population. It also seeks to promote cultural memories among Indian Ocean littoral countries. A thorough project documenting and cataloging will guarantee that useful information is saved for future reference. This project is not just a one-of-a-kind boat-building endeavor, but it also honors India's vast cultural heritage and historic seafaring traditions.




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