Colour me cultured Birla Opus paints Art Mumbai in bold new shades

MUMBAI: Art met its match in colour this year and Birla Opus Paints made sure Mumbai could feel it. For the second year running, Birla Opus Paints, under Aditya Birla Group’s Grasim Industries, returned as the presenting partner for Art Mumbai 2025, held from 13–16 November at the city’s iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse. With 82 exhibitors, nearly 2,000 artworks, and a buzzing Sculpture Park celebrating pioneering women artists, this edition cemented the fair’s growing reputation as both a cultural landmark and a contemporary movement.

Birla Opus doubled down on its mission to spark artistic conversations through colour, debuting fresh, immersive activations across the fairgrounds. Leading the way was the Birla Opus Lounge, home to Chromatic Conversations, an exploration of how colour shapes human emotion and perception. Designed by Divya Thakur, the space used red, blue, and yellow to represent body, mind and spirit, turning geometric architecture into a contemplative journey between the seen and the felt.

Beyond curated calm, Birla Opus brought creative chaos too. Under the banner #WallsThatWitnessArt, the brand reimagined walls not as dividers but as open invitations, nudging visitors to express themselves freely. The centrepiece? A show-stopping, 50-foot canvas wall, adorned with outlines of Mumbai’s landmarks, where visitors grabbed Birla Opus Aero spray cans and added their own strokes, scribbles and stories.

What emerged by the final day wasn’t just public art, it was a crowd-sourced heartbeat, a mural shaped by instinct, impulse and Mumbai’s collective rhythm.

Among the fair’s most Instagrammed spots were two Birla Opus installations:

. The Living Canvas, where attendees stepped into iconic artworks, blurring the line between viewer and subject

. Currently Under Interpretation, a mirror column urging visitors to reflect on their constantly evolving selves

Both pieces turned art appreciation into a physical, playful and introspective experience.

“The partnership reflects our belief that colour is a catalyst for creation, a medium for storytelling, and a foundation for community,” said Birla Opus Paints head of consumer experience Srikanth SK. He credited the fair’s energy from the lounge to the interactive wall with showcasing how deeply paint can shape artistic imagination.

With a wider footprint, richer programming and a visibly more vibrant crowd, Art Mumbai 2025 strengthened its role as a bridge between heritage and contemporary artistic practice. For Birla Opus Paints, the partnership signals a long-term investment in cultural dialogue, creative exploration, and craft that goes beyond commerce.

As the final brushstrokes faded and the crowds thinned, one thing was clear: this year, Mumbai didn’t just admire art, it coloured it, lived it, and left its mark on it.