The coastal city of Mumbai has transformed much over the years, with chawls making way for skyscrapers and fishing communities receding to the background as sprawling corporate offices and big businesses made their presence felt.
In his attempt to depict the city of dreams, artist Siddharth Somaiya decided to hark back to one of its earliest inhabitants, the Koli fishing community that shaped Mumbai’s earliest harbours and coastline. Installed at the late Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk in Worli, the sea-facing work ‘Life Vest Under Our Seat’ is almost 12.15 metres wide and showcases two boats, one filled with fish and the other with a seated Koli fisherman. Made of clay and cast in fiberglass, the fisherman has been painted in vibrant acrylic colours.
The sculpture was unveiled in December 2020 by the then environment minister Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray at Worli Sea Face road. Located in the heart of the city, yet close to the shoreline, Worli was originally occupied by fishermen. The text accompanying the work reads, “Generations down the line, their sons and daughters are still making their living off of the waters, performing the same job of their lineage but with technology in hand.”
Somaiya, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Chicago, asks, “Can the notion of “modernity” be challenged? Can it flourish while preserving the past? For our young Koli, his boat represents everything that was and everything that can be built, as he sits at the edge of contemplation, as he hears echoes from the past but also sees the promise that the future holds.”
“The beautiful catch represents the past and the future, what was and what can be. I have brightly coloured our Koli to draw attention to them, their lives and to give them the importance they deserve for shaping our beautiful city,” he expounds.
“As fishing villages transform into urban settlements, one has to ponder about tomorrow’s world. ‘Life Vest Under Our Seat’ endeavours us to reach out and find a solution, while it is still within reach. It is now our turn to join our Koll community, ponder and rethink our choices and actions for our beloved Mumbai,” Somaiya adds. The sculpture is a gift from the JSW Group to the city of Mumbai and was commissioned by Sangita Jindal, chairperson of JSW Foundation. “Art offers hope and solace. As we get back on our feet after the corona onslaught, it was a pleasure to gift it to our great city of Mumbai. Siddharth believes in bringing art closer to the people, making art accessible to the common man and woman,” Jindal says.
Somaiya enjoys making hyper-local works of art and has showcased his pieces in New York, Chicago and Mumbai. The street art in Worli is one of the first and permanent public art works that he has created. The artist, who does not like his work to remain behind ropes or chains, says, “For me, the most important element is when people can come close, touch and feel my work so they can connect with it at a deeper level. I am thankful to the JSW Group and the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) that has allowed me this opportunity to share this piece of work with the city.”