Nita Ambani on Her Spectacular New Arts Institution in Mumbai

Portrait of Nita Mukesh Ambani. Courtesy of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC).

In late March 2023, the arrival of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai reverberated across the world. This new multidisciplinary arts center, the first of its kind in India, was founded by philanthropist Nita Mukesh Ambani. With its 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, two more intimate performing arts spaces, the Stage Theatre and the Cube, and the four-story Art House, NMACC promises a robust program spanning visual art, design, theater, and music. At its heart is a clear focus on promoting India’s highly influential artists, while also bringing cutting-edge international artists to Mumbai.

“For me, the NMACC is our collective effort to put India on the world map for arts and culture,” Nita Ambani said in a recent interview. “We have a rich and glorious civilizational legacy that has been carried forward over generations. Our vision for the Cultural Centre is to become home to all artists—from maestros to amateurs, from established to emerging, and from traditional to contemporary. What can be more exciting than seeing the future of Indian arts taking shape in front of our eyes?”

Exterior view of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC).

The ambitious new institution’s three-day opening attracted a dazzling crowd of international celebrities—including Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Zendaya, Penelope Cruz, and Gigi Hadid, among many others—resulting in a cultural moment that quickly swept across Instagram.

That star power was met with an impressive slate of inaugural programming: a performance of “The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation,” created and directed by Indian director Feroz Abbas Khan; the sprawling exhibition “India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textile on the Fashionable Imagination,” curated by Vogue global editor-at-large Hamish Bowles; and last but certainly not least, “Sangam/Confluence,” an exhibition featuring five Indian and five international artists—including Cecily Brown, Anselm Kiefer, Bharti Kher, and Bhupen Khakhar—curated by Indian poet Ranjit Hoskote and gallerist Jeffrey Deitch.

Zendaya and Nita Mukesh Ambani at the launch of “India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textile on the Fashionable Imagination.” Photo by German Larkin.

Rahul Mishra, Hand embroidered “Chintz” slit dress with balloon sleeves. Special Commission for “India in Fashion,” March 2023. Courtesy of Rahul Mishra, Designer.

On July 22nd, NMACC will open its next art exhibition, an unprecedented, immersive new show dedicated to TOILETPAPER, the uncanny, irreverent creative studio and magazine that is the brainchild of Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari.

Ambani is the founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Reliance Industries, India’s largest private sector company, which is led by her husband, Mukesh Ambani. At the helm of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Mukesh Ambani has led initiatives to support arts and culture, as well as healthcare, education, disaster relief, sports, and more. Since 2019, she has been on the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Reliance Foundation has supported the Met since 2016 through exhibitions of Indian art—including the memorable retrospectives of Nasreen Mohamedi and Mrinalini Mukherjee. The latest exhibition that they supported, “Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE–400 CE,” opens at the Met on July 21st.

The Grand Theatre at NMACC. Courtesy of NMACC.

A few weeks after the opening of NMACC, we caught up with Ambani to learn more about her vision for the Centre and the role of contemporary art in this spectacular new institution.

Artsy: What are the gaps in Mumbai’s art scene that you’d like NMACC to fill?

Nita Ambani: I truly want to help create a museumgoing culture in our country. That’s one gap or wish that I hope the NMACC will fulfill. Over the last few weeks since we launched, we have had over 5,000 footfalls daily, on average. It has been a pleasure to see entire families visit our Centre—with the elderly, youngsters, and children—enjoying everything from art to culture, fashion to food, dance to drama, music to costume!

Ensembles by Zandra Rhodes (left and center) and Jean Paul Gaultier (right) in the “Hippie Trail” section of the exhibition “India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textile on the Fashionable Imagination.” Courtesy of NMACC.

We are dedicated to the local contemporary arts and artists of India, not just from our cities like Mumbai, but from the remotest towns and villages. For the first time, they can access completely up-to-date modern staging facilities that are available to leading artists elsewhere in the world.

Our crafts exhibition “Swadesh,” presented by Reliance Foundation, has been so well received by visitors from all over India and around the world. It is a tribute to India’s age-old arts and crafts showcased through immersive demonstrations and displays by our skilled artisans who have been supported by our Foundation for over a decade.

Installation view, background to foreground, works by Anselm Kiefer and Shantibai in “Sangam/Confluence,” at the Art House, NMACC. Photo by Mitsun Soni. Courtesy of NMACC.

Artsy: What role do you see NMACC taking on the global art world stage?

N.A.: When I envisioned an interdisciplinary space like the NMACC, my intent was to not only spotlight India’s vibrant art history, but also offer a global platform to the existing cultural zeitgeist of the country. I believe our opening lineup at the launch reflected our aspirations—to bring the best of the world to India and vice versa.

I also believe the Centre’s uniqueness lies in our programming, where we have leveraged wide-ranging interests to create exhibitions and events that straddle art, design, fashion, music and dance, and these, we hope, will resonate with all audiences, young and old.

“The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation” at NMACC. Courtesy of NMACC.

Artsy: At the center of “Civilisation to Nation,” “India in Fashion,” and “Sangam/Confluence” is a focus on India’s cultural contributions. What inspired you to place India at the heart of NMACC’s opening programming?

N.A.: When we were building this world-class center, one of the approaches that many people recommended was to open with one of the top shows from Broadway. But I was very clear that this is a Centre in India, of India, and by India! It embodies the spirit of New India, and it had to spotlight Indian talent on scale.

Installation view, work by Bharti Kher in “Sangam/Confluence,” at the Art House, NMACC. Photo by Mitsun Soni. Courtesy of NMACC.

Artsy: The United States has seen a number of private museums open to showcase the personal holdings of its founding collectors. What drew you to create a multidisciplinary cultural center instead of a private museum?

N.A.: For us, a multidisciplinary cultural center was important to do justice to the diversity of Indian arts and crafts. At the age of six, I started learning Bharatnatyam, an Indian classical dance form. As a child, my family and I used to visit a temple in Nathdwara in Rajasthan, dedicated to Krishna, where the shrine was filled with paintings made by the worshipers. I would spend hours looking at these paintings and thinking about how much it meant to people to express their devotion through art. This has given me a deep appreciation for all art forms—especially performing and visual arts.

Installation view, work by Lynda Benglis in “Sangam/Confluence,” at the Art House, NMACC. Photo by Mitsun Soni. Courtesy of NMACC.

At our Art House, my daughter Isha wanted to create a space that was open and flexible. It is inspired by the kunsthalle model, where we will have temporary exhibitions ranging from contemporary art to digital art to traditional art without the Art House having a permanent collection.

I do collect art and it has been one of the great joys that I share with Isha, but my journey as an art collector is still evolving—there is still so much to learn and appreciate as I go along. In fact, I was always more of a performing arts person so my journey in visual arts is guided by Isha. I enjoy her modern worldview and global sensibilities.

Having said that, you can see some pieces from our personal collection not only at the “Sangam” and “India in Fashion” exhibitions, but also along the concourses at NMACC.

Installation view, Yayoi Kusama, Clouds (2019), at NMACC. Courtesy of NMACC.

Artsy: How would you describe the importance of accessible, public art to NMACC?

N.A.: When we built the NMACC, we ensured that public art seamlessly integrated with the architecture to create a visually stimulating, unique space that engages the community in conversation.

We have art across the Centre: from Yayoi Kusama’s Clouds (2019), which includes 90 cloud-like, mirrored sculptures representing a cosmological dreamscape; to Jitish Kallat’s Here After Here After Here - 19°03'55.3"N 72°51'59.5"E (2021–22); to N.S. Harsha’s Seekers Paradise (2021), centered around the concept of community; to Subodh Gupta’s especially commissioned floral artwork (2023).

Left to right: Mafalda Millies, Pierpaolo Ferrari, Isha Ambani, Maurizio Cattelan, and Roya Sachs at the opening of TOILETPAPER, “Run As Slow As You Can.” Courtesy of NMACC.

Installation vie, TOILETPAPER, “Run As Slow As You Can” at NMACC. Courtesy of NMACC.

The beauty of art is in the universality of its appeal, and the transformation it enables. What fascinates me about public art is its unifying power and its profound impact even on those who consume art subconsciously. The influence is subliminal, seeding in appreciation and inspiration in an unimposing, free- for-all way.