UNDER THE SUN: Doug Aitken’s First Indian Exhibition Illuminates Time, Technology and Craft at NMACC
Doug Aitken’s UNDER THE SUN transforms NMACC into a journey across Past, Present and Future, blending Indian craftsmanship with immersive technology to explore time, connection and the shifting relationship between humanity, nature and the digital world.
The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) presents UNDER THE SUN, the first exhibition in India by acclaimed American multimedia artist and filmmaker Doug Aitken. Spanning three floors of NMACC’s Art House, the show guides visitors through a narrative that moves across the Past, the Present and the Future. It brings together handcrafted sculptures, newly commissioned textiles, a major video installation and a large-scale immersive light work. Together these elements explore how humans experience time and space and how we navigate an increasingly complex world shaped by memory, technology and imagination.
In keeping with NMACC’s mission to foster global artistic exchange, the exhibition is the result of a two-year collaboration between Aitken’s studio and more than a dozen artisans from across India. Materials are locally sourced and the works combine traditional craftsmanship with advanced production techniques.
“The interplay of traditional design and craft with contemporary digital technology reflects the incredible history of creativity and innovation in India,” said Isha Ambani. “We are excited to have provided a forum where Doug and talented artisans from across the country have created new works that will resonate deeply with both Indian and global audiences.”
Curated by Roya Sachs and Mafalda Kahane and produced by Elizabeth Edelman of the international creative house TRIADIC, UNDER THE SUN invites viewers to encounter time as a physical and emotional landscape.
PAST: A Landscape of Raw Materials
The first floor introduces a world shaped by elemental materials. Carved wood, reclaimed debris, woven textiles, embroidery and stained glass form a sculptural environment rooted in India’s craft traditions. At the center spirals a formation of wooden boats surrounded by six monumental human figures. These bodies were created through a combination of robotic milling and extensive hand-finishing and are crafted from logs and reclaimed wood sourced from Gujarat. They appear partially unfinished, yet their proportions match the human body with accuracy. They function like building blocks that represent innovation while preserving a sense of human presence.
Six textiles line the surrounding walls. Each traces the course of a sacred Indian river across the outline of hands, offering a poetic homage to the continued significance of handmade practices in Indian culture. These works combine digitally woven base fabrics with intricate hand-embroidery carried out by artisans at the Mumbai-based Milaaya Embroidery House. Nearly 600 hours of meticulous work and a wide range of stitching techniques contribute to their depth and richness.
PRESENT: A Kaleidoscopic Reflection on Technology
The second floor becomes an environment of mirrored walls and shifting screens through Aitken’s NEW ERA video installation. The work examines the invention of the mobile phone and the story of its creator Martin Cooper. It reflects on how technology shapes communication, identity and human connection. Vast natural landscapes appear alongside the intimacy of handheld devices and create a striking contrast between the organic world and the rapid pace of technological change.
NEW ERA, 2018; Video installation with three channels of video (colour, sound) Three projections, freestanding room, PVC projection screens, mirrors
FUTURE: A Vision of Light and Transformation
The third floor introduces LIGHTFALL / OTHER WORLDS, a new immersive light sculpture commissioned for the exhibition. A luminous orb made of hundreds of suspended LED tubes emits smooth waves of light as it expands and contracts in a continuous rhythm. The sculpture appears both technological and primordial. Visitors are invited to lie down on the rustic wooden flooring, which echoes the materials of the Past, and absorb the shifting light while surrounded by haze and a hypnotic drone soundscape. The orb might be read as a sun, a heartbeat, an atom or even a form of artificial life, encouraging viewers to imagine the possibilities that lie ahead.
“UNDER THE SUN creates a bridge between Indian and Western cultures and forms a dialogue across time and material,” Aitken says. “The pieces are hypnotic and exploratory. Each floor has its own pulse. The physicality of natural materials. The representation of moving images. Pure energy in motion.”
NMACC’s Expanding Cultural Vision
The Art House at NMACC is one of Mumbai’s leading venues for innovative exhibitions and cross-cultural exchange. UNDER THE SUN marks the third Art House exhibition curated by TRIADIC during their residency. It follows LIMINAL GAPS in 2024 and RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN in 2023. Since opening in 2023, NMACC has become a vital cultural hub that connects India’s artistic heritage with global contemporary practice. Its multidisciplinary programming spans performing arts, visual arts, community spaces and public installations and aims to make the arts accessible to all.
Doug Aitken is internationally recognised for his experimental approach to contemporary art. His practice moves across film, photography, sculpture, immersive environments and architectural interventions. He explores hyper-connectivity, modern isolation and the evolving relationship between humans and technology. His work has been presented at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Serpentine Gallery, the Centre Pompidou and institutions around the world.
UNDER THE SUN is currently on view at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai and will continue until 22 February 2026.
