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Illustrating The City Of Dreams

Updated: May 16, 2020

'Living in Mumbai' by artist Derek Dsouza:

'Living In Mumbai’ is an ongoing series of illustrations that aims to encapsulate the beauty of Mumbai’s suburban life in all it’s honesty.


Having just moved here early last year, the landscape served to be a shock; physically and mentally. The City in itself seemed to be a living breathing that never seized to rest; From the roadside vendors of 'Chai' and 'Vadas' at sunrise, to the morning 'Omlette Pav' stalls and vegetable sellers, to afternoon cafes that stretched in between lanes of houses, offices and shops; filled with people of all ages and races, to the evening trains that slowly lumbered against the sun that set upon the clubs that danced till it was seen again and every single soul in between.

Picture courtesy: Derek Dsouza

The series reflects upon the daily lives of the people; representing the captured moments with unusual hues of colors. Being an outsider to the city, the everyday life in itself served to be an immense source of inspiration and wonder. While the objects within the paintings are still true to reality, the tones have been altered in order to serve as a newer lens to the viewer.

Picture courtesy: Derek Dsouza

Many a times we walk across a beautiful scene without stopping to notice it; we tend to not recognize the beauty in normality until they are displayed through a different lens. The colors used here aim to contrast the dull shades of greys, browns and greens around by replacing them with vibrant shades of pinks and blues.

Picture courtesy: Derek Dsouza

Perhaps by looking at these works, the viewer will start seeing the life around in this city with a newer light and a different focus. Although, while the paintings are created through the view of a relative newcomer, they are created to strum along the strings of nostalgia; where most people would be able to relate immediately to seeing - a multitude of cats around, or cracked building sides with plaster, or water tanks and mobile signal towers on top of blue roof sheets, or the a suburban train filled with people and so much more.

Picture courtesy: Derek Dsouza

Along with these vibrant illustrations, ‘Bombay Rains’ is a sub series of paintings that aim to capture the city in it’s most referred to season, The Monsoon. These paintings look towards the thought of the relentless rains through a variety of views; from a young kid making paper boats, to office going crowd stuck in traffic, to roadside vegetable vendors,to even auto rickshaw drivers as their heed to their increased demand and much more.


Artist: Derek Dsouza

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Category: Illustrations



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