Exhibition Dates: July 22 - October 22, 2023
MUMBAI — July 11, 2023 — The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre presents RUN AS
SLOW AS YOU CAN by TOILETPAPER, an immersive and unique visual art exhibition that
makes its India debut. After the successful opening of the Cultural Centre’s inaugural visual art
exhibit, Sangam/Confluence, this will be the second show presented within their art space.
The exhibition showcases the work of the renowned Italian creative studio and image-based
magazine TOILETPAPER, founded by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari in 2010. This
show is curated by Mafalda Millies and Roya Sachs of TRIADIC and marks TOILETPAPER’s
largest show to date and Cattelan and Ferrari’s debut in India. The exhibition will open at the Art
House – the Cultural Centre’s dedicated visual art space – on Saturday, July 22, and remain on
view through October 22.
TOILETPAPER: RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN presents a captivating, immersive display of
Cattelan and Ferrari's ever-evolving, oversaturated, hyperreal universe, seamlessly blending
commercial photography with a surrealist approach. Inspired by popular culture, the world of
advertising, religious iconography and art history, TOILETPAPER investigates the current
phenomenon of hyper-consumption of images, all with a delicious dose of irony.
Divided into four chapters, the exhibition challenges our existence and engagement in an
increasingly virtual world, where we are constantly bombarded with visual stimuli. The duo uses
photography, design and architecture as tools to bring into question the homes we inhabit, the
objects we own, and the people that surround us.
As the title suggests, the exhibition is both disorienting and seemingly nonsensical, an
intentional nod to the themes that sit at the epicentre of TOILETPAPER’s practice. In an
overdosed contemporary society: how slowly can you run?
The first chapter, "Take a Left, Right?," invites audiences into a visually charged labyrinth.
Desire, repulsion, irony and gluttony collide in a photomontage maze that conveys a playful and
uncanny ambiguity. An environment that at first feels like the kind of manipulations commonly
found in advertising is in fact a compilation of illogical narratives and unexpected juxtapositions.
As visitors gradually navigate their way through, the second chapter, "Is There Room in the
Sky?," delves into the depths of the subconscious. In this optical illusion, the audience's
perception of space and time is warped by the inescapable dream world of a digital meta
skyscape. Things are not quite as they seem, as one gradually notices the bizarre and satirical
sculptures that ‘float in the sky.’
Reality continues to dissolve in the third chapter, "A House Is a Building That People Live In,"
introducing the concept of the "perfect home." However, the idea of a safe space is interrupted
by a sense of strangeness: a home without a roof, household utilities with no function. The
artists subtly tease us to interact with what we soon discover to be artificial perceptions of our
“ideal home.” Eclectic mediums collide in perfect harmony in this explosive and lively
madhouse, which can also be surveilled from the Art House’s fourth floor.
Finally, the culminating chapter, "The Control Room," emerges as the beating heart of
TOILETPAPER. The Lynchian monochromatic space sets a stark contrast to the visually
saturated lower floors and highlights the craft and inspirations of the artists. Sprinkled with
objects, images and works from the studio’s headquarters in Milan, this space is the beginning
and the end, the soul and essence of the artists’ work.
“As an institution dedicated to showcasing the best of India to the world and presenting the best
of the world to India, we are thrilled to bring this fun and quirky show to our country for the very
first time. The imagery-laden, surrealist and sensory universe of RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN
is both young and playful and pushes the boundaries of art as we know it. While fresh and
innovative in its conceptual, often ironic approach, at the heart of this exhibit is the celebration of
a curious, exploratory energy that is quintessentially Indian. I am certain that TOILETPAPER’S
largest show to date will strike a chord with the younger Indian audience and give them an allnew
perspective of art that fuels imagination and creative energy.” - Isha Ambani
As part of the Centre’s aim to make art accessible to all – especially aspiring artists – and
consistent with the previous exhibition, entry to RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN will be free for art
students, children below the age of 7, and senior citizens.
Complementing the exhibition, the Art House will offer an array of visitor programming designed
to inspire creativity and inculcate interest in arts, including family and children's workshops,
weekly salons featuring curated walkthroughs, artist talks, screenings, and more. For the latest
schedule, visit nmacc.com.
RUN AS SLOW AS YOU CAN BY TOILETPAPER is curated by Mafalda Millies and Roya
Sachs, TRIADIC. Executive Production is by Elizabeth Edelman, TRIADIC. Creative Production
is by Antonia Jolles. Exhibition designed by Brigolin Baschera Studio. TOILETPAPER Project
Director by Sebastiano Mastroeni and Account Director by Stefania Biliato.
