A muse to legions of artists, Mumbai has been a canvas since time immemorial. From architects to auteurs, artists have made the city the central theme of their countless narratives. And today as the notion of art undergoes radical changes, artists are reclaiming the public spaces, once again. Creating art on the streets and walls of Mumbai, these artists gracefully tinker with the city's fast-paced identity, making art that perpetuates inclusivity and freedom.

Artists and curators, both use the city's landmarks as a stage. With art festivals that spill on to the roads, installations which adorn odd corners of the city and street art that line the pavements of Mumbai, the city is now home to accessible art. Capitalizing on the dearth of spaces and the diverse history of the city, these are some of the art movements that have caught our greater attention.

1. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

Spread across the fort area of Mumbai's Kala Ghoda district, this 20-year-old festival celebrates the open spaces of South Mumbai, along with its historic landmarks. The festival typically features an array of open-air art installations that centres around the famous Kala Ghoda statue. The association hosts several heritage walks that take patrons through old lanes, offering them a glimpse of Mumbai's colonial past, as well as her oldest dockyard. The festival also organizes events that are scattered across various landmarks, such as the David Sassoon Library, the Asiatic Society library and the Max Mueller Bhavan.

2. The Elephanta Festival

In a bid to boost tourism at this UNESCO world heritage site, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation organizes the Elephanta Festival in February, every year. The festival sees the whole island transform into an auditorium, as artists perform against the backdrop of the old sculptured panels on the walls of the caves.

3. The Sassoon Dock Art Project

An initiative of the St+Art India, with the tagline 'Art for all', the Sassoon Dock Art Project is a collaboration between about 40 independent artists that used the Dockyard campus as a canvas, creating art installations, photo series and graffiti to capture the life of the local Koli and Banjara communities. The project that pans across the docks makes great use of the landscape and the view, to help their cause.

4. The Celebrate Bandra Project

Making its way from the southern tip of the city, the open art movement seeps into the suburbs as well. The Celebrate Bandra festival is a biennial cultural celebration that showcases the life and essence of Bandra. A varied collection of walks and tours are offered to the festival patrons, taking them to the quintessential Bandra localities, through small fishing villages and graffitied lanes. The festival also puts together events that make use of the neighbourhood's iconic landmarks, like the Bandra Fort, Carter Road Promenade, and the Mount Mary Church.

While these are some of our choice-picks, Mumbai is blossoming with other art movements, just like these. The congregation of the city's landscape and her art is perhaps the grandest celebration of India's world city. Not only does it infuse a sense of relief in Mumbai's bustling life, it also raises the city's livability quotient. After all, who wouldn't want a home, that overlooks an expanse of art, that resonates with the spirit of Mumbai?