Mumbai’s Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum has a new exhibition that views maps as more than geographical records. En Route brings together textiles, embroidery, historical research, travel, and cartography to explore how people, knowledge, craft traditions, and ideas move across places. The En Route exhibition at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum is a collaboration between Maria Grazia Chiuri, Karishma Swali, and the Chanakya School of Craft, with curatorial advisory by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta. Running until October 20, 2026, it connects Mumbai’s history with journeys and textile traditions from around the world.
What Is The En Route Mumbai Exhibition?
At its core, En Route explores mapping and discovery, rather than treating maps simply as records of geography, the exhibition uses embroidery, textiles, and cartographic imagery to examine travel, cultural exchange, and the movement of knowledge. The works are displayed across the Kamalnayan Bajaj Special Exhibitions Gallery and Industrial Arts Gallery at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai.
One of the exhibition’s central works was created by Karishma Swali and the Chanakya School of Craft using rare maps from the museum’s collection. Seven layers of cartographic drawings rendered in thread trace Mumbai’s transformation, beginning with Heptanesia, the name associated with the city’s original seven islands, and continuing through reclamation, trade, and the development of its Art Deco seafront.
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How Does En Route Connect Mumbai With The Vatican?
A key part of the En Route exhibition in 2026 comes from works first presented at the Vatican Apostolic Library in 2025. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Karishma Swali were invited to create a site-specific installation for the library’s Jubilee year, developing works in conversation with its historical collections. These pieces are now being displayed in India for the first time. The project draws on the writings of six 19th-century women travelers whose journeys served as a starting point for En Route. Their experiences are interpreted through overlapping cartographic impressions and different embroidery techniques, with individual stitches retracing their journeys. The exhibition also features two globes that showcase embroidery traditions from around the world.
Why Are Textiles and Crafts Central to En Route?
Textiles are much more than decorative elements in En Route Mumbai as the exhibition considers how craft traditions have traveled with merchants, pilgrims, migrants, and artisans, constantly changing through cultural exchange. Maps become surfaces for storytelling, while embroidery provides a tactile way of recording movement, memory, and changing places. The people behind the exhibition bring different creative perspectives to this idea. Maria Grazia Chiuri draws on her experience in fashion and collaborations with artists and craftspeople, while Karishma Swali draws on decades of work with Indian craftsmanship. Swali has led Chanakya International since 2001, while the Mumbai-based Chanakya School of Craft was established in 2016. The exhibition also marks 40 years since Chanakya’s founding.
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When And Where Can You Visit En Route?
The En Route Mumbai exhibition is being presented at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum from September 9 to October 20, 2026. The exhibition occupies the Kamalnayan Bajaj Special Exhibitions Gallery and Industrial Arts Gallery. Visitors should book in advance, as entry may be limited. The museum is open from 10 AM to 5:30 PM and is closed on Wednesdays.
If you are looking for art exhibitions in Mumbai in October 2026, there is only a short window left to visit. En Route is particularly suited to people interested in textiles, embroidery, fashion, maps, travel, or Mumbai’s history. Even without a background in these subjects, the combination of intricate craftsmanship and familiar cartographic imagery makes the exhibition approachable.
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Author’s Note
The information in this article has been sourced from the official press release for En Route issued by the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. It was used to verify the exhibition dates, participating artists, its connection with the Vatican Apostolic Library, and the stories behind the maps, textiles, and embroidery featured in the exhibition.
Summing Up
En Route takes something as familiar as a map and turns it into a way of examining journeys, memory, craftsmanship, and cultural exchange. From Mumbai’s evolution from seven islands to the journeys of 19th-century women travelers, the exhibition brings different histories together through thread and cartography. Among the current Bhau Daji Lad Museum exhibitions, En Route stands out for connecting Mumbai’s local history with wider stories of travel and craftsmanship. If you are planning to visit, the exhibition remains at the museum only until October 20, 2026.
