A white elephant is not quite what you expect when you enter an art fair. But Art Mumbai is different. Bringing together the worlds of art and fashion is ‘Rani,’ a sculptural work by fashion designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla of a monumental pachyderm with mirror work and disco balls. It also served as a backdrop for ‘Disco Inferno,’ the fashion show by the duo on the fair’s opening night on Thursday.Nearby, an exhibition mounted by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) titled ‘Voices from the Earth,’ is curated by Dr. Preeti Bahadur. For lovers of Indian folk art, this exhibition of women artists working with vernacular traditions is a treat. Bookending the show are tributes to Ganga Devi, the Mithila painter and Sona Bai Rajwar, a sculptor from Sarguja. The exhibition highlights an important moment of transition when ritual practices moved from the walls and floors of village homes to paper and canvas. On the outer walls of the exhibition space women artists were working together on a Warli painting, offering visual insights into their practice.Warli tribal art. Photo: Mary Menezes.The fourth edition of Art Mumbai, open till November 15, has certainly grown bigger than ever before with 94 exhibitors comprising 73 Indian and 21 international galleries. Big buyers have been coming in and discreetly picking up works, while there are works available for new entrants into the art market. The annual art fair is pulling crowds and more are expected this weekend.While Lisson Gallery and Galleria Continua, both with spaces in many international locations, were returning to the fair, UK-based Richard Saltoun Gallery was making its debut in India. Lisson Gallery had a strong showing with Hiroshi Sugimoto’s ‘Opticks 606’, sculptor Tony Cragg’s ‘Masks’ and Anish Kapoor’s reflective orbs ‘Purple and Wild Cherry mix to Pagan and Lime Gold mix.’Some Indian galleries, for instance Pristine Contemporary, are showing international artists as well, among others Belgian artist Saskia Pintelon. The fair offers a chance to see new works by established artists, for instance, Atul Dodiya’s paintings ‘Saint George (with bicycle)’ and ‘Saint Sebastian (with bicycle),’ Jitish Kallat’s ‘Moon Treaty’ and Subodh Gupta’s ‘Beetle.’ The fair also provides a platform for new and lesser known talent.Saskia Pintelon at Pristine Contemporary. Photo: Mary Menezes.Political statements were made by Nikhil Chopra in his drawing at Continua titled ‘Gedankenfreiheit (self portrait) as the fallen dictator.’ Vivek Vilasini’s large urn at Sakshi Gallery, which had ‘Peace be upon you’ written in Hebrew and Arabic on either side of the vessel points to shared histories and culture.Lakeeren Contemporary boasts a curated booth titled ‘Radical Matter’ exploring the use of material in works by among others Shambhavi and K.G. Subramanyan. ‘Memory and Material’ was the topic of this year’s sculpture park. Works by 13 artists including Aaditi Joshi, Sumakshi Singh, Satish Gujral and Teja Gavankar pepper the fairgrounds.Geetha Mehra of Sakshi with a work by Vivek Vilasini. Photo: Meera Menezes.Business has been brisk with many booths selling a large part of their collections within the first two days. Renu Modi of Gallery Espace said, “This edition of Art Mumbai has been the best ever in terms of the organisation, design of the fair and the institutions involved.” It is an opinion echoed by Priyanka Raja from Experimenter who said, “ The whole point of doing fairs is forging fresh relationships, which we have had.”The Moderns have a strong showing in Hanger A with a large-scale M. F. Husain at Volte’s booth. There is a special curated section resembling the rooms of a home titled ‘Zarina Hashmi: Home, Border and Memory.’ A luminous Gaitonde, among other modern Indian artists, was a treat to behold in the Arches at The Dabriwala Foundation for the Arts.Photography takes its place in the limelight in this edition. A portrait of Gaitonde could be spotted in a project showcasing Richard Bartholomew’s black-and-white photographs, which included artists such as Husain and Bal Chhabda. The Chennai Photo Biennale in collaboration with WWF-India has a showcase titled ‘In Dialogue with Nature,’ featuring our interconnected relationships with the natural world by several artists including Atul Bhalla and Ravi Agarwal. Photoink showcases Ahmed Ali’s photographs of men and women working in factories, foundries and mines post Independence.There are ongoing talks and discussions during the fair. ‘Art, Nation and the Politics of Display’ with Jitish Kallat, Kulapat Yantrasast, Roobina Karode and Deepanjana Klein focused on biennales and ‘Scaling Up: The Future of Art Institutions in Asia and the Middle East’ with Zeina Arida, Lydia Yee, Manuel Rabate and Klein discussed what scalability truly entailed in their respective institutions.Meera Menezes is an art writer and critic. Her book, Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde — Sonata of Solitude, was published by Bodhana Arts and Research Foundation in 2016.