The Dharavi slum area in Mumbai features often in Hema Upadhyay’s work. She sometimes purely observes the massive sprawl and at times inserts herself into this scape.

This impressive installation invites viewers to literally enter into an 8 by 12 feet marked interior space, which is the size of an average house in the slum. The three adjoining walls and ceiling present an aerial view of the slum, with maquettes of tin houses created from aluminium sheets, car scraps, enamel paint, tarpaulins, pieces of metal and found objects.

One can marvel at all the meticulous details: temples and mosques, few high-rise towers amid a swarm of small dwellings, a wired meshwork of street lamps and TV antennas.