Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
About the India Art Fair for Art in America
A piece for Art in America India Art Fair Gains Major Dealers, Courts Collectors by shoba narayan 01/24/12 "Once you exceed 100,000 people, it's not a numbers game anymore. It's about bringing high quality collectors in," says Neha Kirpal, 31, founder of the India Art Fair, explaining to A.i.A. her strategy for the fair's fourth edition, which takes place at the NSIC Grounds in New Delhi, Jan. 25–29. Last year, some 128,000 people visited the fair—that's London's Frieze and Art Basel Miami Beach combined, by some estimates. This year, 91 galleries from 19 countries have signed up to show at India's largest-and only-contemporary art [...]
Why art needs to speak a simpler tongue: for Mint Lounge
Here is the piece in Mint Columns Posted: Fri, Jan 27 2012. 9:51 PM IST Why art needs to speak a simpler tongue The India Art Fair is in full swing; and Delhi feels like it is at the centre of the universe. This is the trick that geography plays. When you are part of an event, part of its intellectual mindspace, you get drawn into its “reality distortion field” The Good life | Shoba Narayan One of the questions facing all organizers of large events in light of what happened in Jaipur is this: How much of a broad [...]
About the India Art Fair for The National Abu Dhabi
Here are some of the articles that I wrote about the India Art Fair. Curators and gallerists put finishing touches to 2012 India Art Fair Shoba Narayan Jan 25, 2012 Iranian art seems to be, if not the flavour of the event, at least a point of interest at the 2012 India Art Fair (IAF), where more than 1,000 art works from 91 galleries will be shown. Contemporary Iranian art from the Anupam and Lekha Poddar Collection will be unveiled at the fair's closing party on Sunday. Curated by the Tehran-based graphic designer and curator, Amirali Ghasemi, the invitation-only event, [...]
The poetry of War Horse for Mint Lounge
The poetry of a horse on the move About sculpture, horses and Sayaka Ganz's work. This one is for Dhruv and Noor 4 min read . The Good Life | Shoba Narayan Pappu is nuzzling my neck. He smells of hay and heaven. His hot breath fills my nape as he nudges my tussar silk dupatta aside. The material must tickle his nose because he does something I’ve rarely seen horses do: He grins. “Hrrummph," he neighs and takes a playful bite of my shoulder. “Ouch," I reply and step away. [...]
Saris from Paris: for Financial Times Weekend’s fashion pages
About the Hermes Sari. Appearing here in the Financial Times Weekend fashion pages and pasted below. January 13, 2012 10:05 pm Saris from Paris? By Shoba Narayan French label Hermès has launched a take on the traditional garment and sparked controversy among local designers in India Saris by Hermès At his flagship Calcutta store, fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is extolling the glories of his new Kanjivaram collection to an adoring clientele. He pulls out silk brocade saris and points out complex weaves and disappearing flower motifs, raving about the nine exclusive weavers he employs in the ancient silk weaving [...]
Comedy Improv
The loser’s guide to comic relief
Profile of Sabyasachi, fashion desiger, for Mint Lounge
Sabyasachi, the revivalist businessman 5 min read . Updated: 06 Jan 2012, 09:31 PM IST The Good life | Shoba Narayan Clad in a khadi kurta-pyjama and Ferragamo flats, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, 37, is having lunch at the ITC Sonar, Kolkata. It is 4pm. We are at the coffee shop. He orders lal maas. I have already eaten. I order jhalmuri. Mukherjee is also a “biryani freak” and will only buy it at Rahmania or Nizam’s for their “sinfully greasy biryanis”. Fish, he says, has to be eaten at home. He tastes myjhalmuri [...]
Chennai’s muse: the Bharatanatyam divas
Chennai's muse: the Bharatanatyam divas 3 min read . Updated: 30 Dec 2011, 09:58 PM IST The Good Life | Shoba Narayan I am going to let you in on a little secret. I don’t know if it is the same in north India, but here in Chennai, where I grew up, everyone has this fixation that revolves around Bharatanatyam dancers. If you have a daughter, you want her to learn this ancient art form that originated with the sage Bharata and his text, the Natya Shastra. If you have a son, [...]
Party Animal?
My Life: negotiating new roles as we age Shoba Narayan Jan 4, 2012 I've noticed a curious phenomenon: men get more introverted as they get older and women more extroverted. I see it in several of my married friends. The husbands want to spend their evenings at home. The wives want to go out. It may be biological. The men have found their mate and see no reason to go out and fulfil their hunter-gatherer duties anymore. All they want to do now is munch on some peanuts or popcorn and watch the game. The women - having fulfilled [...]
Party Animal?
My Life: negotiating new roles as we age Shoba Narayan Jan 4, 2012 I've noticed a curious phenomenon: men get more introverted as they get older and women more extroverted. I see it in several of my married friends. The husbands want to spend their evenings at home. The wives want to go out. It may be biological. The men have found their mate and see no reason to go out and fulfil their hunter-gatherer duties anymore. All they want to do now is munch on some peanuts or popcorn and watch the game. The women - having fulfilled [...]