Architectural Digest India November December 2015

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2015
INDIA
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contents
CONTENTS
November-December 2015
ON THE COVER
A sculpture created by artist

Dhruva Mistry for a Vadodara
home designed by architect
Kohelika Kohli. (The Baroda
School, pg 194).
Photographer: Montse Garriga
24
26
EDITORS LETTER
CONTRIBUTORS
DISCOVER
31
FOCUS Dust-covered oorboards and ceiling-high

stacks of furniture serve as a backdrop for a trip
down memory lane with colonial furniture.
44
MONTSE GARRIGA
56
SHOPS AD curates a selection of products using

four artworks for inspiration, each of which are
going to be auctioned.
AGENDA A round-up of people, ideas, innovations
and events in the news.
Pg 194
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2015|
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST|13
CELEBRATE
As benches in a park,
it watches the kids play and
invites people to unwind with a book.
As a deck of thousands of sailing vessels,
it slices through the waves,
and lets the sailors brave the open ocean.
It welcomes the crme de la crme
on your guest list
as chic outdoor furniture.
It expresses your love in the
form of a memento.
Teak is valued for its elegance and durability.
It is the most versatile hardwood.
And from your patio, set sail endless ideas with
ADK-Fortune/10/2015
Decowoods exquisite
Teak themed wood veneer.
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contents
62
74
PORTFOLIO Meet four well-established Italian

furniture makers, who have built successful business
dynasties through years of honing their skills.
INDULGE ADs resident watch editor speaks to
eight artists and designers from around the world
about their favourite timepieces.
PERSPECTIVE
98
108
116
122
128
134
142
150
154
160
168
16|
ART Explore the creative spaces of seven artists as

AD takes readers into their studios in Mumbai,
Visakhapatnam and New Delhi to experience the
artistic process.
SPOTLIGHT With inputs from Dennis Gassner

production designer for Spectre, the latest James
Bond lmAD takes a closer look at the thrilling
sets that the MI6 agent has inhabited over the years.
ACCESS Nadia Samdani, a Dhaka-based collector
who has lived with art all her life, outlines how her
tastes and understanding of art have evolved.
TRAVEL Every year in December, the Miami Beach
edition of Art Basel turns the city into a lively hub
buzzing with art and design. AD gives you the lowdown on where to go and what to see.
NEVILLE SUKHIA
81
PHOTO Artists and designers Jiten Thukral and

Sumir Tagra photograph a series of surreal water
tanks in Beas, Punjab, and attempt to decipher this
curious display of Punjabi baroque.
ICON Damien Hirst turns curator with the opening
of his Newport Street Gallery in London, and
its exhibition of work by the late English artist
John Hoyland.
SHOWCASE AD compiles a list of some of Indias
most inuential art collectorsthe people who,
through their patronage, mentorship and
collaborations, are changing the face of Indian art.
Pg 81
Pg 44
ARCHITECTURE Two constructionsone in

Milan, the other in Moscowrepresent the new
design direction that Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas
has adopted.
RETAIL Bengaluru-based jewellery brand,
Ganjam commissioned architect Denis Montel,
of Paris-based design rm RDAI, to create
an India-inspired showroom to celebrate the brands
125th anniversary.
Pg 44
PROJECT On a roundabout just outside Vienna,

artist Jitish Kallat has created his largest-ever
artwork, a 55-foot-wide sculpture inspired by the
cosmos and innity.
DETAIL Previously relegated to the shadows,
graffiti is taking India by storm, thanks to the efforts
of street artists around the country.
DESIGN Having recently completed a year in Marss
orbit, Indias Mars Orbiter Mission is an unequivocal
success, garnering acclaim for its design and
innovative use of technology.
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST|NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2015
Pg 44
contents
Pg 160
SPACES
175
186
194
204
212
220
228
18|
THE BOY WONDERS Its easy to understand the

surreal works of art created by Jiten Thukral and
Sumir Tagra when you see their whimsical,
technicolour homes and studio in New Delhi.
EAST MEETS WEST The Beirut home of Cherine
Magrabi Tayebfounder of House of Today, a
platform for art and designis a great
showcase of this art patrons aesthetic.
THE BARODA SCHOOL In this vast two-storey
home for an art-loving family in Vadodara, Gujarat,
architect Kohelika Kohli tted out a raw, modern
temple for art.
URBAN RETREAT Mumbais posh Malabar Hill area

offered architect Rajiv Saini an ideal canvas to build
this home for a New Delhi-based couple.
ENRICO FABIAN
PALLON DARUWALA
Pg 150
236
INSIDE
241
246
248
MODERN MONOLITH In one of Johannesburgs

oldest residential areas, architect Wilh van der
Merwe has created a Japanese-inspired
abode for a Pakistan-born family.
254
HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS Architect Smita

Khanna designed her home in Mumbai with a clear
vision of a bright, calm spacechoosing subtlety
over ornamentation.
258
DESERT ROCKS Inspired by nature, and his mentor

Frank Lloyd Wright, architect Kendrick Kellogg
collaborated with designer John Vugrin to create
this eccentric home near Palm Springs, California.
WORKBOOK Samir Wadekar adapts the

international styles in our pages for your home.
264
266
STYLE AD reinterprets the works of four iconic

Bauhaus masters using a range of products and
nishes to illustrate the styles melding of art and
industrial design.
ADVICE Deciphering the growing online

marketplace for art can be a daunting task. Mortimer
Chatterjeefounder of Mumbai gallery Chatterjee &
Laloffers a fair bit of instruction.
POINT OF VIEW Unbeknownst to many, the art
scene in India has seen some of the most
outrageous acts of deceit and forgery. AD
reveals the sometimes-slippery side of art dealings
in India.
RSVP AD partnered with Asian Paints and
fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee for the
launch of an India-inspired collection of wallpapers
for Nilaya.
SCOUTS A low-down on the hottest products
and newest launches to hit the market this season.
STOCKISTS An A to Z of the stores in our pages.
AD 10 Founder of The Perfume Library, Jahnvi
Dameron-Nandan lists 10 of her favourite sources
of inspiration.
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haute couture OF INTERIORS
t might be the vagina-at-Versailles effect but suddenly, Indian

artists are the talk of the art world. The annual intervention between the
classical architecture of the French chateau and the work of a leading
contemporary artist is always provocative, but Kapoors
genitalia-referencing show this summer proved the most controversial
yet. Then there is the politically sensitive India-Pakistan pavilion at the
Venice Biennale, which showcases the work of Pakistans Rashid Rana
alongside Indias Shilpa Gupta. Theres more to come: next summer, the
Tate Modern will dedicate a major exhibition to Bhupen Khakhar, Indias
rst pop artist known for exploring sexuality through his paintings.
The shock factor is just part of the conversation that proves Indias
art scene is once again buzzing. This is a world where, for all its
highbrow ideas and conceptual statements, the numbers dene the
market. While not quite back to pre-2008 levels, prices have been
steadily recovering. In September, a new record price for an Indian
painting was set at Christies New York, when a monumental work by
FN Souza sold for $4 million. In October, a work by Amrita Sher-Gil sold
for 1.7 million at Sothebys London. No surprise then, that Sothebys
has opened a new office in Mumbai.Or that local auction house
Saffronart, under the direction of new CEO Hugo Weihe (previously of
Christies) is repositioning itself as a major player.
Eagle-eyed international investors are circling India in their
Gulfstream jets, ready to descend when prices inevitably
begin to soar. Watch out, China!
Before the vultures strike, the emerging market is being
fuelled by the passion of a new generation of home-grown
art patrons who buy for love, not money. We prole a
selection of these pioneering collectors on page 134. And,
in a deeply personal account on page 108, Nadia Samdani,
amongst the subcontinents most powerful collectors of
contemporary art, explains what drives her decision to
acquire new works.
Andy Warhol might have had The Factory, but the
abundance of space and labour in India means that the
countrys leading contemporary artists have even more
impressive studios. ADs Sanhita Sinha Chowdhury
travelled across the country to charm some of our most
celebratedand reclusiveartists into opening the doors
of their studios. She was invited to play football in the
carpenter-lled studio of Riyas Komu. And Sudarshan
Shetty, who was recently appointed curator of the
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016, patiently waited as she
searched for his industrial-sized space in Mumbais
Bhiwandi suburb.
Though art is never decoration, it is integral to all the
homes weve featured in this, our Art Issue. The intersection between
architecture and art is most apparent in our cover story, a landmark new
house in Vadodara with interior design by Kohelika Kohli of Delhi-based
K2India. Built in brick, it references Indian modernism and is lled with
modern and contemporary art, including the site-specic sculpture by
Dhruva Mistry seen on our cover.
Also in the Spaces section, we have the self-designed homes and
studio of artists Thukral & Tagra. Their work is truly multimedia; I write
this from my cabin, which features specially commissioned wallpaper.
Jiten and Sumir have become good friends over the last few months as
they contributed to this issue with their photo story on extraordinary
Punjabi baroque water tanks (page 122), and as we collaborate on an
installation (see our January-February 2016 issue for the results).
Some houses are sculptures in themselves; an idea manifested by a
spectacular home in the California desert by Kendrick Bangs Kellogga
little-known protg of Frank Lloyd Wright. Nothing hangs on its walls.
Furniture spirals to the oor from the ceiling and entire rooms are
carved out of rock. Few people know of its existence. Its the denition
of rare, a masterpiece in itself. But is it art?
(Clockwise from this picture)

The entrance to a Rajiv Saini-designed apartment in Mumbai,
looking towards an installation by Shilpa Gupta (pg 204). The
Gurgaon studio of artists Thukral & Tagra (pg 175). An Anish
Kapoor from the collection of Nadia Samdani (pg 108).
GREG FOSTER
[email protected]
Follow us on Instagram @ArchDigestIndia. You can purchase and download the digital edition of the magazine from architecturaldigest.in/DigitalEdition.
PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): PRASAD NAIK. ANISH KAPOOR & THE SAMDANI
ART FOUNDATION. SEBASTIAN ZACHARIAH. MANOLO YLLERA
EDITORS
LETTER
D E S I G N P O R T R A I T.
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B&B Italia store (opening January 2016) 5 Retreat Farm, Mandi road Chattarpur, 110074 New Delhi
LA Tendenza, Sahiba Agarwal, M +91 999 9693093 - [email protected]
Simone Naturally Inspired A01, Amerchand Mansion, 16 Madame Cama Road, Colaba 400001 Mumbai
T. +91 993 0330333 / +91 996 7257712
Europeone (opening December 2015) Opp. Suzuki Showroom, Adajan Road, Surat 395009 Gujarat
T. +91 261 2791008 / +91 982 5140450
contributors
KUNAL BHATIA
SHUMON AHMED
WRITER
Kunal Bhatia is an architect, photographer
and writer, who works across the three
disciplines and nds inspiration in cities
around the world, in people that he meets and
in encounters that are often eeting. In This
Issue: In Home is Where the Art is (pg 220)
Bhatia interviewed architect Smita Khanna
about her home. When architects speak
about their own spaces, its a true reection of
their personality; and Smita was as welcoming
and easy-going as her home.
NEVILLE SUKHIA
PHOTOGRAPHER
Neville Sukhia has been photographing for
himself, and various clients across the elds
of adventure, portraiture, documentary and
travel. In This Issue: Sukhia photographed
colonial furniture and fabric in the style
shoot Lost Stories (pg 31), and seven
artists studios around the country for In
the Studio (pg 81). He says of the latter, It
was an inspiring and humbling experience
photographing some of Indias nest artists.
26|
DIANA CAMPBELL
BETANCOURT
WRITER
Director of the Samdani Art Foundation
and chief curator of the Dhaka Art
Summit, Betancourt also works with art
collectors Vijay and Sunita Choraria
featured in this issueand is a regular
visitor to Art Basel Miami Beach. In This
Issue: She explains why Miami is the ideal
art and design destination every December
in Welcome to Miami (pg 116).
J RAMANAND
WRITER
J Ramanand is the co-founder of a smart
start-up in Pune, and was once a computer
science researcher. He quizzes by day,
reads by night, works on weekends, and
writes when the moon is blue. In This Issue:
Ramanand explores Indias Mars Orbiter
Mission in The Final Frontier (pg 168).
Researching the Mangalyaan story made
me feel Indias space story needs to be talked
about and celebrated more.
contributors
NADIA SAMDANI
WRITER
Nadia Samdani is a Bangladesh-based
collector and philanthropist. She co-founded
the Samdani Art Foundation in 2011with
her husband Rajeebto support South Asian
art globally, and also produces the biennial
Dhaka Art Summit. In This Issue: In Frame
by Frame (pg 108), Samdani speaks about her
evolving art collection. AD was one of the rst
publications to share images of our home with
audiences in India; its been great to reect on
how the art in our space has changed since
that story rst ran.
KISHORE SINGH
WRITER
Kishore Singh is the head of exhibitions
and publications at the Dag Modern in
New Delhi, where he writes, curates,
lectures, makes lms, and promotes
Indian art worldwide. In This Issue: In
Master Theft (pg 248), Singh writes about
how forgeries can impact the nascent
market: I undertook this piece to create
awareness about some of the industrys
best-kept worst secrets.
28|
PHALGUNI DESAI
WRITER
Phalguni Desai is a writer and art
consultant, and coordinates art projects for
the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan
Mumbai. In This Issue: Desai lists some of
Indias most inuential art collectors and
patrons in Collectors Club (pg 134). I
usually nd myself in the artists corner, away
from the buying and collecting, so it was fun
to speak with the collectors for a change and
see things from their perspective.
MORTIMER
CHATTERJEE
WRITER
Mortimer Chatterjee co-founded the art
gallery Chatterjee & Lal, with his wife Tara
Lal. In This Issue: In Window Shopping
(pg 246) Chatterjee browses through the
online art world. This is the most exciting
story I have ever had the opportunity to
write. The way we access art is changing
before our eyes; and I had the opportunity
to talk to the people making it happen.
MADE IN ITALY
www.giorgiocollection.it
Seregno (MB) Italy
Collection COLISEUM
design Giorgio Soressi
FOCUS
Amidst dust-covered oorboards and ceiling-high

stacks of furniture, uncovers a
romantic colonial past
STYLIST SONALI THAKUR . PHOTOGRAPHER NEVILLE SUKHIA
THRONE ROOM
French sofa chairs; Mahendra
Doshi. Meisho-Mulberry
upholstery fabric from the Butikku
collection; The Pure Concept.
Portraits of King George V and
Queen Mary; Essajees.
discover
SITTING ON THE SIDE

(From top) Indo-French colonial chair; The Raj
Company. Layered Paint fabric; Atmosphere.
Teak-wood, caned French settee; Mahendra
Doshi. Koyo-Quince curtain fabric from the
Butikku collection; The Pure Concept.
Herons Realm (Re-Deco) vases; Lladr.
32|
Methodus - Master Fotograe
Garbo
design: Umberto Asnago
ITALPROGRAM PLUS s.r.l.

Mr. Mohamad Chahade - via E. Bertini 43/a - 47100 Forl (Italy) - tel +39 0543 724377
fax +39 0543 724643 - mobile +39 3395827559 - [email protected]
www.i4mariani.com
discover
HIDDEN TREASURES
Pair of vintage French turquoise candlesticks, bronze and gold
candelabra, pure silver lion from Udaipur; Essajees. Ebony and
rosewood altar, teak-wood colonial chest of drawers (below altar),
teak-wood colonial ling box with drawers (right), Jackwood
Raffles chair; Mahendra Doshi. BP201002 Petit Parc wallpaper by
Braqueni (inside altar); Pierre Frey. Antique white marble bust,
antique satinwood and ebony writing box (below lion), antique
Raj-era silver tea set, Dutch colonial satinwood and ebony chest
(bottom right), antique Chinese porcelain jar; Phillips Antiques.
discover
ORDER IN CHAOS
Victorian cast-iron and glass standing kerosene lamp
(top left); Essajees. Antique British colonial secretaire
(cabinet); The Raj Company. F319-Kidney table;
Anemos. Rosewood dining chair; Mahendra Doshi.
Hand-carved wooden dog; Sarita Handa. Colonial
rosewood armchair (foreground); Phillips Antiques.
36|
discover
ALL ALIGNED
Dutch colonial satinwood armoire (extreme left);
Phillips Antiques. Antique Indo-Portuguese rosewood
bench with backrest; The Raj Company. Idabel
VF_0772A fabric; DDecor. Camphor and ebony Dutch
secretaire (cabinet with drawers); Mahendra Doshi.
Mahogany Anglo-Indian daybed; Phillips Antiques.
38|
discover
CURTAIN CALL
(From left to right) Genova 501 fabric; Prt-fab.
Emerald Energy 9667 fabric; DDecor. Ruffle
some feathers fabric; Atmosphere. Teakwood
English dining chairs; Mahendra Doshi.
Location courtesy: Mahendra Doshi
Production: Anomaly Production
Photo Editor: Kim Sidhu
Assistant Stylist: Samir Wadekar
Production Assistant: Shreya Basu
For details, see Stockists

40|
Golden Ming Clouds

Wall Sconce & Eros Bench
www.viyahome.com
MUMBAI 01/31 Kamal Mansion 2F Arthur Bunder Road Colaba M.9987879694
discover
SHOPS
ONCE,TWIC
We looked at the calendars of some of the major auction houses worldwide and zeroed in
on their upcoming sales, which we used as our inspirations
STYLIST SONALI THAKUR
PARADISE VASE
BY MOSER, `61,000,
THEHOUSEOFTHINGS.COM
SCULPTUREDEY (SET OF
THREE), `68,000,
ARIA INTERIORS
COURTESY CHRISTIES IMAGES
SILVER-LEAFED
BAR WITH GOLD
TRIM, `6,95,000,
HOUSE OF RARO
SANOBAR
TEA LIGHT
HOLDER
(LARGE),
`4,750,
ANANTAYA
DATE: 15 DECEMBER 2015

UNDER THE HAMMER: UNTITLED (KRISHNA
AND COW) (OIL ON CANVAS)
ARTIST: MANJIT BAWA
ESTIMATE: `2.5-3 CRORES
ENAMELLED
BOX, `52,600,
RAVISSANT
(ON SIDE TABLE)

ANTIQUE HUKKA
STAND, PRICE ON
REQUEST, THE
GREAT EASTERN
HOME; RIO HAIR
ON SIDE TABLE
(GREY), `32,000,
INV HOME
44|
CHAIR IN TEAK
WOOD, `45,000,
BEYOND DESIGNS
VILLA LE LAC PAULOWNIA THE BIRDHOUSE DRESSER

CADDY BY JAIME HAYON FOR
CASSINA, `1,00,060, POLTRONA
FRAU GROUP DESIGN CENTRE
MARGARET SOFA BY
PAULA SOUSA, `4,10,814
ONWARDS, MUNNA
PHOTOGRAPHERS: ANSHUMAN SEN, INDRAJIT SATHE.

ASSISTANT STYLISTS: SAMIR WADEKAR, NITYA DHINGRA, KRITI VIJ.
CHRISTIES, MUMBAI
THE INDIA SALE
discover
COURTESY PHILLIPS
BLU
VAS
SHO
& `7,
MOO
PHILLIPS, LONDON
PHOTOGRAPHS
DATE: 6 NOVEMBER 2015

UNDER THE HAMMER: UNTITLED
(MULHOLLAND), (CHROMOGENIC PRINT,
2004, ONE IN A SERIES OF SIX)
ARTIST: FLORIAN MAIER-AICHEN
ESTIMATE: 30,000-50,000
SCIGHERA LOW TABLE

BY PIERO LISSONI FOR
CASSINA, `95,850,
POLTRONA FRAU
GROUP DESIGN CENTRE
HALF CUT CHAMPAGNE COUPE

(ROUND) AND WINE GLASS (DOME),
`6,441 ONWARDS EACH, LEE BROOM
ORBE TABLE LAMP

BY PATRICK E NAGGAR
FOR VERONESE,
`1,30,443 ONWARDS,
SOURCES UNLIMITED
LAYERS CABINET
BY NENDO, PRICE ON
REQUEST, GLAS ITALIA
MIRAGE MIRROR
BY TOKUJIN
YOSHIOKA, PRICE
ON REQUEST, LEMA
LARIO SOFA BY
ANTONIO CITTERIO,
PRICE ON REQUEST,
FLEXFORM
PHOTOGRAPHER: THIRU S/WHITE LIGHT DESIGN.

ASSISTANT STYLIST: NITYA DHINGRA.
BISON ARMCHAIR
BY NENDO FOR
CAPPELLINI, `4,88,345,
POLTRONA FRAU
GROUP DESIGN CENTRE
Jumbo Collection srl

via Montesolaro 14/b -- 22063 Cant (Co) -- Italy -- tel. +39 031 70757
www.jumbo.it instagram.com/jumbocollection [email protected]
discover
BONHAMS, NEW YORK

THE IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART SALE
OXFORD
ARMCHAIR, `41,900,
MAC-BRUZE
SILVER FLOWER
VASE WITH
GRANITE BASE,
`25,900, RAVISSANT

UNDER THE HAMMER: HELMET HEAD NO. 2,
(BRONZE WITH BROWN AND BLACK PATINA, 1955,
ONE IN A SERIES OF NINE)
ARTIST: HENRY MOORE, OM, CH
ESTIMATE: $300,000-500,000
OXYMORE BOOKCASE BY
XAVIER LUST, PRICE ON
REQUEST, DE CASTELLI
BRONZE BUTLER,
`1,68,000, HOUSE
OF RARO
FOLD SOFA BY VINCENZO

DE COTIIS, PRICE ON
REQUEST, BAXTER
48|
BRASS SIDE TABLE

BY ANANTAYA,
`61,990, KREA
MURANO HANDMADE
GLASS VASE INFUSED
WITH 24-CARAT
GOLD, `65,000
ONWARDS, SIMONE
WOODY LAMP
BY ALEX DAVIS,
`35,000, INDI STORE
PHOTOGRAPHERS: ANSHUMAN SEN, INDRAJIT SATHE, THIRU S/WHITE LIGHT DESIGN.

ASSISTANT STYLISTS: SAMIR WADEKAR, NITYA DHINGRA, KRITI VIJ.
COURTESY BONHAMS
SOLARA WALL
SCULPTURE BY HOUSE,
PRICE ON REQUEST,
THEHOUSEOFTHINGS.COM
discover
2015 THE WILLEM DE KOONING FOUNDATION/

ARTIST RIGHT SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
CAPSULA PENDANT
LAMPS BY LUCIE
KOLDOVA FOR BROKIS,
`1,20,000 ONWARDS
EACH, LIGHTBOX
VASE BY MEMPHIS
MILANO, `3,30,287,
YOOX.COM
PORCELAIN
GINGER
POT, `12,500,
MOONRIVER
SPIRAL CANDLE
HOLDER, `6,200,
THE DESIGN
ARTIFACTS HAVEN
SOTHEBYS, NEW YORK

THE COLLECTION OF A ALFRED
TAUBMAN: MASTERWORKS

UNDER THE HAMMER: UNTITLED XXI (1976)
(OIL ON CANVAS)
ARTIST: WILLEM DE KOONING
ESTIMATE: $25-35 MILLION
SCREEN' SYSTEM
BY GAMFRATESI
FOR CAPPELLINI,
`2,32,600,
POLTRONA FRAU
GROUP DESIGN
CENTRE
GODARD WOOD
CHAIR BY MATTEO
THUN & ANTONIO
RODRIGUEZ,
PRICE ON
REQUEST, BAXTER
BUTTERFLY SOFA BY
PATRICIA URQUIOLA, PRICE
ON REQUEST, B&B ITALIA
ISSIMA VASES
BY SAM BARON,
`8,732 ONWARDS
EACH, BOSA
BROOK POUFFE BY
TOKUJIN YOSHIOKA,
PRICE ON REQUEST,
MOROSO

50|
PHOTOGRAPHERS: THIRU S/WHITE LIGHT DESIGN, INDRAJIT SATHE.

STYLISTS: SAMIR WADEKAR, NITYA DHINGRA.
MCLAREN ROUND
TABLE, `7,999,
URBANLADDER.COM
Your outdoor in style!
Camargue, the aluminium pergola

The modular and highly innovative aluminum pergola Camargue can be
closed completely with windtight, retractable and integrated fabric screens
(Fixscreen), with glass sliding panels or aluminum Loggia sliding panels (both
Windtight Fixscreen
with xed or retractable blades in aluminum, wood or fabric).

Rotatable blades protecting against sun and rain
Optimised water drainage and integrated leaf catcher
Numerous options are possible such as heating elements, speakers,
various lighting types in the blades, frame and columns
Ideal for garden, terraces, balconies and penthouses
Loggiawood sliding panel
Visit us at ZAK Doors & Windows Expo 2015

10-13 December 2015
MMRDA Exhibition Center Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai
Kendre Makarand | Area Sales Manager India

Mob: +91 98 22 912 403 [email protected]
www.renson.eu
THE DDECOR STORE
BANGALORE - Kannan Building

M. G. Road: 41236677
CHENNAI - Nungambakkam
Khader Nawaz Khan Road: 28332355
DELHI - Lajpatnagar 3
Near Haldirams: 41436677
D'DECOR Galleries - DELHI - Kirti Nagar: Nirmals: 9810393010. GURGAON - M.G. Road: Mo: 4777888. LUDHIANA - Pakhowal Road: Naveen Bharat Furnishings: 2432901. JALANDHAR Opp. Lovely Street: Mansaram Mahajan: 5015805. HYDERABAD - Ameerpet: Jaydurga Furnishing: 9391049852. BANGALORE - Domlur Ring Road: Drapes Avenue: 25351550 /
AGRA - Jain Furnishing: 9319103503. AHMEBABAD - S.G. Road: Raiff: 8866004222. Bharat Furnishing: 26872027. Drape Shoppe: 2686 0009. Navrangpura: Neptune House: 26565624. C.G Road: Arrow Drape: 26404648. Ashram Road: Kaypee Corporation: 26577441.
Dynamic House: 40035444. AMRITSAR - Lawrence Road: Ganpati Exclusive: 9872989159. AURANGABAD - Sajawat Handloom: 2340340. Sheetal Furnishing: 2486777. BANGALORE - Domlur Ring Road: Drapes Avenue: 25351550 / 40977040. Dickenson Road:
Skipper Furnishings: 41134356/41134357. Indira Nagar: Petals: 40914782. Floating Walls: 25200313. Jayanagar 4th Blk: Floating Walls: 41510419. Koramangala: Floating Walls: 41313117. Shivaji Nagar: Drapes Avenue: 25596506. Race Course Road: Petals:
22372244. St. Marks Road: Tulips: 22211113/4. Chickpet: Shah Surajmal Magraj: 22208270/22871376. Whitefield: Floating Walls: 41272961. Hebbal: Floating Walls: 40937951. Banshankari: Floating Walls: 42146747. BARODA - R.C. Dutt Road: Aavaran: 2313236.
CHANDIGARH - Manimajra: Krishna Carpet Co.: 2733275. Sector 17/B: Krishna Carpet Co.: 2703001. CHENNAI - Neelangarai: Ode Interior: 24491455. COIMBATORE - R.S. Puram: Kwality :2551626. DELHI - Lajpatnagar: Jagdish Stores: 25710462. Harisons
Furnishings: 45222700. Home-Saaz: 29845100. Nirmals: 29848888. Sita Fabrics: 29837562. Jail Road: Nirmals: 25620587. Karol Bagh: Jagdish Stores: 43056000. Pitampura: Surprise Furnishings: 27019977. Shalimar Bagh: Harisons Furnishings: 47555000. DHULIA Seema Handloom: 233287. GOA - Panjim: Boa Casa: 2225923. Porvorim: Adore: 6655891. GUWAHATI - Fancy Bazar: Ashoka Furnishing: 2514118. G.S. Road: Ashoka Furnishing: 2457801. Vinayak Furnishing: 9085077707. HYDERABAD - Abid's Off Santosh Sapna
Talkies: Drapes N More: 66787100. Banjara Hills: Mayaas Furnishings: 9246260884. Darpan Furnishings: 9866587165. Jubilee Hills: Studio Orion: 65344444. Panjagutta Near Nagarjuna Circle: Skipper Furnishings: 30621171. INDORE - MT Cloth Market: Lalchand
Hassanand: 9826077553. New Grah Shobha: 2574913. Ushanagar: D'Decor Factory Outlet: 9827451510. JAIPUR - Mirza Ismail Road: Ashoka Furnishing: 5119059. Near Panchvati Circle: Goldendrape: 2604093. Vaishali Nagar: Casa Aaurum:4068333/34. KANPUR - 80
Like this, and even that. Like all that you

can. And find a match for everything
you like at D'Decor. So that you can
make your home, as you like it.
LIKE PATTERNS?
The Largest Woven Upholstery & Curtain Mill in the World.
Recognised by Fabrics & Furnishings International

MUMBAI - Andheri (W)
Nr. Kokilaben Hospital: 65976677
MUMBAI - Bandra (W)

Station Rd., Notan Heights: 66782030
MUMBAI - Ghatkopar (E)

M.G. Road: 66782010
MUMBAI - Malad (W)

Inorbit Mall: 9321616677
NAGPUR - Ajni Square

Wardha Road: 9168652091
40977040. Jayanagar 5th Blk: Floating Walls: 22441034. SURAT - Bhaga Talao: Drape Shoppe: 9825425526. CHENNAI - Park Town: Vishvesh Textiles: 25359999. MEERUT - Begum
Bridge Road: G.S. Furnishings: 9997098439. PUNE - Laxmi Road: Girisons Bed Bath & Furnishings: 24458132/33. Pimpri: Kukreja Handloom & Furnishings: 27410199.
Feet Road: High Street: 3072333. KOCHI - Odds & Ends: 9846048215. Royal Furnishing - 9447665845. Panampilly Nagar: Luxrays: 9447065401. Diwaniya Furnishings: 2345672/73. KOTTAYAM - Elba : 9447179064. KOLKATA - Park Street: Times Furnishings:
30285858/59. Russell Street: Skipper: 40065353. AJC Bose Road: Stellar Furnishings: 22902294/93. Homeland Mall: Mobel D'ffine: 9051027777. Ashutosh Mukherjee Road: Mobel India: 9051027777. KOLHAPUR - Riddhi Curtain Handloom House:9890803230.
KOZHIKODE - Kannur Road: In-Style Creation: 4021166. Puthiyara Road: Solid: 9846095599. LUCKNOW - Huzzainganj: Monarch-The Furnishings Gallery: 4159999. MUMBAI - Bandra: Novelty Furnishing: 67896900. Foam Palace: 26428146. Borivali: Osaka
Furnishings: 28612945. Dadar T.T.: A To Z Furnishings: 9833066415. Kemps Corner: Bharat Furnishing: 61456050. Gamdevi - The Home Fabric: 23823448/47. Malad: Novelty Furnishing: 28807331. Kings: 9833458044. Thane: Bharat Furnishing: 25806050. Vashi: Novelty
Furnishing: 67891700. Vile Parle: Bharat Furnishing: 66804545. CHEMBUR: Daffodils: 9821226204. NAGPUR - Sita Burdi: Malik Dco House: 2526787. Residency Road: Jayshree Traders: 2525911. NASHIK - Sharanpur Road: Daffodils: 9823023245. NOIDA - Noida
Handloom: 9810019728. PANIPAT - S.D. College Road: Prince Home Fashion: 2635392/2644837. D'Decor Factory Outlet: 9416019493. PANCHKULA - Sector No. 11: Gagan Handloom: 3918361. PATNA - New Dak Bunglow Road: Rama: 9431015695. PUNE - Off Laxmi
Road: Kejals Furnishings: 24453776. M.G. Road: Themes Furnishing & Linen: 41405200. Karve Road: Premchand Furnishing: 25456969. Nana peth: Orchid Furnishing: 26056070. Ganesh peth: Softzone: 9822092629. Baner Road: Bharat Furnishing: 25657705/06.
Aundh: Tulips: 25899784. Kharadi Road: The Home Fabric: 9049148369. RAIPUR - Pandri : Lifestyle Furnishing: 2582776. Sohan Sales: 522193. SURAT - Ghod Dod Road: The Decora: 2654234. Sanskriti Furnishing: 2232099. Thrissur - Paliyam Road: Chikkus curtains &
Furnishing: 9847046911. TRIVANDRUM - CFC : 9895245566. Available at HOME TOWN and other leading home furnishing stores.
discover
AGENDA
NEWSFLASH
es to know right now
A round-up of events, ideas, innovations and nam
ENA DESAI
IMAGE BUILDING
Melbourne-based architectural photographer Tom

Roes photo of Heritance Kandalama, a hotel in
Dambulla, Sri Lanka, is competing in the Sense of
Place category for the Arcaid Images Architectural
Photographer of the Year award.
54|
COURTESY OF TOM ROE AND GEOFFREY BAWA
If, sitting in our living rooms, we are able to appreciate the

masterworks of the worlds greatest architects, its thanks, in
large part, to architectural photographers. UK-based Arcaid
Images curates their work and also confers awards on
talented practitioners of this craft. This years Arcaid Images
Architectural Photography Awards will be announced at
the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore,
which will be held from 4-6 November. The works of some
of the most renowned architectssuch as Heritance
Kandalama (pictured) designed by legendary Sri Lankan
architect Geoffrey Bawacan be seen in the 20 gorgeous
shortlisted photographs. At the WAF, the award for the
World Building of the Year will also be handed out to one of
the shortlisted rms that have submitted their projects for
consideration. Four of the practices in the running are
Indian: Sanjay Puri Architects, Abin Design Studio ( both
AD50 rms), Arkind Architects and Edice Consultants.
arcaidawards.com; worldarchitecturefestival.com
discover
TAKING FLIGHT
T
Mumbai airports three-kilometre art walk at the

T2 terminal nears completion almost a year after
its inauguration in January. Titled Jaya He, the
art walk, curated by noted designer, scenographer
and Padma Bhushan award winner Rajeev Sethi,
is arguably Indias largest public art initiative. The
most recent additions to it include new artworks
near the travelator on the east side and in the
India Greets sectionone of the six thematic
compositions at the art walkas well as
installations (made in collaboration with Sethi)
for four baggage carousels by fashion designers
Ritu Kumar, Zandra Rhodes, Manish Arora, and
the NGO, the Mijwan Welfare Society.
csia.in
WEARABLE SCULPTURES
COURTESY OF MISHO
Finding uidity in metal and taking ideas from geometry, jewellery

designer Suhani Parekh recently launched a new collection of rings
titled Blueprint through her brand Misho. A trained artist from
University of Londons Goldsmiths and part of interior designer and
architect Ashiesh Shahs design team, Parekh worked predominantly
with sculptures and installations till she started designing jewellery,
which she regards as wearable sculptures. Inspired by the works of
Constantin Brncusi, Isamu Noguchi, Naum Gabo, Paul Klee, and
Julio Gonzlez, and the Bauhaus school of art that focused on form
and material, Parekh designed a collection that is distinctly angular,
geometric and architectural. mishodesigns.com
56|
SITTING PRETTY
For its 30th anniversary, London-based retailer

and manufacturer SCP persuaded Cypriot
lighting designer Michael Anastassiades to
design his rst piece of furniture, as part of a
collection titled Sofa in Sight. Exhibited at this
years London Design Festival, the idea behind
the collection was to explore modern
upholstery making. The Rochester two-seater
designed by Anastassiades, has a high back and
which create a small enclosure for the user, providing them a
small amount of privacy within public environments. The side
table next to the sofa is also an Anastassiades design. scp.co.uk
+39.0362.7714 www.asnaghi.com
THE ART OF THE ITALIAN STYLE FURNITURE SINCE 1916
discover
THE ART
OF STORIES
Independent Indian publishing

ra
Books, known for its handmade
oks
featuring experimental designs and content, is
launching its most ambitious project yet:
Between Memory and Museum: A Dialogue with Folk
and Tribal Artists. This pioneering book, made
in collaboration with 38 extraordinary folk and
tribal artists from across India, focuses on the
idea of the museum, particularly as seen by
communities historically regarded as
anthropological subjects themselves. An
exhibition of limited edition art prints by the
publishers will be held at Mumbais Artisans
gallery from 24-28 November, followed by a
lm screening and the book launch.
tarabooks.com
D
DREAMS
IN 3D
A recent entrant on the Mumbai design

scene is MakeWhalea design studio that
offers customized 3D-printed products and
solutions. Founded by Mumbai resident
Siddharth Sah, the studio works with a
variety of materials from basic plastics to
metals, and can conceptualize and
co-design products if clients are unsure of
what they want. MakeWhale uses
industrial-size 3D machines, as opposed to
desktop machines, which are mainly used
for prototyping. makewhale.com
TRAVEL
IN STYLE
Retracing French fashion house Louis

Vuittons journey from 1854 to the
present, an exhibition titled Volez,
Voguez, Voyagez Louis Vuitton,
will be on at the Grand Palais, Paris,
from 4 December 2015 to 21 February
2016. The exhibition is curated by
fashion historian and director of the
Palais Galliera, Olivier Saillard. Robert
Carsen, the artistic director and set
designer, has conceived the journey as
a navigation through nine chapters,
opening with an antique malle (trunk).
A section dedicated to craftsmanship
closes the exhibition.
louisvuitton.com
58|
(This picture and above)
The Petite Malle which translates to small

trunk, can be used either as a clutch or a
shoulder bag. The poster for the exhibition.
PHOTO: JULIA HETTA
HEARS BID BY BID
On 17 September, at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York, auction house Christies

sold FN Souzas 1955 oil-on-board, titled Birth, for $4,085,000, making it the
most expensive work sold at any South Asian art auction and setting the world
auction record for the category. christies.com
www.simone.com
AO1, Amerchand Mansion, 16 Madame Cama Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400 001, India
+91 22 7111 7700 | [email protected]
Fine Fabrics | Furniture | Artefacts
Tuesday to Sunday: 11am - 8pm
discover
PORTFOLIO
ily
ur of
ilyWRITER SAMIR WADEKAR
ASNAGHI INTERIORS
(Clockwise from top right)

OUT OF THE WOODWORK
A rendering of the Giglio
armchair along with the
nished piece. The handcarved frame of the chair.
The cutting and assembly
of the components. A
sketch of the carved details
of a piece of furniture from
the Giglio collection.
PHOTOS: LUCA DAL GESSO
GIGLIO ARMCHAIR
You know you can count on a furniture
company when it has been in the business for
nearly a century. Founded in 1916 in Meda,
Brianza, Asnaghi Interiors is a leading classical
Italian furniture-maker whose products have
furnished diplomatic embassies, presidential
residences and even the palace of the king of
Malaysia, and the Kremlin in Russia. Gianluca
Asnaghi explains, The company has
maintained a strong bond with the cultural
and manufacturing traditions of the Brianza
region, where it was founded. Our craftsmen
produce pieces by hand from the nest solid
wood varieties, which are accurately nished
by our artisans. The Giglio armchair is part
of a blue-grey-toned living room collection
consisting of sofas, tables and soft furnishings.
The hand-carved frame takes a single
craftsman around 20 days to carve, and is
covered in a gold-coloured aluminium leaf
to best imitate the gleam of solid gold. The
chair and its sofa companion are upholstered
in a lustrous, hand-ruched silk cover. The
custom design and personalization features
attest to the adaptability of the company; each
piece from this series can be made using an
18-carat pure gold-leaf nish, which takes 30
days to apply. asnaghi.com
discover
(Clockwise from left)

ALL LIT UP
The 12-bulb version of
the Taif chandelier. A
technical drawing of
the lamp given to the
glass blowers. Over
400 components were
assembled to create the
5.2-foot-tall chandelier,
which weighs 55
kilograms.
BAROVIER&TOSO
TAIF CHANDELIER
Its not often that you come across a
glassmaking family that has been recognized
by Guinness World Records as the worlds
oldest family of glass-workers. The Barovier
family has been making glassware since 1295.
In 1936, they merged with fellow Muranobased Toso glassmakers to form
Barovier&Toso. In 1980, Angelo Barovier
conceived the design of the Taif chandelier
for the palace of the king of Saudi Arabia in
the eponymous city of Taif. Angelo
reimagined the traditional aesthetics and
techniques of chandelier-making and
employed a series of subtractions and
replacements for the design. The brands
traditional oral motifs were eschewed in
favour of a simpler form with chrome-plated
candleholders and Bohemian crystal drops. It
takes one master blower and four assistants to
create a single piece, and a total of 80 hours
from furnace to ceiling. Though the colour
black is part of the traditional palette in
Venetian glassmaking, it had never been used
as the sole colour for a chandelier before this.
With Muranese and Venetian decorative
elements and over 12 colour variations such as
violet, gold, red and liquid green, the Taif
has now become a bestseller and an icon. It is
available in 6, 9, 12 and 18 bulb
congurations. barovier.com
64|
AHMEDABAD
BY DESIGN ITALIANO
OPP. SINDHUBHAVAN, SINDHUBHAVAN ROAD, BODAKDEV
AHMEDABAD- 380015 GUJARAT (INDIA)
T. +91 98 79026328 - [email protected]
CUSTOMISED INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICE
SEYMOUR SEATING SYSTEM
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CREATE YOUR OWN DESIGN EXPERIENCE AT MINOTTI.COM
discover
ELLEDUE ARREDAMENTI
TABLES FROM THE SARAYA
GIORNO COLLECTION
68|
(Clockwise from top left)

SUPPORT SYSTEM
The T643 dining table has
a light Emperador marble
top; the AT 649/L side table
has a lacquered top and
base. A preliminary sketch
for the dining table. The
casting, manufacturing and
assembly of the legs at the
companys foundry. The legs
in different metallic nishes.
When the heirs to a family of furniture-makers

with decades of artisanal experience form a
company, you can rest assured their products
will be designed with a rened aesthetic and
the nest quality. Elledue Arredamenti is a
third-generation family-run company
founded by the Lanzani family in 1972. The
Saraya collection, designed by Lebanon-born
architect Walid Flehian, is divided into three
segments: Bagno, Giorno and Notte. The
T643 dining table and AT 649/L side table
(pictured) are part of the Saraya Giorno
segment, which comprises living and dining
room furniture. Lead designer Alessandro
Lanzani reveals, We wanted to present pieces
that balanced classical aesthetics with modern
forms and materials. We felt that this would
work well with younger clients who are wary
of traditional interiors and extravagant
furniture. The separate sections of the metal
legs are moulded and cast at the companys
foundry. The multiple segments of the leg are
welded together before the surface nish is
applied; one can opt for either bronze, nickel,
chrome, or gold. The Saraya collection
exemplies Elledue Arredamentis philosophy
of making avant-garde classics.
elleduearredamenti.com
BUILDING
LUXURY
Verde Residence Collection, Kalyani Nagar, Pune
Meet Amit Bhosale, managing director of ABIL,

The Avinash Bhosale Groupa luxury realestate company thats transforming urban
lifestyles by building state-of-the-art ve star
hotels and residences
Amit Bhosale brought a fresh, new

perspective to Indias real-estate
market when he took the reins of the
ABIL Group from his father. After
completing his Masters in Hospitality
Management from the elite Les
Roches International School of Hotel
Management, Switzerland and the
Owner/President Management
Programme from Harvard Business
School, he decided to take luxury
living to the next level by developing
prime locations with buildings that
combined contemporary architecture,
resplendent interiors and state-of-theart amenities.
Within a short period, ABIL, under
Amit Bhosales leadership,
I believe that art should
transformed the skyline of Pune with
complement the interiors of
projects like the Verde Residence
a space. When we start
Collection, Castel Royale Towers, Gods
designing projects, we always Grace, Avaanti Residences and
try to incorporate ideas
Premium Commercial Spaces, Gods
seen internationally.
Blessingsthe citys rst 100m tall
-Amit Bhosale, managing
tower, and Megapolis.
The company also forayed into the
director of the ABIL Group
development of luxury ve-star hotels
that are ne examples of art, architecture and design. For
instance, The St. Regis Hotel, Mumbai has been designed as
per The St. Regis legacy of uncompromising elegance.
While the lobby mural by artist Iranna GR was specially
commissioned by the hotel to depict nuances of Mumbai,
the 75 paintings and sculptures by SH Raza, MF Husain, NS
Bendre, Jogen Chowdhury and Paresh Maity among
Castel Royale Grande, Bhosale Nagar Extn, Pune others, make this hotel an art connoisseurs paradise. The
Westin, Pune is another representation of ABILs
The St. Regis Hotel Bar, Lower Parel, Mumbai
brilliance. The shape of the building and the 20-metre
gateway with Arzan Khamabatta sculptures make
this property stand out against the other buildings in
the vicinity.
With a luxury project underway in partnership with
Versace Home at Hughes Road, Mumbai, and plans to
develop several properties, Amit Bhosale is taking the
ABIL Group to an all-new echelon of excellence.
discover
OPERA CONTEMPORARY
BUTTERFLY BED
Since 1886, classical furniture-maker Angelo

Cappellini & C has been creating designs in
the European styles of Louis XV, Regency,
Empire and Biedermeier. Its Opera
Contemporary division was established in
2010 to manufacture modern furniture with a
subtle design aesthetic. Stefano Zecca, the
brand manager of the company and member
of the Cappellini family, states: Opera
Contemporary draws its energy from the
values of tradition and targets a sophisticated
audience by offering high-quality products
with rened details and forms that hint at the
past. Design duo Alessandro Castello and
Maria Antonietta Lagravinese, from Studio
Castello Lagravinese (which helms the artistic
direction for the division), have designed the
majestic Buttery bed. It is named for the
wing-shaped capitonn (type of upholstery)
headboard which is made using a single
length of fabric (3.6 metres). Of the seven
artisans who create the bed, two are
responsible for the detailed upholstery. The
bed is available in two variationsone with
storage space, and the other featuring
exposed oak wood legs. operacontemporary.com
70|

WING TIPS
Sketches for the Buttery bed.
The tufting of the headboard and
the manufacturing of the beds
frame. The variation of the bed
with exposed oak wood legs.
discover
OYSTER PERPETUAL
YACHT-MASTER, ROLEX
TOMMY HILFIGER, FASHION
DESIGNER
PHOTO: SAKIS LALAS
When the American designer isnt wearing

one of his own designs, you might just catch
him wearing a Rolex. Pioneered for sailing
the seas luxuriously, and swimming to
depths of 100 metres, the watch has a
bi-directional rotating bezel that can help
track elapsed time. I just love the classic
blue rim around the dial, he says, referring
to this two-tone novelty.
INDULGE
Find out what makes these creative minds tick

WATCH EDITOR RISHNA SHAH
CLASSIC FUSION ENAMEL

BRITTO, HUBLOT
ROMERO BRITTO, ARTIST
DE VILLE, OMEGA
PAYAL KHANDWALA, ARTIST

AND FASHION DESIGNER
Established over a century ago, Omega

has maintained strong ties with space
exploration, the Olympics and the
James Bond franchise over the years.
The brands watches are also popular as
vintage collectibles; and creative
mastermind Payal Khandwala is one
such collector. I adore vintage watches,
she says. One of my favourites is a
De Ville automatic watch from the
1970s that has a day-date window in
Spanish. Khandwala bought hers
on eBay ve years ago.
74|
Brazilian artist Romero Britto was invited

to collaborate with the Swiss horologers
and recreate his colourful acrylic artwork.
Inspired by the pop art and cubist
movements, Brittos forms came to life
on the watch dial with the century-old
techniques of champlev and grand feu
enamelling. I love the elegance and
modernity of Hublot watches, says the
artist. You can wear them anytime,
with anything.
CALVIN KLEIN CLASSIC,

CALVIN KLEIN
BOSE KRISHNAMACHARI, ARTIST
I have a couple of watches from Calvin

Klein, says artist Bose Krishnamachari.
I like the black and white in this one,
the precise and sharp hour markers
and the extreme minimalism, he
says of the Classic, adding, I usually
like designs in extremityminimalism
juxtaposed with maximalism. The
American label has been known for
producing fashion-forward timepieces
since 1997, which it does at affordable
price points, which is what piqued
Krishnamacharis interest.
discover
PATRAVI CHRONODATE,
CARL F. BUCHERER
SANJAY PURI,
ARCHITECT
The easy-to-read date

window, chronograph
function and strong case
xed with seven screws
caught the eye of
award-winning
Mumbai-based AD50
architect Sanjay Puri,
while he was in transit at
Zurich airport. I love the
blue shade of the strap and
dial, he says. I checked the
price in three countries before
nally buying it in Mumbai.
IRONY CHRONO
RETROGRADE, SWATCH
COURTESY CASA PARADOX
MADHUSUDHANAN, ARTIST
TANK FRANAISE,
CARTIER
SUNEET VARMA,
FASHION DESIGNER
I love the Tank for its sharp and

classic design, says fashion designer
Suneet Varma. Known for his
embellished collections, Varma
was drawn to the curved case
and streamlined silhouette of this
particular timepiece a decade ago,
while on a trip to America. This
bestseller by Cartier was rst
launched in 1996, and is easily
recognizable for its angular dial
and chain-link bracelet.
76|
MASTER SQUARE,
FRANCK MULLER
RASEEL GUJRAL,
INTERIOR DESIGNER
With art deco inuences, this geometric

model was the rst pick for Raseel Gujral,
founder of Casa Paradox. Im a watch lover
and a diehard Franck Muller fan, she
admits, often choosing for her husband as
well. Her version of the Master Square is
studded with diamonds and tted with a
luxurious green leather strap, as Gujral
enjoys experimenting with colour.
With three counters on

dial, this sporty retrogra
has a graphic interface t
is complemented by its
chocolate leather strap
stitched edging. I was
gifted this watch by a d
friend who was travelli
abroad, says the Keral
based contemporary ar
and lmmaker. I dont
it as much for checking
time, but I wear it more
the memories of friends
that stretch endlessly lik
time, he adds.

!

"
#$%$%&

&&'
##
&&
$
( )$)
***$ )$)

SENAKA SENANAYAKE
SAKTI BURMAN
JOGEN CHOWDHURY
FOR THE
LOVE OF ART
Known to build aesthetically active visual experiences and contributing

to the growth of contemporary Indian art, Art Alive Gallery has carved a niche for itself in the world of art
If youre looking for a space that
showcases the best of Indian
contemporary art, head to Art Alive
Gallery. Here you will nd works by
both young and prominent artists
like SH Raza, Sakti Burman, Krishen
Khanna, Anjolie Ela Menon, Jogen
Chowdhury, Laxma Goud, Thota
Vaikuntam, Manu Parekh, Paresh
Maity, Sujata Bajaj, Jayasri Burman,
Senaka Senanayake, Mait Delteil, PR
Daroz, Raghu Rai, S Harsha Vardhana
and Narayan Sinha among others.
Dedicated to promoting
contemporary Indian art both
at home and abroad, Art Alive
Gallery hosts a number of
innovatively curated shows and
intra-disciplinary events.
The gallery has also showcased
works at various international
galleries like the Royal College of
Arts, London, Victoria and Albert
Museum, London and Jebiwool Art
Museum, Seoul among others.
Art Alive Gallery also works closely

with emerging artists from various
art institutions and provides them a
platform to showcase their works
through various projects.
Founded by Sunaina Anand, Art
Alive Gallery also publishes books on
contemporary Indian art and artists.
The most celebrated are Master
Serieslife and art of SH Raza, Thota
Vaikuntam and Laxma Goudand
the rst volume of Faces of Indian Art
PARESH MAITY
that offers an insider view into the

studio of artists through the lens of
Nemai Ghosh, along with insightful
proles by distinguished art writers
and critics. The gallerys most recent
publication, Sakti Burman focuses on
the artists works and was published
in collaboration with Skira, Italy.
Whats more, Art Alive Gallery also
has a separate division of specialists
who work closely with eminent
architects and interior designers to
curate works for hotels and high
prole homes. The gallery works
closely with the design team to
provide a bespoke portfolio of
artworks for various projects
including works of senior and
young emerging artists. Art

Alive Gallery also works with
contemporary artists on
commissions for large and
unique spaces.
S - 221 Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi.
For more information,
call 011-41639000/011-41638050,
email [email protected]
or visit www.artalivegallery.com
S NANDAGOPAL
perspective
EWSMAKERS, OPINIONS
HAT MATTER, PLUS
HE LATEST IN ART,
RCHITECTURE AND DESIG
CURATORIAL VISION
Sudarshan Shetty on the
rooftop of his warehouse
in Bhiwandi, Mumbai.
SPOTLIGHT
STYLIST: SAMIR WADEKAR
IN THE
STUDIO
Equal parts arena, shrine, refuge, and playground, artists
studios are where their creative ideas take form. visits seven
renowned contemporary artists at their workplaces to see the
spaces that inuence their methods and their madness
WRITER SANHITA SINHA CHOWDHURY
PHOTOGRAPHER NEVILLE SUKHIA
perspective

TREASURE HUNT
Taj Mahal, an artwork by Shetty stands
on the long desk in his studio; a vase
from the Every Broken Moment, Piece
by Piece series rests on a table in the
corner. An Untitled work by Shetty.
The work-in-progress sculpture that
will be exhibited in January 2016.
SUDARSHAN SHETTY
On a warehouse rooftop in Bhiwandi,

Mumbai, Sudarshan Shetty is building his
next big artwork. Entrusted with the
responsibility of curating the 2016 edition of
the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), Shetty is
currently a favourite on the Indian art circuit.
But here on the rooftop, he loses the curators
hat and becomes an artist. A wooden haveli,
with wobbly mouldings on its pillars, is under
construction. Ask Shetty about its significance
and he vaguely replies that it concerns the
performative aspects within the making

of objects.
For an artwork that is to be displayed at
the National Gallery of Modern Art, New
Delhi, from 15 January, 2016, the vagueness is
a bit scary. But a peek into the attic of his
Chembur studiostocked with lamps,
porcelain vases, metal figurines, all Chor
Bazaar discoveriesclears up doubts. A
regular flea-market visitor, he says, There are
many places and people I know and meet in
Chor Bazaar, who occasionally lead me to
ideas for my work. His artistic process relies on

such discoveries, Its like a chain of events.
One thing leads to another to open up even
more challenges.
Currently, the Biennale team has
taken refuge in his studio; desks for consultants
have been added on one end of a long table
scattered with reading material. Shetty wants
to expand the scope of KMB, to include
musicians, dancers and activists. It is through
these meetings that he hopes to discover the
events overarching theme.
ADELAIDE
Produced and Distributed by

Luxury Group
Luxury Interiors and Accessories for Exclusive Homes, Hotels, Executive Offices & Yachts
www.formitalia.it - [email protected]
MADE IN ITALY
perspective
SUBODH GUPTA

NERVES OF STEEL
Subodh Gupta stands next to Two Mechanised
Cows, a 2013 work in brass. A concrete skull is
stationed at the entrance to Guptas painting studio.
A work-in-progress piece. Guptas personal office
space in the sculpture studio has an Untitled 2014
stainless steel structure with brass pincers (on the
wall) and Atta, a 2010 work (in the foreground).
84|
In Gurgaon, standing on the first floor of his

massive sculpture studio designed by AD50
architect Ambrish Arora, Subodh Gupta
evaluates a wooden structure that is inspired
by the traditional homes of south India.
Each wooden slab of this work-in-progress
sculpture bears a sticker with a number.
They are to be disassembled and shipped to
Hauser & Wirths Somerset gallery for a solo
show opening on 12 February, 2016.
Barring this wooden piece, a concrete
skull on the third floor (never publicly
displayed), and a gathering of idols to be
showcased in the upcoming show,
everything else is made of stainless steel. At
one end of the ground floor, a compressed
gas stove rests against the wall; a heap of
gleaming vessels and gunny sacks with more
vessels dominate the other end; the space
in-between is occupied by craftsmen
welding together utensils of different sizes.
This studio clearly belongs to an artist in
demand. The pieces are produced in factorylike order. The ground floor is reserved for
making, the second for storing, and the third
for ideating and experimenting. This is one
of the two studios that Gupta owns; the
other is an equally massive Rajiv Sainidesigned space a short drive away. Both have
office spaces for Gupta. While the one in the
sculpture studio looks cared for, the one in
the painting studio is unkempt, all open
paint tubes and unwashed brushes. Painting
is what relaxes him the most; working with
watercolours is like meditation, he says. It
is, after all, the medium he started with.
perspective
SHILPA GUPTA
Try to draw the map of your country on a blank sheet of paper. Can
you make the right indents, or even outline its shape accurately? The
very borders that countries build armies to defend are impossible for
an average civilian to plot on paper. What if the suitcases we are
warned about through numerous announcements at train stations
and airports came dressed in white cloth with the words, There is
no explosive in this? Would the disclaimer make it less suspicious?
These are questions that puzzle artist Shilpa Gupta.
At her new studio in Bandra, Mumbai, designed by her
husband, Rajiv Saini, she tries to gauge my reaction to these weighty
issues. When asked why most of her work revolves around nation,
identity, religion and social conditions, Gupta replies, I am
constantly drawn to how objects get defined, and find myself
looking at zones where these definitions are played out, be it
borderlines, labels or ideas of censorship and security.
Its only been a few weeks since Gupta moved into this studio,
located next to Sainis office in a 1920s building. Her artworks lie
scattered around; a big ball of very neatly wound up seat belts
(Untitled) commands centre stage while the embroidered Stars on
Flags of theWorld waits to be unwrapped. The stillness of the space
will disappear in a few months, Gupta promises. While most of
her works are developed on-site, this is her ideating pad, where
she imagines how they will be displayed. The walls will be filled
with holes and marks, but right now I am scared to drill that first
hole, she says.
86|
(From top right)

MINIMALIST EDGE
Shilpa Gupta in a verandah-like space in her studio, which will
be her main workstation. A few artworks lie scattered in the
studioEye Test series (centre), Untitled (in the foreground),
There is No Explosive in This, an interactive installation and
series of photographs, and Stars on Flags of the World
(leaning against the wall).
perspective

CONFLICTED AREAS
Riyas Komu rests on Desert March,
a camel-shaped installation, made
using recycled wood and metal. The
top oor of the two-storey sculpture
studio. On International Workers
Day, (Gandhi from Kochi) in the
painting studio.
RIYAS KOMU
The sculpture studio of one of Indias most

politically aware artists looks more like a
wooden furniture workshop. Wood-carvers
chip away at blocks creating intricate designs,
which will be used to make a palanquin roof;
pillar-sized nilavilakkus (lamps) frame the
backdrop. The studio, Riyas Komu informs
me, used to be more active before he took on
the most challenging project of his 23-year
careerthe Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
So why did co-founder Bose
Krishnamachari and Komu decide to
organize what has now become perhaps

Indias most successful art event? Its worth
examining why, in a time of social and
economic prosperity, we are experiencing
colossal cultural and political decline. Art
cannot change the world or create a better
society, but it can create a means of resistance
that translates into action, something that is
rooted to the locality without being local,
Komu explains.
This thought process extends to his
practice, which began in 1992, the year
Ayodhyas Babri Masjid was demolished. I
follow the times and keep building an archive

of it. Through these objects and images, I try
to activate something that is beyond the
scope of art-making, Komu says. His
painting studio in Dahisar, a suburb in
Mumbai, is a short walk from the sculpture
studio and currently houses four paintings of
a gaunt but smiling Gandhi against a
communist-red backdrop. They had created
quite a stir in Kochi where they were
exhibited this year. Komus reaction: A
political engagement with the time we
are in...
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perspective
FACE TO FACE
Ravinder Reddy works on a clay model that will be
used to make a breglass sculpture. The 36-foottall scaffolding. A work-in-progress gilded head
and a breglass sculpture.
RAVINDER REDDY
Ravinder Reddys golden-skinned, wideeyed beauties, with their sharp noses and
thick lips are perhaps the most instantly
recognizable Indian artworks of recent
times. These colossal fibreglass heads awe
viewers with their size and unblinking eyes,
but Reddy remains unfazed by their
grandiosity. In Madhurawada, on the
outskirts of Visakhapatnam, he has carved
out a slice of solitude.
A 36-foot-tall scaffolding greets you at
the entrance to Reddys studio. Parts of a
womans fibreglass head lie scattered
beneath it; pieces of the artists dream
project. A few years ago, the Delhi
Development Authority (DDA) invited the
countrys top contemporary artists to come
up with ideas for a permanent installation.
Reddy proposed creating a 21-foot-tall
female head carrying a 9-foot-tall stack of
baggageto reflect the citys migration
problems. I havent heard from the DDA, I
presume they dropped the idea. But since I
had thought of it, I couldnt not make it,
explains Reddy.
As a student, Reddy was inspired by a
quote by Romanian artist, Constantin
Brncusi: Create like a god, command like a
king, work like a slavea belief evident in
the fact that, even at 59, Reddy still works six
days a week. As for creating like a god, he
says, I am obsessed with monumentality
and with permanence, not in terms of
material but in the sense of surpassing the
time and period.
90|
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perspective
(From this picture)
WHITE SPACE
Atul Dodiya in his studio. On the desk
is the photograph that inspired his
painting Police crackdown, Bombay,
9th July, 1930.
ATUL DODIYA
Atul Dodiya has built an enormous studio

for himself in the business district of
Ghatkopar in Mumbai. The building it is
located in primarily houses small financial
firms or start-ups. But take the elevator to
the seventh floor and beyond a tall iron
door, is a light-filled 8,000-square-foot
white cube. The first thing that strikes you
about the spacedesigned by Dodiyas
friend and architect, Sen Kapadiais that its
impeccably neat. I like to be able to see
everything at once when I am working,

Dodiya explains.
Adding pops of colour to this otherwise
monochromatic space are Dodiyas
artworks, and trolleys stacked with ceramic
pickle jars filled with brushes and paints
spray cans, oil paints, watercolours and
enamel paints. The generous space allows
him to work simultaneously on two or
three projects.
I am quite at ease to shift from, say,
subtle watercolours to painting with
industrial enamel paint on a heavy metal

shutter. Dodiyas work with metal shutters
in 2001 for the Tate Modern put him on the
international map, and his recent woodencabinet installations (7000 Museums: A
Project for the Republic of India) at Dr
Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum was
quite a hit. Paint, though, is his favourite
medium. As a young boy, I could draw well
and observed the surroundings minutely;
for that obvious reason, it became my first
love, he says.
perspective
REENA SAINI KALLAT
Sitting at her desk in her Bandra studio, in Mumbai, Reena Saini

Kallat writes, on thin strips of butter paper, about her newest
creationthe Sun-poe, a cross between two birds, the hoopoe
and the Cinnyris osea. The latter, also known as the Palestine sunbird,
ruffled the feathers of the Israelis, who demanded that the bird be
renamed if it was to be chosen as the countrys national bird. When
that didnt work, Israel selected another bird instead: the hoopoe. In
her rented studio of seven years, Reena writes about how nature
often unwittingly finds itself in the midst of human conflict.
The subject of coexistence has occupied her for over a decade,
and her latest work, a series titled Hyphenated Lives, is a
reimagining of mutations within the natural world. Here, new
hypothetical cross-bred species of birds, animals, trees and flowers
otherwise foregrounded as various countries national symbolsare
combined to symbolically unify the nations they represent.
Next up are an outdoor text-based work forming a zebra
crossing, a photo-piece, and some new drawings for upcoming
projects in New Delhi, China and America. A chunk of Reenas
time is also dedicated to monitoring the construction of a studio in
Byculla, which she will share with her husband Jitish. Rajiv Saini,
Reenas brother, had initially come up with a basic plan for the
studio, but due to repeated run-ins with the BMC over the
property, Jitish and Reena decided to keep things simple and settled
for a no-frills design. The run-ins, however, still continue, forcing
Reena to lead a hyphenated life, in-between studios.
94|
(From top right)

MIDDLE GROUND
Reena Saini Kallat in her Bandra studio; Saline Notations (Echoes),
digital print on Hahnemhle photo rag archival paper and Paper
Machine are visible in the frame. The Rio Grande River and OakPalm from the Hyphenated Lives series are stacked on the left.
PARIS / JANUARY 22-26, 2016 / SEPTEMBER 2-6, 2016

PARIS NORD VILLEPINTE
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HIGHLY
INSPIRED IN
PARIS
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SAFI ORGANISATION, A SUBSIDIARY OF ATELIERS DART DE FRANCE AND REED EXPOSITIONS FRANCE / TRADE ONLY / DESIGN BE-POLES - IMAGE DR - ZIMINDMITRY
perspective
COURTESY BOND BY DESIGN: THE ART OF THE JAMES BOND FILMS BY DK
(From this picture)

OLD MADE NEW
A sketch by Ken Adam, who designed the
stainless-steel- and leather-clad boardroom
for the evil organization SPECTRE in
Thunderball (1965). Dennis Gassner,
production designer for Spectre (2015), has
reimagined the boardroom. The lms poster.
SPOTLIGHT
With the newest James Bond lm Spectre, soon in theatres,

production designer Dennis Gassner gives exclusive inputs
on the cutting-edge sets built for the MI6 agents life on screen
he James Bond effect contends that your rst James Bond is usually
your favourite. Of the six (ofcial) Bonds, Sean Connery, Roger
Moore, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig share the bulk of fans.
And yet, there are men whove contributed just as much for
queen and countryeven if not in front of the camera. Men who operate in the
shadows (or behind the scenes) to create the worlds that weve come to know
and love. Were talking, of course, about the production designers, like Sir Ken
Adam, Peter Lamont and Dennis Gassner. If youve ever been thrilled, surprised
or simply entertained by the sets and locations in a Bond lm, chances are
youve appreciated their work.
See Adams use of architect John Lautners iconic Elrod House in Palm
Springs in Diamonds are Forever; or the arachnid-inspired submersible lair in The
Spy Who Loved Me. Or Lamonts colourful choice of Udaipurs grand Lake Palace
(Octopussy), and the monumental Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico
(GoldenEye). Or, more recently, Gassners use of Auer+Webers Paranal
Residencia hotel in Chile (Quantum of Solace).
Gassner, production designer for the Bond movies since Quantum, spoke
to AD in a cryptic interview (no spoilers!) about the latest lm Spectre, which is
set to be released in India on 20 November. Its a continuation of the history
of the Bond lms. Its a journey that takes James Bond to a place that we
>
98|
POSTER AND FILM STILL COURTESY SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
WRITER TYREL RODRICKS
Bespoke Soft Furnishings

Client: Parineeti Chopra
Project: Private Residence
TULIPS STORE PUNE

+91 787 5555 416
Gaikwad Avenue, Aundh
TULIPS STORE BANGALORE

+91 888 4427 659
St. Marks Road
TULIPS STORE DELHI

Opening Soon
Defence Colony
TULIPS OFFICE HYDERABAD

+91 934 6237 181
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Architect: Shabnam Gupta
The living room features customised curtains,

upholstery and cushions with potli trims, hand
embroidery, appliqu, digital printing and
crochet; designed to perfectly compliment the
home as well as the clients quirky personality.
perspective
SKYFALL RENDERING AND SKETCH COURTESY BOND

BY DESIGN: THE ART OF THE JAMES BOND FILMS BY DK
CHRIS ROSEWARNE

ABOVE & BELOW
The Ice Q restaurant in Slden,
Austria, as reimagined by Gassner
for Spectre. In Skyfall (2012), Gassner
designed the MI6 underground
bunker including the smallest details,
seen in the sketch of the pillars.
< want him to goon an adventure. And he ventures into an
exotic world that all the audiences know.

Adam already had 34 lms to his credit when he took on
the monumental task of creating a world of espionage and
wonderment in 1962s Dr No. The lm gave him a chance to build
something modern, with new ideas and new materials. The result
was a tour de force of German expressionism and modern design.
Dr No had a meagre budget. Author Ian Flemings James Bond
was not yet a world-renowned franchise on screen, and previous
efforts had proved unremarkable. Adam famously created the
Tarantula Room on a miniscule 450. In lieu of props, he used
forced perspective and Caligari-esque shadows (inspired by the
German impressionism in Robert Wienes 1920 lm The Cabinet of
Dr Caligari) to create a sense of dread in an almost bare room.
Over the years, Adam built a world for each Bond either by
himself or by inspiring his successors. Like Gassner, who says of the
movie that inspired his work for the three most recent Bond lms:
I go back to Dr No and Ken Adam [who] started it; thats the
model Ive always looked at, with how the franchise started. Ive
been trying to keep that emotion alive.
THE NAMES CRAIG
Daniel Craigs run as Bond began in 2006 with Casino Royale, which
100|
represented a reboot for the seriesin terms of how seriously the

movies took themselves, and also how seriously the audience was
compelled to take them. Lamontwho rst took on the role of
production designer for 1981s For Your Eyes Onlywas given the
onus of creating a realistic, yet magnicent world for Craigs Bond.
It is thanks to him that the neo-baroque Grandhotel Pupp and the
Kaiserbad Spa are xed in peoples minds as the Hotel Splendide
and Casino Royale, respectively.
In Quantum of Solace, and then Skyfall, Gassner took on the
responsibility of setting this modern Bond in the real worlda far
cry from some of the outlandish sets of previous Bond lms. In
Skyfall, he based Silvas (Javier Bardem) lair on Hashimaa deserted
island off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan. For the silhouetted ght
sequence between Craigs Bond and Ola Rapaces Patrice, Gassner
turned the 007 soundstage into a psychedelic, neon-infused arena.
SETS APPEAL
Like the organization for which it is named, Spectre is a mysterious
entity, with little known of its story or the sets built; trailers reveal
eeting glimpses. While Morocco stays under wraps, were shown
a version of the magnicent Ice Q restaurant in Slden, a ski resort
in Austria (designed by Innsbruck-based architect Johann
Obermoser), and a high-speed car chase through the streets >
perspective
DB10 PHOTOS COURTESY ASTON MARTIN
IMAGE COURTESY BOND BY DESIGN: THE ART

OF THE JAMES BOND FILMS BY DK
COURTESY SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT

GAINING SPEED
The Aston Martin DB10 on the road and a rendering of the
cars introductory scene in Spectre. A rendering of the Day
of the Dead celebrations Gassner designed for Spectres
opening scene. Spectres M, played by Ralph Fiennes.
location, at the top of Slden. Its modern and exciting, visually

interesting and works well for the story. Its quite a rare spot to go
to and it had the right tone for the lm, says Gassner.
The one Spectre spectacle we were given a preview of was the
lms grand opening in Zcalo, Mexico Citys main square.
Gassner says, When the Day of the Dead came up, I was
extremely happy, because its been something I have been watching
for a long timebeing from California. But its how you go about
doing it and its never really been represented very well like Mardi
Gras or the [Rio de Janeiro] carnival. The Day of the Dead has
been a little bit under the radar. Its an odd and wonderful
presentation of a culture using skeletons as a romantic image. The
Mexicans were absolutely wonderful to work with. They were
passionate about displaying the festival and that brought a lot of
great energy to the scene. It was one of the more exciting things I
have done in my career.
James Bond is 24 movies old, and given what weve seen, a 25th
is bound to be on its way soon after. With Gassner? Im always
ready for a Bond lm, he says. Only three Bond lms in, the
production designer is already on his way to becoming as integral
to the series as Adam and Lamont were.
Readers polls in recent years have rated Connery and Craig as
the best Bondsmen who have perfectly embodied the MI6
agents suave and occasionally boorish swagger. There are rarely
polls that pit one lm set against another, but if there were,
Gassners sets, courtesy a combination of talent, advanced
technology and bigger budgets, would clearly be frontrunners.
What remains to be seen is whether or not they leave
audiences shaken, stirred or both.
102|
KIM FREDERIKSEN
< of Rome. The Ice Q was really the inspiration in nding the
THE SPY WHO LOVED ASTON MARTIN

James Bond has driven cars that werent Aston Martins
but youd never know it. The England-based automaker
has provided six models for the series so far, and is as
synonymous with the secret agent as Bond girls and
vodka martinis.
In Spectre, Aston Martin takes this relationship
a step further. The DB10 is the rst Aston designed
and manufactured just for Bond; no more cars will be
produced or soldminus the one that will be auctioned
for charity. The cars were collaboratively designed by the
Aston Martin team and Spectre director Sam Mendes.
And, interestingly enough, in a throwback to the Bond
lms of old, three DB10s were equipped with ejector seats.
Each of the 10 DB10s is tted with a V8 engine that
takes it to a top speed of 306 km/h and from 0-100 km/h
in 4.7 seconds. More noticeably, the DB10 has a new
design that indicates the future for the next generation of
Aston Martinsminus, sadly, that ejector seat.
KASHMIR, PEARL, INDIA BAROQUE
WALLS
OF FAME
Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjeein collaboration with Nilaya,

an exquisite offering from Asian Paintsbreathes new life into your home
with his unique India-inspired motifs on a range of luxe wallpapers
RANTHAMBORE, INDIGO, JODHPUR
Fashion icon, Sabyasachi makes the

ubiquitous wall his canvas. Using
traditional handicrafts and
techniques, he turns each wall into a
work of art. Rich and layered, much
like his musethe vast, varied
theatre that is Indiahis creations
are an interestingly compiled
combination of sublime prints,
colours, designs and materials that
adorn these surfaces.
Wallpapers transform into pieces of
art and fashionmuch like the
couture you would expect out of the
designers atelier. Whats more, it is
an absolutely green product with
organic colours which are handmixed in the designs. He uses
indigenous methods of bandhani,
gota work, pure khadi Banarasi saris,
block printing, unbleached and
kantha-embroidered hand-woven
fabrics to make these handmade
wallpapers for Nilaya by Asian
Paints, rendering each one a
true masterpiece.
The ve transcendent lines designed
exclusively for NilayaJodhpur,
India Baroque, Spice Route, Varanasi
and Makhmaleach depict India in
all its glory.
JAMDANI, PISTA, VARANASI
MITHU MIYAN, CINNAMON, SPICE ROUTE
Jodhpur showcases the myriad

shades of blueindigo, navy,
Prussianand designs that reect
what the city has been traditionally
famous for: hand-painted pottery,
block prints, enamel, rugs and
dhurries.
India Baroque exudes the luxurious
side of the country, when less was
never more and more never
enoughwhether royal palaces,
Cartier jewellery or Bentleys. The
wallpapers that come from this line
are made for connoisseurs of
extreme luxury.
Spice Route draws its inspiration
from the fabled spices of India
cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay
leaves, star aniseall fragrant, exotic
and potent, while Makhmal, a
symbol of wealth and aristocracy,
stands testament to the regality and
splendour of eras gone by.
SURAHI, CAMPHOR, MAKHMAL
Finally, Varanasi, one of the oldest

living cities in the world, home to
scholars, poets, artists and master
craftsmen, stands for art and culture
at its best. This collection draws
inspiration from Peeli Kothi, a street
in Varanasi where the most opulent
saris are traded every day.
BATER, LAPIZ, INDIA BAROQUE
www.asianpaints.com/nilaya | /worldofnilaya |
worldofnilaya
perspective
ACCESS
by
Coming from a long line of collectors, Bangladesh-based NADIA SAMDANI spent her childhood
surrounded by art. Now one of South Asias biggest art patrons herself, she explains
to what drives her new acquisitions
ollecting came quite naturally to me. My parents are

collectors of Bangladeshi modern art, and at the age of
20, when I had the nancial means to buy works on
my own, it was tting that my rst acquisition was of
Bangladeshi avant-garde artist Sheikh Mohammed
Sultan, whose artworks I had grown up with. Because I was born in
England and spent some of my formative years there, collecting the
Young British Artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, and
Marc Quinn also happened through a natural afnity with British
visual culture.
Although Ive never had a formal education in art, I have, in a
sense, always been studying it, since a large part of my weekly routine
involves visiting local artists, looking at images with the staff of our
not-for-prot Samdani Art Foundation, and taking visitors on tours
of my collection; most of my international travel is related to visiting
exhibitions and art fairs. I am also a member of the Tates South Asia
Acquisitions Committee, the Tates International Council, and the
New Museums International Leadership Council, and through >
108|
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): TOM PARKER; ANISH KAPOOR & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION
COLLECTION; STEFAN ALTENBURGER & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION COLLECTION

ROOM TO REFLECT
Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani at their home in Dhaka; behind them is the
painting titled Desires, from the Flows Properties series by Italian artist
Francesca Leone. The Samdanis looked for a piece by Anish Kapoor
for nearly a year before purchasing this one at Art Basel in 2014.
M.2062 (Fitzcarraldo) is a 2014 work by Paris-based artist Dominique
Gonzalez-Foerster.
perspective
This four-panel graphite artwork by Bangladeshi artist
Ayesha Sultana is the couples most recent acquisition.
BEYOND BORDERS
I believe art is a universal language and shouldnt be divided by region.
Although our Foundation focuses on South Asian artit tells the story
of modern and contemporary South Asian art and strategically links it
across historical and geographical bordersI collect art from all over
the world. Our future art centre in Sylhet, Bangladesh will not have a
South Asian remit, but will still be deeply tied to South Asia. For
example, I have some Rembrandt etchings in my personal collection
and many people dont know that he collected and copied Mughal
miniature paintings, as did Matisse, another artist in my collection.
Becoming a collector was a very instinctual process, and one day, I
came to the point where the collection was not something that could
just hang on the walls in my house. This was when we had to hire a
professional team to keep inventory, and condition reports, and to
build a storage facility to protect the artworks. Our collection is
currently kept at our residence, where people can visit by
appointment. We often have visitors from embassy delegations and
schools, and even international collectors who know of us courtesy the
BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors (a book listing all the private
collections open to the public across the world). We have artworks on
display in our different ofces, and regularly lend some of them to
institutions and museums around the world.
We live in a six-storey house and rotate the artworks on display
every 18 months, making fresh connections between the works. Just
the mental process takes the full 18 months; the physical rehanging
usually takes two to three months. We try to change almost every
artwork in the house, except for one wall, which we call the
>
Lost and Found by Pakistani sculptor and photographer
Huma Mulji in fibreglass and buffalo hide.
An instrument from the Disarm series by

Mexican artist Pedro Reyes.
Walk Under A White Sky, a triptych by

Massinissa Selmani, is being exhibited at the
2015 Venice Biennale.
110|
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP): AYESHA SULTANA & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION COLLECTION; STEFAN ALTENBURGER & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION
COLLECTION; COURTESY OF MASSINISSA SELMANI & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION COLLECTION; PEDRO REYES & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION COLLECTION
< my interactions with these institutions, my knowledge of art is

constantly increasing.
masierogroup.com
Orgogliosamente Luce Made in Italy
perspective
< Tagore wall. It has 14 works by Rabindranath Tagore,
Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore. More than
collecting, what I now enjoy is sharing, and thats why we host the
Dhaka Art Summit. Often, when people acquire a work of art, it
disappears from public view. I feel that I have a responsibility to
share my passion for collecting art and the artists passion for creating
with the public.
Abandons Its Own Territory, Goes Beyond Its Borders,

a 2014 work by French artist Philippe Parreno.
112|
Sky Fold 2, a folded paper and light

cyanogram, by multimedia artist Neha Choksi.
A part of the Tagore wall at the Samdanis residence.
The Rankin Street, 1953 series from 2013 by

another Bangladeshi artist, Naeem Mohaiemen.
(FROM TOP) NEHA CHOKSI & PROJECT 88, MUMBAI; TOM PARKER; NAEEM MOHAIEMEN & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION
COLLECTION; ANDREA ROSSETTI & THE SAMDANI ART FOUNDATION COLLECTION
FAIR PLAY
When it comes to acquiring art, while we also use the traditional
routes of art fairs, auctions and galleries, we think its important to
support artists as patronsso we buy on the primary market for
living artists, who dont make any money when their work sells at
auctions. Auctions are important though, because they give us access
to rare works.
Rather than a traditional art advisor, we employ a full-time curator,
Diana Campbell Betancourt, who travels all over the world to bring the
best of South Asian and international art into our collection. She also
runs the artistic side of our foundation and the Dhaka Art Summit. We
also have a producer, Eve Lemesle, who helps us with framing,
lighting, and installing the artworks.
My husband Rajeeb and I are very active in the acquisition process
and we plan for each work long in advance. A good example is our
recent acquisition of works by the young Algeria-born artist Massinissa
Selmani. We fell in love with his work in Singapore in October 2014,
and this August, we were nally able to nd the right ones for us.
They are currently at the Venice Biennale and will come to Bangladesh
after November.
My art collection has nothing to do with nancial investment,
though its considered a trend these days. There is a sense of freedom
when you remove the investment element from the equation. Some of
our works are so large that we need special buildings to show them,
making the sale of the work impossible. Others, such as Huma Muljis
Lost and Found, are so fragile, we arent even sure they will last forever.
Being a connoisseur means having the ability to discern what the best
art is; it takes training and commitment to make sure what you are
buying is right, and not dictated by the trends of the market. But
being a collector is having the passion to acquire artworks and the
commitment to maintain and share them in their best light.
BENGALURU
080-40382600
CHENNAI
044-42038800
MUMBAI
KOLKATA
022-24360590 033-22820888
MOHALI
0172-6540003
MADURAI
0452-2530000
Dealer enquiries on exclusive basis, solicited :

New Delhi Hyderabad Kochi Coimbatore
For enquires call: +91 9742391054 / 080 - 40382600
Visit us at : www.alno.de / www.alno.in
NAGERCOIL
04652-220501
I t a l y, P u g l i a .
Natuzzi blends function and design to create spaces of perfect harmony.

Spaces conceived to make us feel good and surround us with beauty.
Puglia is what inspires us and always has: our land, our muse.
Come visit us and create a 3D model of your new living room. We look forward to seeing you.
NATUZZI INDIA CORPORATE OFFICE : First India Place, IInd Floor, Block B, MG Road, Gurgaon, Haryana, India,
Ph: + 91 124 4028840, e-mail: [email protected]
w w w. n a t u z z i . i n
perspective
(From this picture)
WATER VIEW
The Prez Art Museum Miami,
which was designed by
Switzerland-based architectural
rm Herzog & de Meuron. The
pool at the Soho Beach House,
a hotel and members club.
TRAVEL
Welcome
TO MIAMI
For a week in December, this American city turns into a
hotspot of art, design and cultured living
COURTESY SOHO BEACH HOUSE
PHOTO: ANGEL VALENTIN
WRITER DIANA CAMPBELL BETANCOURT
he Atlantic Ocean is much larger than it seems when it

comes to the international art world. Be it the distance,
or the lack of government-funding and cultural councils
to support its travel, art from the Americas does not
circulate as much as it should in India, or even Europe for that
matter. This is why a visit to Miami during the Art Basel Miami
Beach fairthis year, from 3 to 6 Decemberis a good idea for
serious collectors, who want to get a sense of the bigger global
picture of contemporary art beyond Asia and Europe.
Miami is a hub for collectors from both American continents,
as well as the Caribbeanmany of whom have opened up their
collections to the public. This week in Miami is infamous for its
all-night poolside parties; so its important to plan out what you
want to do ahead of time so you dont get swept away in the citys
revelry and miss the art entirely. The art will speak for itself;
this is just a guide of not-to-miss venues when navigating through
the week.
ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH
Get to the fair early in order to see art from 267 of the worlds best
galleries all under one roof. There is a very strict selection process to
be a part of the fair; so you can walk in assured that what you see will
be good. My rst stop is usually the Nova section, where galleries >
116|
< feature a small number of artists, and
exhibit works that have been created within

the last three years, that have often never
been seen before. The sole gallery from India
is GallerySKEin Bengaluru and New
Delhiand they will be showing the works
of David Alesworth, Sudarshan Shetty and
Avinash Veeraraghavan. There are 33 other
galleries that are worth checking out for a
snapshot of whats new in the art world.
NADA MIAMI BEACH 2015
One of my regrets from past trips to Miami
in December is missing the opening of
NADA. The New Art Dealers Alliance
opens on 3 December this year, with
relatively young galleries showing some of
the best emerging art in the country. Many
of Americas current art darlings had their
market debuts at NADA, and if you get to
the fair too late, the works will be sold out
because of the relatively low price points
118|
COURTESY CISNEROS FONTANALS ART FOUNDATION

ART-SCAPE
A view of the Impulse, Reason, Sense, Conict exhibition at the Cisneros Fontanals Art
Foundation (CIFO), featuring abstract art from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros (EFC) collection.
A view of the Permission To Be Global exhibition at CIFO, also featuring art from the EFC
collection. The de la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space. The information desk at the
New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) art fair, which coincides with Art Basel Miami Beach.
COURTESY CISNEROS FONTANALS ART FOUNDATION
PHOTO: DAWN BLACKMAN
perspective
matched with exceptional quality. Artists

like Hugh Scott-Douglas have had their
critical debut in NADA. Its a great place to
look for young, new talent.
DESIGN MIAMI
Design Miami is one of the leading design
fairs in the world, and presents museumquality objects of 20th- and 21st-century
design in a laid-back environment. The
Design Talks programme is especially
dynamic. Early-career architects design the
fairs environment anew each year, as part of
the fairs Design Commissions programme.
There is even a section called Design Curio,
a relatively new platform for leading
tastemakers to put together cabinets of
curiosities throughout the fair.
MUSEUMS
In 2013, the Prez Art Museum Miami
(PAMM) moved into a beautiful building
designed by Pritzker-prize-winning
architecture rm Herzog & de Meuron.
This year, in the museums double-height
Project Gallery, Bengaluru-based artist
Sheela Gowda will create a newly
commissioned installation that responds
to the museums architecture. Dont miss
Jamaica-born artist Nari Wards mid-career
retrospective, Sun Splashed, which will
also be on at the museum.
Where PAMM is grand in scale, the
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA
Miami) is grand in ideas as it waits to move
to a new permanent building in the Design
District. Alex Gartenfeld, ICA Miamis
>

!!"#$ %& '()***( '()

ART OF LIVING
The seafront Faena Hotel Miami Beach
(extreme left). Inside the Bi-level Suite
at The Setai. Mandolin at the Beach,
a restaurant at Soho
Beach House, started in
collaboration with the
Mandolin Aegean Bistro.
The Casa Tua restaurant.
< deputy director, is one of the most
promising young curators at the moment

and is co-curating the 2018 Triennial at
New Yorks New Museum. Check out the
solo exhibition of American video and
performance artist Alex Bag, known for her
satirical commentary on contemporary
media culture.
MIAMI MODEL COLLECTIONS
The Rubell familypioneers of the Miami
model, where private collectors create a new
kind of museumhas one of the largest
private collections in America, and thematic
exhibitions drawn from the collection are
installed in an impressive 45,000-squarefoot repurposed conscated-goods facility of
the Drug Enforcement Agencyso very
Miami! In a similar large converted
warehouse in the Wynwood Arts District,
the Margulies Collection boasts beautifully
curated permanent installations by many
artists including Amar Kanwar, Anselm
Kiefer, Dan Flavin and Sol LeWitt. In a
similar vein, the Cisneros Fontanals Art
Foundation (CIFO) plays an active role in
supporting production and commissions by
young artists from Latin America. And the
120|
de la Cruz Collectionan extension of

collector couple Rosa and Carlos de la Cruzs
homesupports the Miami artistic scene
with commissioning opportunities for
young artists against the backdrop of a strong
international contemporary art collection.
LIVING, SHOPPING & EATING
Taking in all of the art and design of the city
requires a calm space to recharge. The Setai,
a beautiful hotel with Asian inspiration in its
design and Zen-like atmosphere, is only
about three blocks from the convention
centre that hosts Art Basel Miami Beach.
The Miami Beach EDITION, The Standard
Spa, The Shore Club, and W South Beach
are fantastic hotels with great Miami charm.
For something more upbeat, check out
the Soho Beach House. The beachside
service is impeccable and you will see the
whos who of Miami here. The Faenas are
among the leading art collectors in the
world, and their new property, Faena Hotel
Miami Beachwhich follows in the
footsteps of their luxury hotel in Buenos
Aireswill open in Miami just in time for
Art Basel. Auteur Baz Luhrmann and his
wife Catherine Martin, an award-winning
production and costume designer, are in

charge of the hotels interiors, uniforms and
cultural programming.
For shopping, do not miss the multibrand boutique The Webster, owned by
Laure Hriard-Dubreuil, wife of American
artist Aaron Young. Parisian chic meets
Miami vice in this three-level boutique in
the Art Deco District, with a particularly
impressive shoe section.
Miami has an incredible culinary scene
inspired by the mix of cultures present in the
city. For elegant 1920s American dining in
the Design District, check out the Cypress
Room. For people who love steak, Prime 112
is one of the oldest gourmet steakhouses in
America, and this is one of my rst dining
stops on any trip to Miami. For ambience, I
love Casa Tua, which is set inside a boutique
inn and serves great northern Italian food.
For a healthy lunch, check out the
homemade Greek and Turkish fare at the
Mandolin Aegean Bistro. For a late
dinnerafter partying at the annual Le
Baron pop-up partiescheck out the Miami
location of New Yorks The Dutch in the
W South Beach for American comfort food
and people-watching.
COURTESY FAENA
COURTESY SOHO BEACH HOUSE
perspective
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perspective
PHOTO
PUNJABI BAROQUE
Artists JITEN THUKRAL and SUMIR TAGRA uncover the cultural meaning behind the surreal
architectural creations they discovered and photographed in Beas, Punjab
ur ongoing project, Escape deals with desires,

reveries and nostalgia. One of its main focuses is a
postmodern architectural style commonly referred
to as Punjabi Baroque that can be found
throughout India. Vulgar and ostentatious, confused and
desperately misguided, the style has been propagated by builders
without the assistance of architects, reecting the jumble of
sensibilities that come together to create the new exploding
middle-class of India.
This project documents outlandish water tanks built upon
manors in Beas, Punjab, a small town adjacent to the river in the
Amritsar district. These houses often act like lighthouses or
landmarks, to help people nd their way. The tanks themselves
are unclassiable adaptations of a rococo-like stylethe outcome
of a postmodern practice that can be seen across India, prevalent
in this nouveau riche society. The facades of these manors are
decoratedlike icing on a cakemaking the structures even
more ostentatious, and the tanks are the cherry on top.
We have documented the principles and customs of the area,
to gain knowledge for use in our artworks. The children in these
areas grow up with the thought of leaving the country, and the
distance they travel denes their success. These engorged
manors are often empty, supporting emblems on their rooftops
that act as objects of prestigewhich leads to more questions
than answers. Are they dreams attained under pressure or acts
of escapism? Or are they simply symbols of our rapidly
developing society?
perspective
124|
PHOTOS FROM INQUISITIVE MINDS BY THUKRAL AND TAGRA, FROM THE ESCAPE SERIES
The [water] tanks themselves are

unclassiable adaptations of a rococolike stylethe outcome of a postmodern
practice that can be seen across India,
prevalent in this nouveau riche society.
perspective
PHOTO: PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES, KIOYAR LTD
SHOWING THE WAY

Artist and curator Damien
Hirst (below) designed four
stained-glass windows for
his Newport Street Gallery.
Adjacent to the signage is an
LED screen.
ICON
H
Join artist Damien Hirst on his journey from
creator to curator as he opens his Newport Street
Gallery in London
WRITER NONIE NIESEWAND
ANTON CORBIJN
he date was 7 Octoberthe place, Lambeth in London.

Closeted in the brick building of Londons latest gallery
that spans half of Newport Street, critics had assembled
to witness the art event of the year: the debut of Damien
Hirst as the curator of his new gallery. Spanning ve buildings and
reportedly built at a cost of approximately 25 million, the
Newport Street Gallery is free to the public. It has been funded by
Hirst to showcase some of the 3,000 paintings and sculptures that
he owns and to house his studio called Science.
Three of the gallerys buildings are historic Edwardian
structures. Converted by architecture studio Caruso St John, they
served as scenery-painting studios for West End theatres. With
the addition of two new buildings at either end, the 37,000square-foot gallery space is impressive. One of the central galleries
has a height of 36 feet beneath a ziggurat rooine, as jagged as
the sharks teeth in Hirsts famous artwork preserved in
>
128|
perspective
PHOTO: YUKI SHIMA, KIOYAR LTD
PHOTO: KIOYAR LTD
PHOTO: PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES, KIOYAR LTD

INSIDE STORY
Gallery one of the Newport Street Gallery
introduces the solo show of John Hoyland.
Passing rail commuters will be able to read the
LED screen on the facade. This compressed
oval staircase spirals from the three galleries on
the ground oor to the upper-level galleries.
< formaldehyde, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of
Someone Living (1991), which is said to have sold for 12 million.

Hirst now says he regrets buying the 14-foot tiger shark from an
Australian bounty hunter.
DISPLAY CASE
Will his new gallery showcase his notorious forensic pieces, like
the white woolly lamb in Away from the Flock (1994)? Maybe even his
famous luminous spot paintings that the late writer Gordon Burn
described as what art looks like viewed through an imaginary
microscope? And possibly the spinning butteries from his series
of Blue Paintings, shown in 2009 beside the Fragonards and
Bonnards in the sedate salons of the Wallace Collection in London.
His diamond-encrusted skull, which sold for 50 million in 2007
to a consortium, is bound to be on a pedestal there at some point.
130|
Not since the launch of the Young British Artists (YBA)a

globally renowned art movement of which Hirst was the driving
forcein the Sensation exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts
in 1997, have jaded critics and blas gallerists gathered to await his
art collection in such a hubbub of excitement. Its a fantastic
opportunity to wear the curators hat for a change, Hirst says,
playing down his own art. Its a great honour to curate things, to
get to play with other peoples work and use them as elements in
your own composition.
TOUR DE FORCE
At 11 am, the 12-foot-tall outer doors to the white-walled galleries
swung open for a tour led by senior curator Hugh Allan, along
with the architect Peter St John. John Hoyland: Power Stations
Paintings 1964-1982, the show for which Hirst had been preparing
for three years, was under way. He admits to making a model of
the gallery and choosing all the places for each painting, which has
been done visually, far more important than chronologically.
First into the luminous gallery is the biggest private collector of
Asian art in New Delhi, Lekha Poddar and her curator son
Anupam. She rarely buys from galleries and makes a point to travel
to artists studios, to meet, and talk with them. Just as well, as apart
from some Hirst memorabilia, like his jewel-encrusted skulls in the
tiny shop, nothing is for sale here.
It was to everyones surprise that Hirst debuted with the works
of Hoyland (1934-2011), who was a British abstract painter not
much celebrated in his lifetime. Swirling suns in orange and red in
a purpling sky spin amongst orbs of light, and volcanic explosions
of colour burst across 34 canvases, all owned by Hirst, in six
>
perspective
< galleries dedicated solely to his paintings. Power Stations is
PRICE OF FAME
Like Hirst currently, Hoyland was not the most popular painter
in the British art world. Unlike Hirst, however, he is not the most
internationally revered. In America, art dealers are stockpiling
Hirst works, believing that his new gallery will resurrect their
value. New York art dealer Jose Mugrabi, who owns 120 artworks
by him, told The Wall Street Journal that, Damien Hirst is in the
same situation as Warhol was in the 1990s. I love Damien at
$10,000 and I love him at $10 million. The price is secondary because
I know people love him, and in the end, they will pay for him.
In a curious twist, Hirsts work slumped in value when he
bypassed galleries and took his work directly to Sothebys for an
auction in 2008, which raised a record 111 million. The market
then ooded and the value of his work slumped to 2005 levels.
Worse, the sale took place on the same day that the Lehman
Brothers collapsed. Subsequently, in 2009, one in three of the
1,700 pieces by Hirst that went up for sale failed to sell.
Afterwards, Oliver Barker, the deputy chairman of Sothebys
Europe, told The Wall Street Journal: None of us intended to
devalue his market but suddenly, after that sale, the lustre of
Damien Hirst was gone. All of which goes to show the power
that dealers have to determine how much a work of art is worth.
Don Thompson, author of The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The
Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, points out that in the art
market the key part of the word contemporary is temporary.
Time, and fashion, inuence collectors.
So now we have a chance to evaluate Hirst and his eye for
contemporary art, as well as his generosity as a philanthropist
sharing his private collection, and his preoccupations, with the
public. A great deal more hangs upon Hirsts Newport Street
gallery than John Hoylands exuberant paintings.
John Hoyland: Power Stations Paintings 1964-1982 will

be on at the Newport Street Gallery till 3 April 2016,
www.newportstreetgallery.com.
132|
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT
Temperature and humidity controls are
concealed behind the white walls; the oor
throughout is polished silvery grey cement.
PHOTOS: PRUDENCE CUMING ASSOCIATES, KIOYAR LTD
the most expensive tribute act in art history.

As Hirst explained before the show, Ive always loved colour
and the organized chaos of the British abstract expressionists. The
painting in my ofce by John Hoyland has three blues straight
across it. At rst you think its one blue, then three blues and it
keeps moving. Its a very powerful painting. Hopefully, when
you see this show, youll get the feeling thats what these paintings
do. And that the space will set off the paintings brilliantly. It does.
We also see Damien Hirst in his new role as interior
decorator in his restaurant here, called Pharmacy 2. Opening in
2016, it is the grown-up version of the rst Pharmacy restaurant
Hirst launched in 1998 (with PR consultant Matthew Freud) and
rapidly closed, saying, It just wasnt art at the end of the day, all
the shit of life that you dont want to get involved instocks and
shares, ties, books, Blu-Tack, glue and string.
So what was that rant all about? And why is he a sucker for
punishment? Thats because it was badly managed, says Hugh
Allan, who has worked with Damien Hirst for over 30 years.
They are currently looking for a chef and new management team,
which is why Pharmacy 2 wont open until next year.
perspective
SHOWCASE
COLLECTORS CLUB
With an eye for recognizing masterpieces, a knack for spotting new talent, a deep respect for tradition and a
passion for the craft, art connoisseurs in India have elevated the process of collecting to a ne art
WRITER PHALGUNI DESAI
n the hierarchy of art, collectors are at

the top of the food chain. Theyve been
known to make or break artists careers,
set new trends, and preserve traditions.
The top collectors of India arent just people
who acquire, but also people who have
chosen to nurture and care for Indian art.
Theyve become supporters of institutions,
opened organizations championing art (a
recent example being Indias edgling but
superbly reviewed Kochi-Muziris
Biennale), and at times, played the part of
preservers and recorders of Indian art
practices. We nd out the what, why and
how of their passion for collecting.
IRAN NADAR
The founder of the Kiran Nadar

Museum of Art, along with her
husband, Shiv Nadar of HCL
Technologies, Kiran Nadar has been
collecting art for over 20 years now, xing
her eye on important pieces and going after
them quite single-mindedly. Though she
started off as an incidental collector, she
educated herself in Indian art history and
contemporary art, and eventually turned
134|
her hobby into a profession when she

opened her rst exhibition space in the
HCL compound in Noida.I COUL-
DNT IMAGINE ALL THE ART

WE HAD COLLECTED SITTING
IN STORAGE; I WANTED TO
DO SOMETHING WITH IT, she
says. The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in

DLF South Court, a New Delhi mall, has
made it extremely accessible for exhibits,
talks and conferences that help familiarize
people from all walks of life, with Indian
art. Nadar feels that contemporary art
institutions need to be more receptive
towards newer ideas and a varied audience,
suggesting these are some of the things
that have taken art out of the public eye
and made it the exclusive preserve of the
elite. At the museum, many parts of the
Nadar collection greet the public,
including works by modern masters such
as SH Raza, VS Gaitonde, MF Husain,
and Ram Kumar, and contemporary
artists, such as Nalini Malani and Subodh
Gupta. It also makes it easy for the Nadars
to loan works they have collected to
museums and galleries. Along with
constantly updating the museum
programme, Nadar is ensuring that Indian
art nds a place in public memory.
BHISHEK PODDAR
Growing up with artcollecting-elite parents,

Abhishek Poddar has always
been subconsciously aware of art, and the
hold it has on him. He began collecting
works by local artists in the 1980s, when
the stylistic lines between modern and
contemporary art hadnt been drawn. His
collection includes FN Souza, Tyeb Mehta,
Manjit Bawa, J Swaminathan, Rekha
Rodwittiya, Surendran Nair, Jayashree
Chakravarty and Atul Dodiya, though he
nds it hard to pick a favourite, saying,
GREAT WORK COMES OUT

OF EVERY ARTIST, AND YOU
MIGHT END UP ENJOYING
WORKS BY ARTISTS YOURE
NOT NECESSARILY A FAN OF!
Poddar also owns and manages Bengalurubased photography gallery, Tasveer, which
is responsible for bringing to light a lot of
contemporary and historical photography
around India. Apart from the gallery,
Poddar has also invested in Australian art
acionado Tim Goodmans auction
venture, Fine Art Bourse (FAB), because,
the model hes come up with is interesting.
But I dont want to confuse it with my art
activities here, and dont want to get
involved in its day-to-day functions. His
next art venture is a public museum in
Bengaluru called the Museum of Art and
Photography, in collaboration with the
Government of Karnataka. Weve been
allocated the Venkatappa Art Gallery,
which is in a stunning location. Our plan is
to modernize and expand the building, and
while we will showcase some of the
collection permanently, we will also have
shows so the audience can explore different
aspects of our collection.
>
MRITA JHAVERI
While she grew up

surrounded by art, antiques
and cultural history thanks to
her collector-parents, Amrita Jhaveri only
formalized her interest in art in college, and
then as the rst Indian representative of
UK-based auction house Christies. She
began collecting in her 30s, naming her
collection Amaya (Sanskrit for without
illusion), which she put under the hammer
in 2013 at Sothebys rst-ever international
evening sale of Indian art. The spectacularly
successful sale was a testament to Jhaveris
collecting acumen. She believes that
WHEN BEGINNING A
COLLECTION, ITS BEST TO
START LOOKING AT ARTISTS
OF ONES OWN GENERATION,
BECAUSE ONE OF THE MOST
REWARDING ASPECTS OF
COLLECTING IS THE
RELATIONSHIP FORMED WITH
THE ARTIST. While adding to her own
EROZE GUJRAL
The collection of former model

Feroze Gujral and her husband,
architect Mohit Gujral, features a
variety of modern and contemporary
Indian art based on the varied tastes of her
family. It showcases works by her fatherin-law, eminent painter Satish Gujral, and
Indian modern greats like Anjolie Ela
Menon, Manjit Bawa and MF Husain. She
has also taken on the mantle of patron
through the Gujral Foundation, which
funds and brings to fruition a number of
art-related events that highlight various
Indian art traditions. Weve consciously
chosen artists working in light, sound,
video, documentary formats, says Gujral.
THESE ARE THINGS PEOPLE

CANT BUY SO THEY DONT
NECESSARILY ENGAGE WITH
THEM, BUT UNLESS WE
SHOWCASE THEM, HOW WILL
ANYONE KNOW OF THEM OR
BUY THEM? ART IS A
COMMENT ON OUR TIMES,
WE CANT CHOOSE TO
IGNORE IT. At their exhibition space
in Jor Bagh, New Delhi, the Foundation

exhibits contemporary artists like Tejal
Shah and CAMP studio. They also lend a
hand to art events like the Kochi-Muziris
Biennalefor which they are founder
patronsby providing the main exhibition
space of Aspinwall House. The foundation
has funded the much-lauded VS Gaitonde
retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum,
New York, and the joint artistic dialogue
titled My East is Your West between
Shilpa Gupta (India) and Rashid Rana
(Pakistan) at the 56th Venice Biennale.
collection, she looks at what the work says,

and how it ts into her life, and with the
other pieces she owns. She has also
channelled her ambitions towards an
art-consultancy businessher client roster
includes the likes of Mukesh and Nita
Ambaniand Jhaveri Contemporary, a
gallery established with her sister Priya. The
gallery has shown artists like Seher Shah
and Rana Begum, and organized
posthumous exhibitions around the work
of the legendary Amrita Sher-Gil, and
photographer Raghubir Singh. They also
worked with the late Mrinalini Mukherjee,
and brought UK-based sculptor Anish
Kapoors rst and only exhibition in India.
136|
MANISH MANSINH SAMPAT
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ARSH GOENKA
For Harsh Goenka, chairman of

the RPG Group, engaging with
art is a lot like breathing. As
someone who grew up in a family that
spent a lot of time dissecting and discussing
various arts, including poetry, dance and
the ne arts, his curiosity had been
thoroughly piqued and he went on to
acquire many instances of the Bengal
school as a young man. Over time, his focus
widened, though with a few twists, as
Goenka occasionally adds thematic lters
to his collectionsuch as his famed suite of
self-portraits, including works by Atul
Dodiya, Anjolie Ela Menon and Laxman
Shreshtha, or his commissioned series of
portraits of Mother Teresa. Apart from
managing his collection, which spreads
across his home and the RPG offices,
Goenka has also organized groundbreaking public art exhibits, called Art
Mela. His very rst curated exhibition, the
Bombay show, was held at the Jehangir
Art Gallery, as was Art Mela, to maximize
footfall. Goenka has also arranged artist
camps in the past, and is now taking art to
the masses in a more denitive way; an
upcoming project proposes the installation
of large sculptures across public spaces in
Mumbai. His recent focus for his personal
collection has been on contemporary artists
such as Raghava KK, Manjunath Kamath,
Jagannath Panda and Abir Karmakar. As
for the future, he believes that
CREATIVITY IS THRIVING, AND

A GROWING INTERNATIONAL
INTEREST IN INDIAN ART
WILL SEE MANY MORE
TURNING TO IT AS A CAREER.
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NURAG AND
PAYAL KHANNA
In Kutch, far from the madding

crowd of wine-and-cheese
openings, are Anurag and Payal Khanna
and their wonderful collection of
contemporary Indian art. What began as a
way of decorating their new home14
years agowith the works of Sunil Padwal,
Manisha Parekh and Samir Mondal, has
resulted in a collection of the most exciting
contemporary art in the country. Not
afraid of new media and other experimental
art, the Khannas believe that if the art is
good, any of the mediums can stand against
the other. This belief has led to their
collection featuring paintings, sculptures,
drawings, photography and videos and
even documentation, as they have done in
the case of performance artist Nikhil
Chopra. They have acquired the works of
numerous artists from the subcontinent,
some of their favourites being Bani Abidi,
Naeem Mohaiemen, Shahryar Nashat and
Dayanita Singh. IAMATTRACTED
TODIFFERENTASPECTS
ABOUTART,BEITPOLITICS,
HISTORY,ORPERSONAL
STORIES, says Anurag. Currently, I
am more drawn to intimate things; this also

depends upon my mood and in what
direction I am thinking or what I am
reading, he says about the kind of work he
chooses to acquire. He thinks collecting
younger artists is a risk, but one with its
own rewards. He feels that it helps to
develop ones taste over time and collect
accordingly. While not a big fan of art fairs,
he considers them opportunities to start
conversations and look at multiple artists in
one space, and suggests Art Basel in
138|
Chopra and her husband are also patrons of

the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, and also
supported the artistic dialogue My East is
Your West at the 56th Venice Biennale.
ADHIKA CHOPRA
Curious (and a little envious) of

all the fun art people seemed to
be having, Radhika Chopra took
a sabbatical from her nance job and went
to work at Bose Pacia, the now nonoperational New York City gallery that
focused on Indian art, especially
contemporary works. While there, Chopra
purchased her very rst artwork, a 1957 MF
Husain titled La Taza from the collection of
Italian neorealist director Roberto Rossellini
for $4,000 (approximately `1,50,000) after
taking a cash advance on her credit card.
She hasnt looked back since, and her
collection now includes a number of
modern Indian artists from the 1950s
onwards, including MF Husain, SH Raza
and FN Souza, along with a number of
contemporary artists. Chopras personal
preference skews greatly towards female
artists, and she nds herself drawn to the
likes of minimalist Zarina Hashmi,
photographer Dayanita Singh and painter
Arpita Singh, and lives with many of their
works. Her collecting strategy is simple
she buys what she likes. TASTE
EVOLVESANDASA
COLLECTOR,ONEMUSTTHEN
THINKABOUTHOWTO
MANAGETHECOLLECTION,
she adds. Im always looking for new

media works to add to it, and recently
acquired a video work by Tara Kelton. She
attends at least one international art event a
year as part of her collecting manual, and
feels local events like the India Art Fair in
New Delhi, or the Kochi-Muziris Biennale
are a must for Indian collectors. She
believes they help provide perspective,
which could be complemented by visits to
international art fairs such as the Frieze
London, Art Basel and Art Basel Hong
Kong. She suggests new collectors also
identify galleries whose artist roster they
feel comfortable with, as a solid relationship
with a trustworthy gallery lays the
groundwork for a satisfying collection.
ROOPIKA SARAN
ADIL HASAN
particular as a great learning platform.

Mostly, though, the Khannas enjoy living
with their art at a pace that allows them to
appreciate it and learn more from it every
day, the considerable disconnect with the
art metropolises making it possible to make
more individual and thoughtful choices.
ANISH MAKER
It was an MF Husain painting

that sparked Manish Makers
interest in art. The work,
gifted to his father, was relegated to storage
and remembered while renovating their
home. Its presence was so strong, it
changed the way we thought about and
approached the spaces surrounding it, and
designed and planned our home around
it, he recalls, adding that the painting was
probably what drove his interest in the
juxtaposition of art and architecture. Add
to that years of collecting and conversing
with contemporary artists, and managing
the family real-estate business, and you get
Maker Maxity, an attempt at introducing
spectacular art in the public areas of a
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perspective
occupying what used to be a drive-in
theatre in the Bandra-Kurla Complex,
Mumbai. The project brings together
Makers interest in the tension between
site-specic art and architecture, and the
ability to invest in engineering, production
and installation expertise. Moreover, it
provides Mumbai with a new art venue,
one with a permanent collection as well as
time-bound, open-air exhibits. The Maker
Maxity permanent collection houses
landmark works by artists Jitish Kallat,
Hema Upadhyay, Bhajju Shyam, as well as
the central Flying Bus installation by
Sudarshan Shetty (recently named curator
of the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale).
The 40-foot replica of a BEST doubledecker bus with 34-foot-long steel wings
on either side, was commissioned for
Maker Maxity, reportedly at a cost of
approximately `1 crore. The bus is also
conceived as an additional exhibition
spacewith its interiors suitable for
hanging art. As with Shettys piece, the
other inclusions in the Maker Maxity
collection ruminate on the history,
philosophy and the real-time context of
Mumbai. Maker also looks to incorporate
works in different mediums in his
collection and attempts to widen their
audience outside of just the office-going
crowd that frequents their location. Maker
Maxity has also held temporary shows,
including one to mark the demolition of
the drive-in theatre, featuring large-scale
installations by Bharti Kher, Avinash
Veeraraghavan, Navin Thomas and
Dayanita Singh among others. While
Makers standards for Maxity are very high,
he advises collectors to ultimately:
international interest in public art,

museums and the like. IN INDIA,
THE FOCUS IS MORE ON

COLLECTING, he adds, rueing the
lack of patronage, which he feels died with

the maharajas, who promoted traditions of
local art within their lands. The Chorarias
decided to do their bit to remedy that lack
of patronage and public promotion of art.
Teaming up with The Phoenix Group, the
Chorarias have created a public art museum
in the corridors, elevators and staircases of
Chennais Phoenix Market City. The
programme, called ArtC, is run
professionally with curator Diana
Campbell Betancourt and What About
Art?, a Mumbai-based arts management
agency. The work featured is often
borrowed from artists or collectors, and
sometimes bought outright for a more
permanent display. It comprises
everything, from sound and video art to
sculptures, installations and even textbased art. ArtC has featured work by
Indian artists Tallur LN, Ravinder Reddy,
Aakash Nihalani, Jiten Thukral and Sumir
Tagra, Vishal K Dar, as well as international
artists such as South African William
Kentridge and American Yoko Ono. The
Chorarias also support other projects like
the Mumbai Art Room, a non-prot space
for experimental art, the Kochi-Muziris
Biennale, as well as residencies and artist
exchanges organized by What About
Art?. They are also patrons of the New
Museum in New York, which as
Betancourt suggests, is tting, as it sees the
importance of supporting the exhibition of
art that is experimental and beyond what
can be possessed.
FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCT. AND
YOUR EYES. MAKE MISTAKES.
Vijay and Sunita Choraria are a

collector-couple who would
rather not be termed collectors. For them,
engagement with art is about more than
just investing in it. Its the seeing,
understanding and relating to it that does
the trick. Internationally, its very
different; people are seeing, not necessarily
buying, says Vijay, referring to the greater
140|
KEDAR NENE
IJAY AND SUNITA

CHORARIA
ROHIT GUPTA
< compound of office buildings,
AJSHREE PATHY
There are stories in the collecting

world about Rajshree Pathy that
give you pause. She acquired her
rst work at age 17; her office is called The
Uffizi, after the building that housed some
of the most important paintings of the
Renaissance under the ownership of the
House of Medici; it now functions as one of
the most important art museums in the
world. And yet, Pathy doesnt wish to be
termed a collector. IDONT
COLLECTBYARTIST,GENRE
ORPERIOD!ITSNOTWHATI
SETOUTTOBEORWANTTO
ACHIEVE! Fittingly, Pathys
collection is an amalgam of mediums and

practices across time periods, and while
she doesnt take on art advisors, she
believes in buying from galleries
specically, as they have worked hard to
promote an artists career over years. She
considers Nature Morte (New Delhi),
Experimenter (Kolkata) and Jhaveri
Contemporary (Mumbai) among
galleries with a strong Indian
contemporary representation, and has
acquired moderns from Sakshi Gallery
(Mumbai), Vadehra Art Gallery (New
Delhi) and Apparao Galleries (Chennai).
An appreciation of all kinds of art is
something she considers important,
rueing the agging importance of art and
culture in Indian education. As a possible
remedy (but denitely not the only one)
she mentions her CoCCA project (The
Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary
Arts), which will be a centre for practical
and theoretical art education.
perspective
ARCHITECTURE
LESS IS
(From above)
WINDS OF CHANGE
Rem Koolhaas and his rm, OMA, repurposed a Soviet-era
restaurant to create the Garage Museum of Contemporary
Artat Gorky Park, Moscowwhich is sheathed in a translucent
polycarbonate shell, with a massive vertical sliding entry door.
Koolhaas also designed the Fondazione Prada art centre in a
century-old distillery in Milan; pictured is the OMA-designed
inaugural exhibition of Greek and Roman sculptures.
142|
em Koolhaas, arguably the most inuential

architect of the past 30 years, was restless. Over
coffee recently in Moscow, he seemed to call for an
end to the age of extravagance, talking of his own escape
from the starchitect bubble. But where exactly would
that leave himthe visionary behind blockbuster projects
like the Seattle Public Library, with its origami-like folds,
and Beijings boldly angled and cantilevered tower for the
China Central Television headquarters? Was Koolhaas
really planning to deprive his clients of the kind of
structural tours de force that have made him famous? Or
would he nd a way to get back to basics while still
exploring designs possibilities?
>
PHOTO: JOHN PAUL PACELLI, COURTESY OMA
For the Fondazione Prada in Milan and Garage Museum in Moscow, architect Rem
Koolhaas takes his cues from existing structures and his taste-making patrons.
checks in with the design worlds boldest team player
WRITER FRED A BERNSTEIN . PHOTOGRAPHER IWAN BAAN
PRODUCER SAM COCHRAN
perspective
< The answer is now coming into focus, thanks to two
dazzling structures, both adaptive reuse projects that reect

Koolhaass efforts to accomplish more by building less. In May
this year, the Dutch architect unveiled the Fondazione Pradas
new Milan art centre, largely constructed from the remains of a
century-old distillery. Then, a month later, he christened the
new permanent home of Moscows Garage Museum of
Contemporary Art, set in a repurposed Soviet-era restaurant in
Gorky Park. In each case, by serving as renovator rather than
creator, Koolhaas says he was forced to put aside pure ego to
pursue relationships with the past.
TALE OF TWO CITIES
Which is not to say these two projects are in any way staidon
the contrary, Koolhaas and the team at his Rotterdam-based
rm, OMA, have devised a pair of dynamic architectural
complexes for institutions that are energizing the cultural
landscapes of their history-rich cities. But while the
Fondazione Prada and the Garage both have plans for diverse
exhibitions and programmes, there are differences. Italian
fashion designer Miuccia Prada and her husband, Patrizio
Bertelli, the brands chief executive, have been collecting and
exhibiting art for decades and were ready to give their trove a
proper venue in their home city. (The organization opened an
outpost in Venice four years ago.) Garages founder,
philanthropist Dasha Zhukova, Koolhaas notes, is at the early
stages of deploying her ambition. Her upstart museum,
established in 2008, is dedicated as much to mounting shows
exploring overlooked areas of Soviet art, as it is to displaying >
(From above)
THE MASTERMIND
Koolhaas at the Garage Museum, which occupies a renovated
restaurant from the 1960s. At the Fondazione Prada, a gallery
displays a salon-style arrangement of contemporary art.
144|
Years in India
Showrooms
Tradition meets Emotion.

We meet You.
GROWING STRONGER...
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LUDHIANA
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(Opening Shortly)
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.haecker-india.com / www.haecker-kuechen.com
perspective
< blue-chip international works. So while the vast
Fondazione Prada, with 118,000 square feet of space, is a

highly rened mix of old and new, the far-smaller Garage
at two storeys and 58,000 square feetis deliberately less
polished. Constructed during the Cold War, the one-time
restaurant that the Garage now occupies had deteriorated
since the fall of Communism. We were dealing with a
ruin that was only 50 years old, something built and
destroyed during my lifetime, Koolhaas recounts. But we
discovered that preserving a building from 1968 meant
preserving the mentality of 1968.
That eras mindsetwhich for much of the world
entailed newfound freedoms and opennessled Koolhaas
to cover the structure in a translucent polycarbonate shell,
creating a gauzy divide between inside and out. Some of
the shimmering plastic panels slide up to reveal the
>
146|
PHOTO: VASILY BABOUROV, COURTESY OMA
OPEN SEASON
The ground-oor lobby of the Garage Museum features an
autumn-themed mosaic preserved from when it was a
Soviet-era restaurant.
perspective
BIG SCREEN
At the Fondazione Prada,
OMA added a theatre to the
complex, seen here on the left.
< buildings entrance hall. Inside, sleek additions meet original aside for more exhibition space. This structure, in Koolhaass
details with an exciting informality. Crumbling tile-work,
including elaborate mosaics, remains, the rough edges
complementing a dramatic network of terrazzo-and-steel stairs.
This raw, youthful energy suits the museums mission to attract
curious Russians, particularly those who havent previously
been exposed to international contemporary art. As part of its
inaugural exhibitions, the Garage chose ping-pong tables by
Argentinian artist Rirkrit Tiravanija and fun-house-like
installations by Yayoi Kusama from Japan.
GRAND SHOW
The more mature and mannerly Fondazione Prada, meanwhile,
is a high point in Koolhaass 15-year-long relationship with the
fashion company, a collaboration that began with the brands
New York agship and has since expanded to runway shows
and even a portable exhibition-and-event space that has
travelled the world.
As the Milan complex proves, Koolhaas and Prada are a
match made in design heaven: both are expert at pulling
disparate elements and ideas together into surprisingly
harmonious, sophisticated compositions. Two of the seven
original distillery buildings have been recongured as long halls
for permanent displays of paintings and sculptures. (The
revamped compound also houses a playfully retro Milanesestyle cafe conceived by lm-maker Wes Anderson.) An existing
four-storey tower at the centre of the complex has been set
148|
most opulent gesture, is sheathed in gold leaf. Sunlight

bouncing off it makes visitors standing nearby look like gods,
the architect observes.
Complementing the renovated edices are three new ones,
including the Podium, a glass-walled gallery with oors of
richly veined marble. The space opened with a remarkable
show of Greek and Roman statues, all brilliantly installed by
OMA using raised travertine platforms that largely obscure the
gures pedestals. (Such bases, Koolhaas suggests, drain all the
energy out of sculptures.) The second addition, Cinema,
containing a 200-seat theatre, is partly underground. Koolhaas
clad much of it in mirror-nished stainless steel, with one wall
that folds at the touch of a button to transform the enclosed
theatre into an open-air performance venue. Under
construction is the third building, Torre, a nine-storey tower
with another 8,600 square feet of galleries for the foundation.
Koolhaas is quick to share credit for the Fondazione Prada
and the Garage with his clients as well as with his colleagues at
OMA (whose roster of current projects includes the Qatar
National Library in Doha and the Faena Forum, a cultural
centre in Miami Beach, both set to debut later this year).
Plus, he notes, he was also guided by the ambitions and
intentions of the creators of the original structures. Indeed, its
as if the architect has found a way to reach new heights not by
building tall, but by standing on the shoulders of those who
came before him.
perspective
(From this picture)
PRIVATE VIEWING
One of the retail spaces allotted for
individual attention. The design of the
staircase was inspired by a stepped-well that
designer and architect Denis Montel came
across in a temple in Hampi, Karnataka.
RETAIL
TOUCH
In an exclusive interview for Denis Montelartistic and

creative director of renowned French design rm RDAI
speaks to URVASHI KESWANI about creating a contemporary space
grounded in heritage, for jewellery retailer Ganjam, on the
occasion of the brands 125th anniversary
PHOTOS: PALLON DARUWALA
Architectural Digest: How did you get involved in this project?

Denis Montel: The memory of our rst encounter with [Ganjams joint
managing director] Umesh Ganjam and his team in Paris is an emotional one.
Before getting started, we went to [Bengaluru] to discover the brand and were
very impressed by their craftsmanship. After several conversations, I had a
deeper understanding of the culture, the roots, how important nature and
Indian symbols were to them, and I felt that this project should carefully
consider those concepts in the design.
AD: What was the brief given to you to design the store?
DM: The brief talked about the brands ambition for the store, which was to
establish a design vocabulary for an Indian luxury brand in a global context,
and, at the same time, to express the essence of Ganjam by reecting the depth
of their heritage. We understood that their unique handcrafting [technique]
was an important part of their ethos and must be highlighted. Their concepts of
understated design, originality and craftsmanship were included in the brief. >
150|
perspective
GOLDEN CENTRE
The jewellery gallery which highlights the two-storey,
banyan-tree-inspired interior detail. Another individual
retail space. An original concept rendering of the store
facade. A showcase inset in a gallery with stone-clad ns.
AD: What was your vision and thought process for designing
the store?
DM: We have aimed at creating a unique and sensorial experience
through contemporary expression that is linked to nature and the
ve elements. We discovered vastu and understood that it considers
our home as our temple, and works on a grid system. It helped us
draw on beauty, comfort and the use of natural materials. We were
totally inspired by this and designed with the grid and the vastu
purusha [layout]. The grid was used as the spatial base to organize
the layout and specied functions. The great symbolic meanings
the use of repetitive geometrical forms involving self-similarity on
different scales and fractals, or self-similar forms where the whole
has the same shape as one or more of the partswere also very
inspiring for RDAI and have been an important consideration.
AD: What inuenced the materials and colour palette?
DM: Nature, man and his creations are all one in vastu. This, and
all the important symbols for Ganjamlike the peacock and
banyan tree; their signicant detailing; the sophistication and
renement of their handcrafting; and their profound humanity and
valuesinspired us to use natural materials. Light stone for the
facade, the ooring and the interior walls; a golden teak as an ode
to the contemporary banyan tree; a high-gloss rosewood for the
furniture; Indian silk panelling on the walls; wool and silk for the
peacock-inspired carpets; and a bronze-nished metal for the
metal work to differentiate and not compete with the precious
jewellery colours. The early dawn or setting sun colours as seen in
the perspective of archways or on the banks of the Tungabhadra
river suggested to us a wonderful, warm colour range for the
materials and lighting in the store.
152|
AD: Is there a specic part of the store that you are

particularly proud of?
DM: I must admit that I am proud of many parts of the store. The
staircase is a beautiful architectural element, but I am particularly
proud of the central room in the middle of the shop. It is just an
empty space without any display or commercial roleopen and
linked to silence and air.
AD: Tell us about your design for the facade of the store.
DM: We proposed the idea of a contemporary temple that reects
the history of Ganjam. Our wish was to create massive and timeless
architecture made entirely of stone. This aesthetic of mass and
roughness provides a strong contrast to the renement of the
jewellery within. We discovered an austere and grandiose site in
Hampi with Dravidian temples and palaces through [Ganjam]. It
won our admiration and stimulated our imagination and creativity,
particularly the massive dimensions, the harmonious integration
into the landscape, the feeling of space and air that is everywhere,
the sophisticated elements of architecture with framed and
decorated details, the carved columns, and the light passing
through the arches.
AD: You have worked on a project in India before; the Herms
store in Mumbai. Tell us about your experience this time.
DM: This time we were invited to design a project for an Indian
company and it was essential to enter into this universe and
complexity. From the preliminary images to the completion of the
work, there was respect between everyone. The level of quality on
this project was astounding and I can tell you that [in the end] we
reached a very high quality of workmanship.
perspective
PROJECT
Jitish Kallat turned to the innity of the cosmos to give context to

local Austrian road signage, and earned his street credentials by
creating, on a roundabout near Vienna, his largest artwork to date

WORKING MODEL
Artist Jitish Kallats sculptural work, Here After
Here After Here, which has been installed on a
roundabout in Stockerau, Austria. A 3D rendering,
wireframe and paper model of the sculpture.
itting on the desk of his sunny Bandra studio, the paper

model for artist Jitish Kallats newest sculptural work,
Here After Here After Here, recently opened on a roundabout
in Stockerauwhich is 20 kilometres north of Vienna,
Austrialooks, more than anything else, like a big, stick-on bow.
When I point this out, Kallat smiles, At this scale, yes, he says,
then, picking up the model and holding his thumbnail to its side,
but the real human scale is closer to this. Approximately 50 feet in
diameter and 18 feet high, the new work is the largest ever created
by the Mumbai-born artist, and, he says, the rst hes ever designed
to be permanent.
For any artist whose body of work is often preoccupied with
temporal and spatial play, both of these components are of supreme
importance. Among Kallats works are Innitum, which recasts
semi-consumed rotis as cycles of the moon, and a recent work
currently on display at a solo exhibition in Paris. Consisting of
close-up images of skins of overripe fruits, the work, at that scale,
looks like explosions of supernovas, events of astronomical
importance. The meanings of such works are neither opaque nor
154|
PHOTO: RAIMO RUMPLER
WRITER MICHAEL SNYDER
especially complex. Instead, they are designed to make the viewer

reconsider the materials that constitute the world around them.
DOING THE ROUNDS
Kallat rst visited the site, on which his sculpture now stands, in
2012, shuttling between 10 nearby townships to visit their respective
mayors and inspect a variety of possible locations. Travelling around,
he says, You would see trafc signs and windmills and not much
else. I wanted to replicate that sort of frugality in the landscape. I
didnt want something too loaded with meanings. He got back to
Mumbai unsure of what shape the project would take, but shortly
returned to forms that hes always found fascinating: self-consuming
loops, Celtic knots, the ouroborosan ancient symbol depicting a
serpent eating its own tail.
One day, while examining his site using the satellite view on
Google Mapsrst zooming in close, then zooming out slightly to
see where it was situated in relation to the town, Stockerauhe
accidentally zoomed farther out than intended, and caught a
sudden, startling glimpse of the minuscule point where his largest >
PHOTO: NEVILLE SUKHIA
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156|
PHOTO: NEVILLE SUKHIA
(From top)
DRAWING INSPIRATION
A sketch and mood board for the
installation along with the shapes
and symbols that inspired it. Kallat
with his sculpture in Stockerau.
PHOTO: RAIMO
RUMPLER
OPEN TO INTERPRETATION
Unlike his previous projects, this one had to be designed to be
viewed in motion. While galleries and museums encourage
extended viewing, precisely the kind of close examination that
Kallats works aim to interrogate and exploit, a roundabout is quite
explicitly meant to do the opposite: facilitate constant, efcient
motion. The physical trafc norms require that you slow down,
pause momentarily at the work, and thats where an odd place name
will come out at you, he explains. Your mirrors will throw back
information that dilates space and distance. Each approach, even
for those who drive by the sculpture frequently, will provide an
opportunity to see the work anew as different places and distances
emerge and as the signs, removed from their at, overhead positions,
reect light and throw shadow in unexpected ways through the day.
The sculpture manages both, to take something smalla
roundabout on a low rise connecting a small town to a capital
cityand contextualize it within the immensity of the globe, and to
convey the immensity of innity, suggested by the sculptures
looping form. The sculpture itself, three times the height of a
human, makes itself small by pointing outwards. In its use of a
mundane material paired with exotic place names, in its witty play
with scale, the sculpture is principally about the way we perceive the
world and the objects around us.
I like the idea of a prolonged gaze, Kallat says, smiling again,
and holding up a glass of water, that if you look at this simple thing
long enough it can start to seem strange, to look like something
else. He smiles againor maybe still. People wont be able to
prolong their gaze on this object, but Im curious to see how the
other signs around them will transform after theyve paused to
see it.
A whorl of road signs indicating distances to far-off cities,
collapsing into an invisible centre point at the middle of the trafc
symbol, this new work, like much of the work that precedes it, plays
with spatial and temporal expectations. And like Kallats other
work, this too will make viewers think, long after theyve
passed it.
COURTESY JITISH KALLAT STUDIO
< work would be placed in relation to the big, round globe,

suspended like an ornament in the cosmos. Suddenly, these
different things were overlaid: the trafc circle, the globe, the
recurrent loop.
To combine those elements, Kallat decided to use the most
quotidian possible component, something drawn directly from the
landscape of European transport: the street sign, which he describes
as omnipresent, but completely missable. The nal sculpture is a
whorl of street signsusing the institutional blue background and
white font as the local signageindicating distances and exits for
far-off cities, some of them well known (Istanbul, New York),
others less so (Quetta, Al Mawsil Al Jadidah in Iraq).
Though composed of some 20 distinct piecesmanufactured,
bent and printed in Austriathe nal sculpture, seen at human
scale, will resemble a single, endless sign, as though the point at the
centre of the roundabout had exploded innitely out to capture and
record its place in the world before rushing back, pulled inexorably
inward by its own gravitational force: on the verge of disappearing
into a black hole. Like the fruits and the rotis of Kallats installations,
the sculpture is the quotidian made cosmic.
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perspective
DETAIL
NEW
More pro- than anti-establishment, more
complimentary than controversial, grafti and street
artists are beautifying India, one brick wall at a time
PHOTO: AKSHAT NAURIYAL
160|
Like all his murals, this one by street artist Yantr in Shahpur Jat, New
Delhi, depicts a fantastical creature made up of tiny machine parts.
A mural by Paris-based street artist Rock in Bandra, Mumbai.
Siddhesh Bharati (Minzo), standing in

front of one of his tags in Bandra, Mumbai.
PHOTO: LEENA DESAI
inzo yanks open a can of spray paint and gives it a

good shakethe marble inside it rattling furiously
and proceeds to spray the outline of his latest tag (an
artists name written in a signature style). The sibilance of the spray
paint seems to put the grafti artist in a trance. For the next hour, he
seems oblivious to the fact that hes painting on the wall of a busy
street with the deafening sound of trafc competing in intensity
with the debilitating afternoon heat. Dressed in a T-shirt and
shorts, cap deliberately askew, a skateboard in hand, and American
rapper KRS-Ones Step Into AWorld blaring on his headphones,
Minzo seems more suited for the Bronx than Bombay. Hes part of
a motley crew of grafti and street artists who are unleashing their
creativity using public spaces as their canvas and the streets as their
art galleries.
>
PHOTO: KUNAL ACHARYA
WRITER LEENA DESAI
PHOTO: RUCHIN SONI
A mural by artist Ruchin Soni on the wall of Tihar Jail, New Delhi.
THE STREETS STAKEHOLDERS

Siddhesh Bharati, aka Minzo, is a jobbing graphic designer. When he
isnt Photoshopping advertisements and brochures, he does his bit to
represent hip hop in India. Like his compadres Zine, Sam Sam and
Rane of the Aerosol Assassins Crew from New Delhi, Snik from
Kolkata, and Zake and Mooz from Mumbai, Minzo believes grafti is
art, not vandalism. There are some who concur, preferring tags over
drab, moss-covered walls. And while Minzo and his gang take
advantage of this and frequently have grafti jams, they are still a
minority when compared to the street art community thats exploded
on the Indian scene in recent years.
Considered as the biggest countercultural movement of the recent
past, street art originated in Europe and America in the 1990s. But it
wasnt until British provocateur Banksy managed to simultaneously
rufe feathers and command a rock-star-like fan following that street
art gained recognition as a legitimate form of art. Today, some of the
museums in America and Britain where Banksy secretly installed his
art are believed to have retained it, while prints of his artworks have
been sold by Sothebys at its auctions for as high as $1.9 million.
While street art has always been a part of Indian culturewith
paintings of religious and cinematic gods gracing our street walls for
162|
COURTESY OF THE WALL PROJECT
A mural of Mahatma Gandhi on one wall of the Delhi Police headquarters,

by German artist Hendrik Beikirch (ECB) and Anpu Varkey.
A street artist standing next to

his mural of a Kathakali dancer
on Tulsi Pipe Road, Mumbai.
COURTESY OF BOLLYWOOD ART PROJECT
PHOTO: ENRICO FABIAN
perspective
A mural of iconic Bollywood villain Amrish Puri

from the movie Mr India by artist Ranjit Dahiya
as part of his initiative, Bollywood Art Project.
decadeswe adopted its most contemporary avatar, as a tool for

sociopolitical commentary, only recently. Initiatives like The Wall
Project, which amassed people to create wall art on Mumbais Tulsi
Pipe Road; Extension Khirkee, which has enlivened New Delhis
low-income Khirkee extension neighbourhood; and Pune Street Art
Project, which has given a facelift to Kasba Peth (Punes oldest
neighbourhood) have helped anchor street art in the public
consciousness. Last year, St+art, an organization that promotes street
art, with help from Asian Paints, held two open-air exhibitions in
New Delhi and one in Mumbaibringing together some of the
biggest names in Indian and international street art like Daku, Anpu,
Yantr, Ranjit Dahiya, Ruchin Soni, Lady Aiko and more. St+art has
also gained recognition for Indias largest (of Dadasaheb Phalke, in
Mumbai), tallest (of Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi), and possibly
longest (on the walls of Tihar Jail, in New Delhi) murals.
PAINTBRUSH PROCLAMATIONS
In the West, street art has a reputation for being controversial. In
India, its a little different. New Delhi-based artist Anpu Varkey,
famous for her huge cat murals, feels, In India, its hard to make a
decision on what to paint, because people insist on nding meaning
>
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Street artist Yantr creates awareness about saving the

one-horned rhino through his mural in Guwahati, Assam.
PHOTO: AKSHAT NAURIYAL
A collaborative mural by artists Phomes, Tona,

Tofu and Anpu Varkey in Bandra, Mumbai.
PHOTO: LEENA DESAI
COURTESY OF TRANSHUMAN COLLECTIVE
perspective
Rani Lakshmibai at Lodhi Colony, New Delhi, by

Japanese artist Lady Aiko, who is known for her
emphasis on strong female characters in her works.
and I avoid representations in that manner. Dhanya Pilo of The Wall

Project feels that, given our volatile political climate, its better to steer
away from sensitive issues. In the last 50 years, public service
messages that have been on the walls havent really worked and theres
no point having such messages in wall art if they have no effect.
One of the best ways in which street-art initiatives have assisted
the government is by beautifying cities across the country. People are
conditioned to see so much ugliness in the city, Pilo opines. We saw
dirty walls and we thought that if we paint them, they could provide
relief to the people who pass by. If murals and colours can bring visual
relief to people temporarily, then we give people the space to think
positively. Spreading positivity is a huge job in itself; but there are a
few street artists who use the art form to make a statement. Sonis
mural in Shahpur Jat, New Delhi, shows people using binoculars to
nd birds. The mural is a comment on the concrete jungle we live in,
where birds are a rare sight.
South India-based street artist Guesswho uses Banksy-esque
black-and-white stencils that show western icons in Indian garb. For
me, the best way to create interest was to use familiar imagery. But I
try to connect it with socially and culturally relevant subjects. Im least
interested in painting just another pretty picture on the walls.
A RED-LETTER DAY
Beautication might be street arts raison dtre in India, but artists and
street-art proponents are conscious of its relevance. Its exciting that
people have now opened themselves to another new canvas, Pilo
feels. But its very important to look at the context when they are
painting on the streets. You want to paint something thats relatable,
meaningful, which inspires people and initiates a conversation.
164|
A mural of iconic Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan

from the movie Deewaar by artist Ranjit Dahiya (not
pictured) as part of his initiative, Bollywood Art Project.
Years of hard work by Indian street artists and acionados seem to

be paying off. Thanks to the Google Art Project, Indian street art is
now getting worldwide visibility. Will it ever be exhibited in art
galleries and museums, and be auctioned for astronomical prices? Its a
matter of time, says St+arts Arjun Bahl. Because of the age we live in,
street art is appreciating much faster in terms of value. Well see many
Indian Banksys emerging. Theres already Daku who has caught the
imagination of people; and artists like Anpu and Amitabh Kumar are
doing very well. Its just a matter of time before street art is exhibited in
galleries in India. The art establishment can no longer ignore it. Well,
until such a time, wed all do well to infuse a little joie de vivre into our
lives by picking up a paintbrush and painting our cities red. Quite
literally so.
COURTESY OF BOLLYWOOD ART PROJECT
< in it. I nd it hard to be preachy when I paint; I hate moralizing
perspective
(From this picture)
LIFT-OFF!
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) takes off from the Satish
Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra
Pradesh, carrying the Mars orbiter
spacecraft. The spacecraft, dubbed
Mangalyaan (meaning Mars craft),
mounted on top of the PSLV.
DESIGN
THE
FINAL
R
O
N
T
I
E
R
The Indian Space Research Organisations Mars Orbiter

Mission was the envy of the world, not just for the success of
its maiden voyage, but for the technological and economical
accomplishment of its design
PHOTOS COURTESY INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION
WRITER J RAMANAND
What is red, is a planet and is the focus of my orbit?

@MARSORBITER ON TWITTER, 24 SEPTEMBER 2014
ndias Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) left for the red planet on 5
November 2013, a Tuesday. It was an apt day for the Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) to send out the craft, also dubbed
Mangalyaan (Mangal means Mars and also lends its name to
Tuesday in Hindi).
Ten months and some 225 million miles later, on the morning
of 24 September 2014, MOM, now in Marss sphere of inuence,
began a delicate manoeuvre. The orbiter reoriented itself in
preparation and began ring its engine and thrusters to reduce its
velocity. If it didnt slow down enough, it would skip past Mars;
too slow and the embrace would turn deadly.
The drama intensied. Soon after ring the engine, MOM
would be eclipsed on Earth by Mars; that was just the way the
heavens had conspired to align these bodies. There would be no
radio contact. MOM would be on its own for almost 30 minutes.
If anything went awry, no one on Earth could help. Even under
normal circumstances, it would take about 12.5 seconds for a
distress signal to reach home. Mangalyaan had been designed
168|
to make it through this period: but would it?

The answer came in the cheers that were heard around 8am IST
at the space agencys Bengaluru headquarters. ISRO had just
achieved the primary mission objective: to demonstrate it had the
technology for interplanetary travel.
Mangalyaans success made India the rst nation (and ISRO the
second space agency) to get to Mars on its maiden attempt, and
easily the cheapest, at $74 million. ISROs story of frugal innovation
helped consolidate its position in the commercial space market,
winning it accolades for its design. The orbiter was shortlisted in Icon
magazines 2014 design awards; and the agency received the 2015
Space Pioneer award from Americas National Space Society.
>
(From left)
SPACE RACE
Renderings of NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
(MAVEN) spacecraft, which was launched two weeks after Mangalyaan,
but reached the red planet a few days before its Indian counterpart.
A BRIEF HISTORY
The project was announced in 2012, two years after ISROs partially
successful Chandrayaan-1 moon mission. The stated aim was to get
to Mars as cost-effectively as possible. This meant launching the
craft and manoeuvring it into orbit in a series of fuel-efcient steps,
designing the optimum payload for the scientic side of the mission,
and crucially, providing the ability to make autonomous decisions
during situations like the Mars occultation.
To put something around Mars without wasting a lot of fuel,
space agencies use a Hohmann transfer orbit, an elliptical path that
takes into consideration the positions of Earth and Mars relative to
the Sun. The right opportunity comes once in 26 monthswhich,
in 2013, gave ISRO a launch window just 14 months away.
Taking Mangalyaan into space would be ISROs trusty old Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), not the troubled Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). This choice came at a price: the
PSLV did not have the power to put MOM directly on the path to
Mars. Instead, once in orbit around Earth, a series of burns would
increase MOMs geocentric orbit over a month. Finally, like a
hammer-thrower letting go, it would be placed in the nal
trajectory. This sequence meant MOM would take longer than
others, like the NASAs MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution) orbiteralso Mars-bound and launched by a
signicantly more powerful Atlas V rocket.
THROUGH SPACE & TIME
With costs in mind and constraints on what the PSLV could lift,
Mangalyaan could only accommodate a slim scientic agenda. It
carried a payload of just 15 kilograms, as if taking a single check-in
bag on a domestic Indian ight. This was one per cent of its launch
mass of 1,340 kilograms, with propellant fuel being the major
component, at just over 850 kilograms. In contrast, MAVEN had
almost double the launch mass, at 2,454 kilograms.
The scientic instruments on board the orbiter focused on
measuring the Martian atmosphere and imaging the Martian
surface. Prominent among them was a three-colour camera, which
would send back photos of the red planet and its two satellites, and
a methane sensor, de rigueur for every visitor to Mars these days.
Reports of small quantities of the gas have been seen as a potential
170|
biosignaturea sign that life could, or does, exist.

A remarkable aspect of the mission was the speed with which it
was executed. Staff reportedly worked 18-hour days, components
were reused, and tests were designed to extract the most out of each
experiment. The result: ISRO (literally) shipped a working system in
just over a year.
The mission was originally to last six months, until March 2015,
by which time it still had 37 kilograms of fuel left, leading to a
six-month extension. According to Deviprasad Karnik, director of
publications and public relations at ISRO, the mission is expected to
remain functional for some more time beyond one year.
The frugal technological prowess exhibited via Mangalyaan has
underlined its claims to cost-effective space journeys. However, the
challenge remains to prove it can take larger payloads in
interplanetary journeys. A successful GSLV launch in August 2015
came as a boost. Karnik says, [The] mission has given us a lot of
condence and also useful inputs for future missions. The mission
and the recent successes of the indigenous cryogenic stage in GSLV
have re-emphasized the capabilities of ISRO.
Perhaps Mangalyaans two biggest successes, outside its proof of
technology project, have been strategic and domestic. Chinas Mars
mission, part of its aggressive space programme, suffered a jolt with
the failure of a 2011 orbiter launch. The mission gives India a leg-up
on its Asian rivals. Emily Lakdawallasenior editor at The Planetary
Society, and author of an upcoming book on NASAs Mars
Curiosity Roverfeels that the main signicance of the mission is
that it has expanded the number of organizations that can viably
explore the solar system. This is likely to stimulate innovation and
creativity while bringing costs down, she says.
The success of Mangalyaan also caused great excitement in India
and could well turn out to be an inection point in raising ISROs
cachet in India. Social media contributed to this; MOM was active
on both Facebook and Twitter. The latter saw it indulge in cute
exchanges with Curiosity and MAVEN. Online forums were abuzz
with questions about everything from the technology involved to
the habits of people working in Indias space programme.
In Hindu astrology, the planet Mars is also malec. With
Mangalyaan charting a new course, ISRO will hope that for its space
ambitions, this foretells another meaning of Mangal: auspicious.
IMAGES COURTESY NASA
perspective
INTRODUCING
A two-day celebration of the best in mens fashion, showcasing

specially curated collections from India's leading menswear designers
To know more, log on to gqindia.com
WHEN
DECEMBER 1 & 2
2015
WHERE
THE GRAND HYATT

MUMBAI
DISCOVER
INDIAS FINEST
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level with a spotlight on the most opulent residences across the country.
Plus an exclusive feature on men and their spaces, and much more.
For advertising opportunities, please email
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Complimentary Supplement with the GQ December 2015 Issue
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spaces
TAKE A JOURNEY THROUGH

SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
HOMES IN THE WORLD
THE BOY
WONDERS
Colour, kitsch and cleverness come together in the
Gurgaon homes and studio of artists
Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra
MONTSE GARRIGA
WRITER SUNIL SETHI

PHOTOGRAPHER MANOLO YLLERA
ABSOLUTE ART
Jiten Thukral (left) and Sumir Tagra in the main
hall of their double-height Gurgaon studio,
surrounded by works in progress, including a
maquette of their Absolut vodka bottle.
(This page and facing)

JOINT VENTURE
Tagras living room is lined with customized sofas
upholstered in leather; he had the houndstoothpatterned cushion covers specially printed; the
nested coffee tables are from BoConcept; the
second-hand armchairs were given a makeover in
black lacquer. The entrance corridor of Thukral and
Tagras think space is lined with nished works
reected in oor-to-ceiling mirrors.
SHOW AND TELL

Most walls in Thukral and Tagras interiors are
painted a uniform slate grey, with the oors
lined in laminate boards. The main room of
the think space is a showcase for their works,
including the porcelain sculptures made for
Meissen, a German porcelain brand. The pale
grey sofa is from Iqrup+Ritz; the Charles
Eames chair was ordered online. The coffee
table is a packing crate topped with beige
stained glass.
WORK SURFACE
The sectioned work tables in this room
were customized to suit the artists
needs. The cartouche-shaped window
near the clock was created to capture
the colourful canvas in the next room.
A TASTE FOR COLOUR

Tagra designed his family apartment himself. Green
mosaic tiles and tinted glass give the open-plan
kitchen a fresh, clean look; the hand-painted bottles
on the counter are cast in resin and advertise
articial strawberry avour, a recurring Thukral
and Tagra conceit.

BED AND BREAKFAST
The spare dining room in Tagras apartment
features one of their Meissen porcelain
sculptures; the mirror artwork on the wall
is by Tagras wife, an artist who goes by the
pseudonym Princess Pea. In the bedroom,
the chest of drawers was a ea-market nd,
given a cheerful lick of paint, and the rocking
chair is by acclaimed designer Patricia
Urquiola for Kartell.

ART AT WORK
Thukral and Tagras two-storeyed studio has plate glass windows in
front to let in natural light. Elsewhere walls are punched with woodframed windows shaped like speech-boxes. The work spaces are
sparsely furnished to show their works to best advantage.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Thukral and Tagras studio, done up in concrete and granite, provides the
perfect backdrop for the artists vast colourful canvases and sculptures
COLOUR CONTRAST
One of the rooms in the
studio, which is used largely
for the artist duos works
on canvas.
iten Thukral and Sumir Tagra are

one of a kind. Few know the given
names of this artist-designer duo
whose collaborative works, like
some esoteric brand, also go under
the label T & T. From large, vividly
coloured canvases and prints that
fuse surreal imagery with the
symbolism of small-town kitsch
plastic owers, cheap toys, hot-air balloons and gaudy
wallpaperto a selection of one-off porcelain
sculptures commissioned by Meissen, the 18thcentury German manufacturer of ne china, their
oeuvre is constantly developing in ever more
astonishing directions.
At the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum,
between April and July, this year the boysas they
are affectionately known in the Indian art world
were invited by museum director Tasneem Zakaria
Mehta to create a series of performance and
participatory installations inspired by a set of 120
antique Ganjifa (an ancient card game from the
Museums collection) playing cards. Titled Games
People Play the show included live wrestling bouts,
and ping-pong games played on a table shaped to
(This page and facing)

ROCK SOLID
The liberal use of mottled Mahabalipuram granite in
the interior ooring and for the meeting table was
entirely fortuitous: they happened to buy a truckload
of plain and shaped blocks cheaply after its use at an
exhibition. Thukral and Tagra, in the latters living room.
resemble the citys seven islands. Unsurprisingly, the show

attracted a record-breaking 60,000 plus visitors.
But unlike their fanciful, often wackily subversive and
high-priced art, 38-year-old Thukral and his partner in crime
Tagra (who is a couple of years younger) are a remarkably downto-earth partnership, unaffected by success and deeply moored in
their conservative, middle-class Punjabi upbringing. A day spent
with them, with a delicious no-nonsense dhaba lunch thrown in,
is living proof of the axiom: you can take the boys out of Punjab,
but you cant take Punjab out of the boys.
SPACE DYNAMICS
In Gurgaons anachronistic geography of potholed roads and
ramshackle shanties out of which rise luxury condominiums and
commercial high rises, Thukral and Tagra occupy three apartments
in a gated compound; and, a short distance away, a largely
self-designed studio on a 5,400-square-foot plot, with doubleheight ceilings of exposed concrete overlooking a sloping lawn.
They call one of the apartmentsan interactive lab-plusofcetheir think space. It is here that the works are digitally
conceived from a vast database of imagessketches, photographs,
objets trouvswhich are then carefully sifted and layered to create
preparatory drafts, often in 3-D renderings. Although many of
their images are playfully sly, they keenly suggest the migrants
inchoate longing to escape from the stiing small towns of Punjab
to urban and foreign settingsthe recurring leitmotif of the hot-air
balloon being a vehicle of ight. Several of their shows exemplify
this desire. An exhibit at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, in
2009, was titled Escape for the Dream Land.
Other than canvases, the think space also contains works in
progress: an experimental series of audio speakers in terracotta,
and nished examples of the globular, double-vase-shaped
Meissen sculpture placed on imaginary musical instruments. The
ongoing collaboration with Meissen began in 2010 and has
acquired a challenging complexity. To achieve the shaded
background of our works, some of the porcelain pieces had to be
red as many as seven times, explains Thukral.
RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS
When Thukral and Tagra rst acquired the apartments as work
and living quarters, they were rather characterless cookie-cutter
spaces, and the duo set about customizing them swiftly but
inexpensively. Laminate oors were laid throughout; walls and
woodwork painted a uniform slate grey; and much of the
furniture, acquired online from BoConcept, bespoke retailers like
Urbanist, or improvised out of old packing crates topped with
tinted glass.
Casual acquaintances who compare them to European art
pairs, such as the Italian-British couple Gilbert & George, or the
French Pierre et Gilles, are briskly corrected. We dont live
together, Tagra claries politely. Ours is a working partnership.
They live in separate homes with their spouses and children.
In Tagras case, a four-bedroom apartment is refurbished in much
the same colour scheme and style as the think space: grey walls
punctuated by jade green, off-the-shelf sofas customized in
leather, or thrift-shop chairs back-lacquered in homage to Le
Corbusier. He shares the at with his artist wife, their child, his
architect brother and family, and their mother, a yoga instructor
and former art teacher. Living in a joint family, he confesses,

anchors his life and is a source of abiding comfort. I couldnt
imagine it otherwise.
Thukral grew up in Jalandhar and Tagra was raised in New
Delhi. They met briey at the Delhi College of Art in 1997, but
joined forces in earnest when employed in Ogilvy & Mathers art
department for four years. It was a tenure both satisfying and
suffocating. Bored with designing ad campaigns, they began an
after-hours design scheme that centred on the word BOSEDKa
play on a common Hindi expletiveon the lines of FCUK.
Plastering T-shirts, matchbox labels and ofce corridors, their
underground BOSEDK rubric soon went viral. Soon after, they
met curator and gallerist Peter Nagy and the boys of Indian art
took off. They dropped me a postcard at the gallery in 2004,
recalls Nagy. And I thought, Hey, theyre cool. I told them, drop
your rst names, take your imagery to paintings, and Ill be able to
sell you as Thukral and Tagra.
That gambit has paid off. Nagy admires the boys diligence,
intelligence and grit. They can take criticism, he adds. He has
seen them persevere to build their Gurgaon studio, its
construction frequently held up for lack of funds. Now complete,
it is where they transfer works from the think space, to be
executed on scale. The studios architecture is composed of
concrete and rough Mahabalipuram granite, which they bought
cheaply as remnants from the BE OPEN exhibition (held in New
Delhi last year) and redeployed.
Tearing off a protective sheet, Tagra inspects a canvas covered
with a trellis of masking tape and intricate half-nished details.
Ill come and nish this bit tomorrow morning, he says, and
quickly adds: Actually, well both be here to complete it, to
emphasize Thukral and Tagras composite state of art.
CURATORIAL PURSUITS
The living room has a Tord Boontje Dondola sofa in front
of a Piet Hein Eek scrapwood cabinet for Rossana Orlandi.
The Hermann Hesse and Mao Tse-tung portraits and Dollar
Sign artwork are by Andy Warhol. Below the Tse-tung
portrait is Pablo Picassos Vieillard Debout Les Bras Croiss.
Also of note is the Fernand Lger artwork (top left).
EE
E T
Design connoisseur and entrepreneur, Cherine Magrabi Tayeb curated her home in Beirut with
select artworks and furniture by artists from the Middle East and the West
WRITER GAURI KELKAR . PHOTOGRAPHER FILIPPO BAMBERGHI
PRIDE OF PLACE
The living room has a Piet Hein Eek
scrapwood table for Rossana Orlandi.
On the wall (left to right) are Piotr
Uklanskis Cicci, Lucio Fontanas
Concetto Spaziale and Richard Princes
Untitled (Oh).
187
LOUNGE AROUND
The solid mahogany rocking chair
in the living room is by Vladimir
Kagan. The stool and low table are by
Lebanese designer Souheil Hanna; on
the table is Sweep, from the Sensorial
Brushes collection by Najla El Zein
for the non-prot House of Today,
founded by homeowner Cherine
Magrabi Tayeb. The Anneaux lamp
is by Jean Royre. The Tears of Joy
installation is by Damien Hirst; the
painting on the left wall is by Ahmed
Alsoudani.
188
QUIRK WORKS
On the wall is a Damien Hirst artwork
from his series of butterfly-inspired
paintings. The Evolution bench by Nacho
Carbonell was made from recycled
paper, iron frame and chicken wire. The
bronze tablewith a blue-black patina
and pewter inlayis by Keith Haring.
FEAST FOR THE EYES

In the dining room is a Tangram set of low tables (which
form a dining table) by Martino Gamper and Sedia
Fiorita maple-wood chairs (with tree branches for chair
legs) by Giuseppe Rivadossi at either end. The chairs
around the table are covered in handmade suede by
Helen Amy Murray. The vase on the table is Second
Skins by Tamara Barrage. At the far end is the specially
commissioned vitrine Cherine by Beirut-based design
studio david/nicolas. The framed artworks are Richard
Avedons portrait of Marilyn Monroe and Anselm Kiefers
Die Klugen Jungfrauen. London-based architect and
designer Max Broby created the installation on the
ceiling, in laminated wood and cast aluminium.
ZEN ZONE
The master bedroom has a Massimo
Vitali framed photo, a Totem 7 lamp
made with hand-blown Pyrex glass
by Bethan Laura Wood, and a Nabil
Nahas artwork under it. The cabinet is
by Paul Evans, and the cushions are by
May Daouk, with needlework done by
Palestinian women.
191
(From this picture)

BEDROOM ACCENTS
The carpet in this bedroom is by Iwan Maktabi; above the bed is an
artwork by Italian painter Dadamaino, titled Volume (Bianco); the oor
lamp and desk are by Greta Magnusson-Grossman; the chair is a Pierre
Jeanneret design. The master bedroom features a vanity table from the
Play Time Tables collection by Bethan Laura Wood and a Collage
Chandelier by David Wiseman.
esigner of a line of high-end

sunglasses; artistic director of
the family-owned optical retail chain,
Magrabi; magnanimous benefactor of
non-prot organizations; member of
Londons Serpentine Gallery council;
patron of the Beirut Art Center; and
most signicantly, the founder of the
Lebanon-based art and design non-prot, House of Today, a
platform for upcoming artistic talent. These are the many facets
of one person. Cherine Magrabi Tayeb has, in all probability,
perfected the ne art of multitasking, no mean achievement
considering she has now added another feather to her wellplumed hat, in a manner of speaking. For someone with no
formal training in the eld, she has also designed and decorated
her home, located in the heart of Beirut. I derive as much
pleasure from wandering in a ea market as I do in a high-end
gallery or a museum. That pretty much sums up Tayebs ability
to instinctively recognize the potential of a product or a creation,
which has made her a redoubtable patron, as the founder of
House of Today, for talented young Lebanese artists.
Her house, in the heart of Beirut Central District (BCD), an
area that has witnessed an economic and cultural renaissance
after the civil war in Lebanon, has been designed without the
benet of an interior designer. Its all personal taste. I dont
believe that there are rules in design; its more of an expression
192
of oneself and we are all unique in that sense, says this mother of
three. For someone with such a passion for all kinds of design,
an instinctive understanding of it and the ability to spot people
with a particular talent for it, Tayebs approach to designing her
home was anything but straitjacketed. Its a space that wears its
many masterpieces as easily as its little-known, but extremely
personal treasures.
PERSONAL CHOICE
The more mistakes you make, the more personalized the space
is. I dont think art should be serious; it should be pleasant and
pleasurable to interact with, she explains. It was an approach
that allowed her to convert her 680-square-metre sea-facing
apartment into a space that would adapt to the specic
requirements of her family, and be a home that represented her.
The house was designed to reect the personalities of the
people who would occupy it. The furnishings and objects were
carefully chosen; Tayeb opted for those she felt some connection
with. Objects must mean something to me rather than me
needing them for some purpose. The process is more of an
emotional one, whereby I surround myself with stories and
memories through each piece.
Art, of course, was a foregone conclusion, despite the fact
that this was a house with three adolescent boys. That, however,
didnt stop her from populating the space with works she and
her husband collected. I believe that children should grow up
being exposed to art and culture as regularly as possible. It helps

develop their appreciation for the world of art and the hard work
of artists.
You would imagine there was some thought to using art that
would complement the interiors; like the Andy Warhol portrait
of Hermann Hesse, whose colours work so well with the
sculptural Dondola sofa by Tord Boontje. Or the Massimo
Vitali photograph in the master bedroom that looks like it brings
all the elements of the room together. That, though, was far
from the case. [The artwork was chosen] independently from
the interiors. Rather, it focused much more on the memories
it evoked. Our art helps bring even more life to our home
as it becomes a reection of us and the memories that bind
us together.
IN HER ELEMENT
If you like your interiors to go with your art to go with your
decor to go with your furniture, so to speak, then youd think
Tayebs approach almost irts with chaos. Far from it, because
the predominant element that binds the space together is an
overarching artistic aesthetic.
Whether its the stunning chandelier branch in the master
bedroom that is more installation than light, against a
beautifully textured white wall, or the dining room with its
delicately contoured table and exclusively commissioned
Cherine vitrine, every element comes together eloquently.
Thats in no small measure because of the view, which also had
a hand in dictating the interiors, and led to Tayeb choosing
(From this picture)
PRIVATE SANCTUARY
The bedroom has a Martino Gamper desk and off-cut shelves,
and an Iwan Maktabi carpet. Tayeb in the master bedroom; the
oor lamp is by Swedish designer Hans-Agne Jakobsson; the
Marie Laurencin artwork is titled Jeune Femme Au Chien.
bright colours and a breezy ow to help connect with the

sea to form a smooth continuum. The result is a house
thats essentially like a white shell layered with pops of
colour and a selection of furniture that can only be described
as eclectic.
For someone with no particular preference for trends or
periodsshes as much at home with Edwardian furniture as
she is with contemporaryTayebs house is really a testament
to her penchant to break from the tried and the tested, to make
non-traditional choices. She got some of the furniture customdesigned, partly for practical reasons, but more importantly, to
reect my taste or state of mind. This included the
aforementioned dining table, which is actually modular and
can split into four depending on the occasion, the vitrine
cabinet and the childrens bookshelves, desks and rugs.
It all comes together to create a space that redenes the
notion of luxury without losing out on comfort. It still manages
to make a distinctive statement, an inevitability with Tayeb,
given that she rmly believes that one aspect of luxury is
managing to nd true uniqueness in a world that is ush with
designs and artworks of all kinds.
In a neighbourhood that was at the centre of the civil-war
destruction, this home almost serves as a microcosm, a
reminder that art and culture can inspire a magnicent rebirth
from the throes of utter devastation, a renaissance, the
phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes kind. And Tayebboth
through her House of Today foundation, and her home
shows how that can be done.
THE baroda
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
The focal wall in the living room has a Thukral &
Tagra artwork. On the table in the foreground, a
Ravinder Reddy sculpture at one end and organic
volcanic glass on the other, subtly reinforce the
juxtaposition of natural and man-made art.
school
A sprawling home in Gujarat maintains

a simple aesthetic, and provides the perfect
counterpoint to what lies withina
stunningly curated collection of art
WRITER MANJU SARA RAJAN
PHOTOGRAPHER MONTSE GARRIGA
CONCRETE POETRY
The concrete walls of the dining room
lobby are hung with Rekha Rodwittiya
artwork on ceramic; the space looks
towards the conical-shaped staircase
nished in coconut wood, leading to
the rst oor.
VIEW TO A ROOM
The entrance lobby features chairs
that are Gio Ponti reproductions and a
metallic sculpture by Seo Young-Deok.
HIGH DESIGN
The rst-oor family lounge opens into
the box-like study. The concrete walls
have Naina Kanodia and Farhad Hussain
artworks. The Agatha light crafted in
wood veneer hangs from the ceiling.

UP AGAINST THE WALL
The rst-oor study has a Ruhlmann desk as its centrepiece; the wall
behind holds a collection of artwork created on glass by several
acclaimed artists. The Chintan Upadhyay painting is part of Barkha
and Pranav Amins contemporary collection. The entrance lobby looks
into the dining room lobby and beyond into the gardens; the Gio Ponti
chairs contrast with the Chinese lacquered consoles behind them,
over which hang paintings by Lalu Prasad Shaw.
GLAMOROUS OVERTONES
The dining room primarily has art deco furniture
with a pair of Van Egmonds Hollywood
chandeliers hanging over the table. All the
furniture in the house was designed and
custom-made by Kohelika Kohli.

STYLE SHOOT
The dining court where Pranav loves to barbecue with the family. The
rst-oor master bedroom overlooks the gardens and the pool below; the
black terrazzo ooring continues throughout the house. The kitchen,
where Pranav loves to cook. The master bathroom has a skylight above
the shower which allows natural light to ood the space.
SURFACE APPEAL
A view of the house from the
rear garden and swimming pool.
he interesting quality about second-generation art

collectors is their nonchalance about the thing itself.
They have a condence that makes them forget to tell
you about the signatures in their possession. This struck
me when I met Barkha and Pranav Amin.
The couple and their two kids live in a spectacular
art-lled home in Vadodara, best known for that storied
cultural institution, the Maharaja Sayajiraro University of
Baroda. Its ne arts programme, set up in 1950, consistently shows up as
one of the three best art schools in the country, and boasts alumni such as
Bhupen Khakhar, Padma Vibhushan awardee KG Subramanyan, Rekha
Rodwittiya, Surendran Nair and Pushpamala N.
BUILDING BOOM
For over a 100 years, generations of the Amin family have lived in
Vadodara, for the most part, smack-bang in the centre of the city. Pranav
is the joint managing director of Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited, part
of his familys Alembic group of companies. In 2006, when the couple
decided to build a home after their daughter Samira was born, they opted
to be in a portion of the 7.41-acre family property, which also houses
Pranavs parents, Chirayu and Malika Amin.
Like many tier-two Indian cities, Vadodara has the telltale signs of
dystopian urban development: malls, newfangled commercial buildings,
wide well-kept roads fanning out beside unplanned neighbourhoods.
All that chaos exaggerates the contrast within the Amin compound. The
vast camouage of trees gives way to a sober brick building designed by
Goa-based architect Ini Chatterjee; a simple construction in response to
a simple brief. We didnt want anything ornate. We wanted a design
that made interesting use of space, light and water, says Pranav. The
couple loved Chatterjees very rst drawing for their home. This is a
simple L-shaped structure with a moat running alongside, and windows
overlooking the garden bringing in the light. We made a few alterations
but essentially, it was the rst concept Ini presented, says Barkha.
But home-building is an extreme sport. The most interesting homes
are realized because hard-nosed dreamers with visionary zeal stay
committed. I asked Pranav how many years he thought he was signing
up for when construction started. Two-three years, but eventually we
realized there was no way it would take less than ve. The couple did
the bhoomipuja, a ceremony to mark the start of the project, in May 2008;
and moved in in January 2013. Part of the delay was circumstantial, like
the fact that they had their second child, Ranvir, now eight. Then there
were issues of man and material. It took seven months and 20 samples to
achieve the quality of terrazzo ooring they wanted. The dramatic
coconut-wood-clad central staircase surrounded by spiral windows
required more wood than anticipated; when that was sorted, they realized
its nearly impossible to get curved glass. The nal interpretation of the
design uses tall pieces of rectangular glass placed in a curved shape. Some
three years into the project, they decided to have a pool, which meant a
host of alterations to the landscape. Waterlogging was another problem,
caused by the fact that the property is at a lower level than the roads
outside; Chatterjee solved it by introducing a pond for rain harvesting.
THE FINE ART OF DESIGN
As a counterfoil to the simple architecture, the Amins wanted an interior
designer who could take the house to the next level. The couples
conversations with Delhi-based rm K2India, set up by mother-daughter
duo Sunita and Kohelika Kohli, led to a collaboration with architect
Kohelika. When I was commissioned, the architectural elements had
been designed, but the functional details were yet to be worked out. So we
started working on all the details, nishes and the spatial planning with its
exterior connections.
In the two years that she worked on this 24,531-square-foot project,
Kohelika planned the artworks and designed and custom-made most of the
furniture. But perhaps her most signicant role was creating a lighting plan
best suited to showcase the Amins art collection. I knew what I wanted
but there were limitations, as the house has a lot of glass, says the architect.
We kept in mind specic furniture pieces and artworks that were to be
highlighted, to create a completely different avatar at night.
It is a particular stroke of kismet to own artworks with stories of
personal attachments to the artists. Bhupen Khakhar, one of the most
important artists this country has produced, was also a family friend;
samples of his narrative works are a reminder of his relationship with this
household. A large Untitled Khakhar diptych, made when he launched one
of his books, is from Pranavs parents collection. The couples neighbours
and friends, artist Rekha Rodwittiya and her partner, Surendran Nair,
chose the spots for their works. For Rodwittiya, it was the vestibule
connecting the entrance to the dining room. The set of 12 circular works
like planets, is a tribute to the strength of the women in the family, which
quietly blueprints a landscape of living that makes the patterns of existence
beautiful and complete, Rodwittiya explained.
My particular favourite is the series of glass plates behind Pranavs desk
in the den. They are the results of an experiment catalysed by Malika
Amin some 20 years ago, when she invited various artists, including Nalini
Malani, Khakhar and Anjolie Ela Menon, to make art using glass produced
in the Amins glass factory. I thought it would be an interesting
experiment for them to try a new medium, she explained. The result is a
whimsical collection of concave and convex works, energetic, impulsive
and a signicant departure from the artists styles. Works by Ajay Lakhera,
Prasad Swain, Neeraj Patel and many others who used a studio space
originally a defunct warehousethat was set up by Malika for upcoming
artists, are also part of the collection. The fact that they share wall space
with the likes of FN Souza and Tyeb Mehta is what makes this home a
striking example of Vadodaras contributions to the art world.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Barkha and Pranav Amin with
their children, Samira and Ranvir.
URBAN
RETREAT
A sea-facing apartment in Mumbais Malabar Hill area provided designer Rajiv Saini an
opportunity to get creative, while staying within the dened outlines of a contemporary urban
aesthetic for a New Delhi-based couples rst Mumbai home
WRITER GAURI KELKAR . PHOTOGRAPHER SEBASTIAN ZACHARIAH
SEA SENSE
The sea-facing elliptical living room looks
out onto Mumbais Marine Drive (now
known as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Road). The vases by artist Sudarshan
Shetty are showcased in the vitrine
stand created to hold them. The wooden
bench is a George Nakashima design.
LIFT OFF
The lift opens into this lobby,
which designer Rajiv Saini treated
as an extension of the house.
Past the door is an installation by
Shilpa Gupta, titled Someone Else.
(From above)
LIGHT & SHADOW
In the sea-facing living room, the painting behind the
sofa is by Shibu Natesan. Additional storage in the
master suite is concealed behind the Nubuck-covered
shutters; a Gulam Mohammed Sheikh artwork hangs
above a niche holding a collection of Japanese ceramics.
207
A NICHE MARKET
A small desk niche was created in
Corian between the oating wardrobes.
(Facing page)
SCREEN PLAY
The den is separated from the corridor
by glass-and-gauze screens that allow
light to lter into the passage. One wall
displays an eclectic collection of mixedmedia art, all in black and white.
208
f youve lived in this city long enough, there are things about it
that you just know: traffic jams are its eighth wonder; the sea
will always hold a magical allure; Malabar Hill will always be the
toniest address in the city; and a sea-facing apartment at the said
address is a rare acquisition. The question to ask then is: what
kind of design would do justice to such a location? The short
answer: one that almost outdoes the view.
Enter designer Rajiv Saini, armed with a vision for the Mumbai
home of his New Delhi-based clients. It helped of course, that the
designer-client relationship went back to the late 1990s, when
Saini rst worked on the couples sprawling Delhi home. Seldom
do you share that kind of rapport with a client, where theres a
complete understanding of each others ideas, says Saini. And
then theres the mutual respect that comes from having worked
together and knowing that both of us will deliver and do that extra
bit to make the project special.
MATERIAL MATTERS
This sea-facing apartment, the couples rst in Mumbai, was no
exception. The work began with a simple brief: Rajiv, do your thing.
And thats just what Saini did. One thing they all agreed on was the
conversion of the 3,800-square-foot space into a three-bedroom
apartment by knocking down extra bedrooms. Within that framework,
the idea was to push [the limits] with this apartment. One way in
which he did so was in the use of materials, to create a palette that was
different from the other homes. We did a reversal of basic ooring
materials. You always tend to have stone or marble in the public areas,
and wood in the private areas. We decided to ip it. So we used this pale
grey materialsomewhere between limestone and marblein the
bedrooms and bathrooms, and walnut wood in the public areas.
The wooden ooring runs through the long corridor, straight

out the front door, with the lift lobby treated as an extension of the
house. This was possible only because of the buildings one-atper-oor layout. I wanted to make it more like a reception area.
The lower half [of the door] is tted with glass panels, which also
lters the natural light and livens up the space, explains Saini.
Other design elements Saini introduced to light up the corridor
were halogen lightinglong, white, linear light, surface-mounted
on black metaland the cleverly conceived translucent wall a
little further down. We knocked down a wall along one length of
the corridor and replaced it with glass panels that had gauze
sandwiched between them, says Saini, about the tactic that
ensured light from the den beyond owed into the corridor.
The design evolved as much through planning as through
spontaneity. You can plan only so much. A lot of things change when
you are placing things. I believe your gut instinct is as important. Think
jigsaw puzzle, where one right choice can give you clarity about the next
piece. Sainis choice of furniture was just as instinctive. The living
roomthe only front-facing space with direct sea viewsis elliptical,
which led him to pick furniture with unconventional angularities.
Orthogonal pieces wouldnt have really t into this space, he says.
Most of its walls are oor-to-ceiling windows, and its eclectic
furnishings include geometric coffee tables and a George Nakashima
wooden bench. A photograph of the bench, seen against the backdrop
of the slate-grey sea, so inspired Nakashimas granddaughter, Mira
Nakashima, that she requested the composer of that set-up for
permission to use the image on their website.
SPACE CRAFT
While the living room certainly deserves bragging rights, the other
rooms hold their own. The den didnt have the views, so Saini simply
introduced design elements prettier than what was outside. When it
comes to furnishings, theres generally one thing that gives direction to
the rest of the room. In the den, it was the colourful rug, so our choice of
the black-and-white photographs followed that decision, he explains.
The bedroom designed for the couple is the result of a decision,
taken early on by designer and client, that they would knock down a
few rooms. The couple was used to lavish spacescourtesy a New Delhi
residence and a holiday home by the Gangesso the decision was an
easy one. Since this would be a home just for two, the idea wasnt as
much about having many rooms, as it was about making the space
suitable for its residents. With this in mind, Saini eliminated an adjacent
bedroom and converted it into a spacious dresser for the master suite. I
wanted to make this an open space, so I created a screen, beyond which
are the dresser and master bath, he says. The matching screen in the
bathroom ensures design continuity and also conceals views of the
building it overlooks.
Despite the distinct elements, everything comes together to form a
cohesively designed space, where art and interiors have a uid
interaction. Art is part of all my projects. For this house, I encouraged
the client to look beyond traditional canvas, at new media, international
artworks and sculptures, explains Saini. So you have Sudarshan Shetty
vases anchoring the living room, an Arpita Singh artwork in the master
bedroom, and above a stunning custom-made dining table, sculptural
lights specially created in New York.
Before work on the house began, the clients told Saini: Make us
something that will tempt us to be here. This house has the kind of
viewand certainly the kind of designthat will accomplish that.
(Clockwise from above)

FLUID SPACES
A central island-and-breakfast table anchors the
large monochromatic Poggenpohl kitchen.
This powder room has a series of coloured,
lacquered ns that are reected in the adjacent
mirrored wall. The bespoke circular dining table
was made out of reclaimed logs from Venice, Italy
sandwiched in resin; a photo collage by artist Yamini
Nayar rests on the custom-made bronze console.
210
(From above)
FORM AND SUBSTANCE
A blonde veneer panelling covers all the walls in this
bedroom; the light above the desk is a Corbusier
design. The bed in the master suite is placed in the
middle of the room to benet from the ocean views;
an Arpita Singh artwork graces one wall; a wooden
screen provides a backdrop and conceals the entry
into the dresser beyond.
SUBCONTINENTAL DRIFT
The art wall in the living room features works by
Indian and Pakistani artists. The two grey sofas and
yellow and blue pouffes are by B&B Italia; the dark
leather sofa (bottom right) is by Roche Bobois. The
Nomad coffee tables are by Henge Italy. The black
leather coffee table is from Italian luxury furniture
brand Ivano Radaelli. The Fortuny oor lamp (left)
is by Pallucco. The mosaic and hand-painted side
tables are from Lahore, Pakistan. The replace is by
Hergom, Spain. The Minomushi oor lamp (right)
is by Issey Miyake for Artemide.
Inspired by the restraint of Japanese architecture, this home by architect Wilh van der Merwe, in
one of Johannesburgs oldest residential areas, embraces the dichotomy of form and function
WRITER KERRYN FISCHER . PHOTOGRAPHER ELSA YOUNG
STEP BY STEP
The sculptural staircase came about as it was the most
cost-effective way to create a spiral staircase. It was
literally moulded and built on site, according to a design
by architect Wilh van der Merwe.
(Facing page)
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
The homeowner bought the two antique chairs in the
foreground and had them lacquered in bright yellow.
STRING THEORY
Monastic light and simple lines set off a
collection of Tom Dixon hanging pendant lights
in the main bedroom.
(Facing page)
LIGHT RELIEF
In the dining room, oversized blue Plass
pendant lights by Foscarini hang over a dining
table that was made to order by the owners in
Matumi hardwood. The large artwork that hangs
above the Gregor Jenkin buffet server is by
South African textile artist Nicole Liebenberg.

SPACE STATION
The fully tted Way kitchen is from
Snaidero; the round marble table is by
Ferruccio Laviani for Misuraemme; the
Papilio dining chairs are by B&B Italia;
the Crown Major chandelier is by Nemo
Lighting. The ve-metre-tall wall behind
the bar is carved from the same granite as
the bar and the oors; it was hand-carved
in China to the clients specied patterns
inspired by the geometric forms of Islamic
architectureand then shipped to South
Africa in panels; the bar was designed by
Van der Merwe; the Pepe bar stools are by
Cattelan. The mirror in the guest bathroom
is recessed in the concrete wall; the Corian
washbasin was custom-made for the space.
All the cabinets, wall panels and mirrored
cabinets in the main en-suite bathroom
were custom-made.
he size of the narrow 2,500-square-metre

property in a much sought-after and
super-central residential area was a huge
attraction for the owners. But it was the
abundance of big old trees on the site, and
in particular, a massive old oak that is now
central to the design, that sealed the deal.
I nd tremendous inspiration in
Japanese architecture, says architect Wilh van der Merwe. In
particular, their amazing restraint with materials: concrete for
structure, wood for warmth and glass for light. Furthermore,
they excel at shifting the gaze of a house to the outside; and it
was this journey, from a warm comfortable interior to the
beauty and tranquillity of nature outdoors, that most resonated
with the owners when they briefed me.
The brief from the owners, who are from Pakistan, was
clear: it had to be a modern structure that would incorporate
the existing trees and allow for a strong connection to the
garden. While they werent inclined towards any particular
architectural norm, they were specic in that they wanted
a design that was responsive to the site and the needs of
their family. Their art collection was also an important
consideration. The owners wanted a large main feature wall on
which to hang their prized collection of art, which proved
central to the design.
RIGHT DIRECTION
As such, the house faces north, for sunlight in winter, while
shielding it from the harsh sun in summer. This meant that
we positioned the house off its axis on the stand, creating an
interesting relationship between the sections of the building
that run parallel to the site and those that face directly north,
explains Van der Merwe. This twist to the north allowed the
driveway to meander from the north side of the house to the
south entry courtyard, another request of the owners. The
driveway hints at the practices of ancient Greek architecture
and planning, when the approach to a building was all about
walking around it to observe it before reaching the entrance,
adds Van der Merwe.
The impressive ve-metre double-height ceilings in the
main living area are a denitive feature of the house and offset
the carefully curated wall of art to magnicent effect. With an
impressive assortment of art from Pakistan, India, Bulgaria,
Kenya and South Africa, the wall is one of the rst things you
see when you enter the space.
The owners have been collecting art from Pakistan and
India for more than 15 years now, drawn to pieces that they
love, which have, over time, proved to be excellent
investments. Till date, their Indian art collection includes the
works of many award-winning artists such as GR Iranna, Sunil
Gawde, Jatin Das, Akhilesh Verma, Sujata Bajaj and Pratul
Dash, among many others. We buy mostly online, and from
New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata galleries, they add.
The art wall provides the perfect foil to the monumental
concrete spiral staircase that adds a sculptural element to the
interiors. And of course, the volumes of both the ceiling and
the staircase conspire to make the space feel larger than it is

without compromising on its sense of intimacy.
TREE OF LIGHT
The 900-square-metre house is laid out over two-and-a-half
levels, with the living, entertaining and kitchen areas all
located downstairs. Every ground oor room opens almost
entirely onto a timber deck that connects to the pool and
garden. As a result, every room feels like a covered patio in
itself, which has allowed for generous spaces that feel immersed
in the landscape. Just up the concrete staircase is a second
pyjama lounge, where the family hangs out and watches
television. Up another ight of stairs is the main bedroom and
the couples teenagers bedrooms.
The other signicant feature is that the house is built
around a massive oak tree that stands sentinel in a circular
courtyard. It not only acts as a lung for the house, but also
as a wonderful light source for just about every room in it.
Downstairs, the kitchen, dining room and guest room open
out onto this courtyard, while upstairs, the childrens music
room looks onto it, as do both the passageway leading to the
rooms, and the couples sons bathroom.
Thanks to Van der Merwes responsive architecture, the
design savvy of the owners, and an incredible site, the Japaninspired, Pakistani-owned, Indian-art-lled house provides
the perfect balance between beauty and usability.
PIPE DREAMS
The owners preference for volume has been
interpreted wherever possible, and the ingenious
use of standard industrial-use pipes mixed with
oak pipes of the same width and length create
an unusual and sculptural front door. The grey
and white artwork is by Indian artist Yusuf.
HOME
IS
WHERE THE
ART IS
While designing her new home,
Mumbai-based architect Smita Khanna
chose to keep it simple and go the subtle
and understated route to create an oasis
of calm best suited for two
WRITER KUNAL BHATIA
PHOTOGRAPHER MONTSE GARRIGA
BEST-LAID PLAN
The doors of the vestibule lead into
the living-dining area, with one of the
two large daybeds in the foreground.
Resting against the partition is a large
watercolour-and-charcoal work by artist
Surendran Nair. Above the doorway of the
vestibule is an example of the pinched
false ceiling used to hide the rafters.
221
SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

The row of seats in the entry vestibule
was picked up by Smita Khanna from
Bungalow 8 in Mumbai. The partition details
were created by Khannas design studio
NOTE, and crafted in teak wood and uted glass.
(Facing page, from top)
FRAME WORK
The kitchen behind a uted-glass partition is
located towards the end of the vestibule; the
circular wall light is a vintage piece sourced
from Chor Bazaar, Mumbai. Floral-patterned
tiles from Tiffany Tiles are inlaid between the
black Brazilian slate ooring in the vestibule;
the photo art on the walls is from Dayanita
Singhs Museum of Chance series.
hough architects and designers are forever

learning and furthering their skills, it is often
in the formative years that the biggest shifts in
their design sensibilities and creations occur.
Each project has its own learning, leading to
evolving stances and more nuanced responses
to spatial challenges. So when Smita Khanna,
co-founder of Mumbai-based experimental
design practice NOTE, had an opportunity to design a second home,
which she would occupy with husband Nikhil Mathew, she knew
that she wanted it to be a lot calmer and softer than before.
Our rst home was all about trying to understand the notion
of ornamentation. I was questioning what it means to adorn spaces
with elements that are as strong in their form as their function, says
Khanna. Four years later, when planning this space, she started with
a blank slate and foreknowledge; with the new home just two oors
below the rst one, she was well-versed with the constraints of the
apartment block in Colaba.
FRESH BEGINNINGS
The at was partitioned into a couple of small bedrooms and had a
number of storage nooks all over. We had to break down all the walls
to start afresh, explains Khanna. With the couple retaining their
upstairs residence as a space to host guests and entertain friends and
family, the agenda of this home was based solely on accommodating
the needs of two. As a practice, NOTE focuses strongly on
programme and working out spatiality based on the needs of the client
and an understanding of how they will occupy the space. Here, both
Nikhil and I preferred to have an open area to unwind and relax, but
which still afforded a degree of privacy, she elaborates.
Consequently, Khanna created a generous vestibule, furnished
only with a row of chairs, which serves as a prelude to the main spaces
of the home. While the oral tiles that are inlaid within the oor are a
denite eye-catching detail, the vestibules most striking feature is the
partition, made up of interlocking apsidal shapes. Khannas studio, at
that point, was studying the works of Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati,
known for his emphasis on form. Inspired by Olgiatis works, we
experimented with a series of screens in varying proles and materials.
The gentle curves bring a much-desired softness to the partition,
while the lines of the glass and the grain of the wood form the
complementary ornament, she reveals.
At the far end of the vestibule is the kitchena compact but fully
functional space in which Mathew, a passionate cook, likes to
experiment with different foods. Shutters and cabinetry in handpolished teak wood conceal built-in appliances and an adequate
amount of storage. Both Khanna and Mathew wanted to populate this
home with their handmade creations and were initially hopeful of
building their own furniture. But our long working hours did not let
us create any of our own pieces, says Khanna ruefully. What the
couple did manage to do, instead, was experiment with patterning for
their kitchen tiles. We simply used ink splotches on paperfolding
them, pressing them and weighing them down to come up with a
number of creations that resembled a Rorschach pattern. A few messy
days of ink later, we had a series of unique patterns to choose from,
which were then digitally printed on tiles and used in the kitchen.
MAKING A HOME
The doors from the vestibule lead to the main space of the home: an
open-plan conguration of living and dining areas that serves a
>
223
< multitude of purposesas a den for watching television, a dinner
setting for a cosy meal or simply a space where Khanna and Mathew
can lounge around with a glass of wine. The most prominent element
here is the lush black stone ooring that not only runs across the entire
oor, but also noticeably wraps up on the walls. While the couples
three dogs ruled out the possibility of using wooden ooring, this
bowl upturn, as Khanna refers to it, was also the result of a desire to
create a grounding effect in this main space. I created large openings
on both the external sides to bring in as much natural light as possible,
while also framing the dense foliage of the trees outside. Also, one of
the rst design decisions taken was to pinch the ceilings and raise them
as much as possible. This not only hid the unruly beams of the original
structure, but also gave this space a much-needed breather in terms of
height, says Khanna thoughtfully.
A six-seater teak-wood dining table sits by the window in the
dining area, while two large and inviting daybeds sprawl out in front of
the television screen. All three pieces were designed by Khanna and,
224
together with the Ghost armchair by Gervasoni, are the only pieces of
furniture in this space. Though Mathew is not associated with any
design discipline, both Khanna and he are passionate about art, evident
from the numerous works and collectibles that occupy a place of pride
in their space. Some pieces, such as Gautam Bhatias political sculpture,
Emerging Power, have found a snug location towards the edge of the
living area, while other objects such as the Sri Lankan papier-mch
gurine lamp by the armchair and the Moroccan blankets on the
daybeds were picked up by the couple on their travels.
In their bedroom, Khanna is quite fond of a monochromatic
Prabuddha Dasgupta work acquired nearly a decade ago. The piece
was lying at my mums house for a long time. But once we brought it
in here and placed it against the wall, it sort of completed the space,
says Khanna, and adds, People often tend to think of their houses as
an ideal of someone somewhere; whereas my approach is to tell my
clients that the idea is not to make a pretty house but to make a home
for you. Like the couple have achieved with their new home.
FEAST FOR THE EYES

Stuffed silk birds picked up by Khannas
husband, Nikhil Mathew, in London sit
on the polished teak-wood dining table
designed by NOTE. The standing lamp
near the window was salvaged from Chor
Bazaar and spray-painted by Mathew. The
oor rug is from Shyam Ahuja.
(Facing page)
MAKING A STATEMENT
The papier-mch gurine
lamp from Sri Lanka rests next to
the Ghost armchair by Gervasoni.
In the background is Gautam Bhatias
political sculpture, Emerging Power.
226
FRAMES OF MIND
The back curtain on the bedroom window is from
Bandit Queen. The rose-coloured Nerd chair is by
David Geckeler for Muuto. A monochromatic portrait
by the late Prabuddha Dasgupta rests on one wall.
(Facing page, clockwise from top left)
PET PROJECT
The kitchen features Rorschach-inkblot-like imprints
on the dado tiles. The teak-wood cabinetry and
granite platforms in the kitchen complement its black
slate ooring. Khanna with one of her pets in front of a
sculpture from artist Rana Begums series, The Folded
Page. Large windows ensure the bathroom receives
natural light; the pattern resembling Rorschach
inkblots are carried forward on these tiles as well.
d
r
Arc
S
h
b
B
t
s
m
,
DESERT ROSE
This house in Joshua Tree, California is composed
of sprayed-concrete petals that arch over the living
areas and seem to grow organically like a giant
ower from the tumbled sandstone boulders of
Joshua Tree, a high desert area in southern California.
229
ENTRY FORM
John Vugrin, a local craftsman, spent 20 years
designing and fabricating every element in
the house including this metal entry gate.
(Facing page)
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
In the living area, two bronze beams swoop
down to support glass tops that can be used
as work surfaces or for display. A row of
ceramic lamps hovers within the room.
231
(From this picture)

GAUD-ESQUE
Another view of the bronze beam. The three-legged
chairs were custom-designed and are drawn up to a
dining table that is cantilevered from the wall.
LEVEL UP
The circular master bedroom is elevated high above
the living area just below the roof vault.
233

CIRCLE OF LIGHT
Harsh sunlight is softened by the concrete
petals, and it models the folds, tracing
arcs of light across the interior from
early morning to late afternoon. In the
master bathroom, a pair of washbasins
are contained within a plant-like form
and a shower is placed outside against an
expanse of natural rocks. Stone and metal
play off rough-textured concrete.
234
his desert housenear Palm Springs,

Californiais the masterpiece of Kendrick
Bangs Kellogg, an architect who draws
inspiration from nature and from his mentor,
Frank Lloyd Wright. Beginning in 1957 at age
23, he created a succession of houses and
commercial buildings that shaped space in
daring ways, but his originality condemned him
to obscurity. Like the late John Lautner, another protg of
Wright, he cannot be readily categorized and has thus been
largely ignored by editors and critics. As a maverick in his ninth
decade, he merits recognition and the opportunity to build, but
proudly refuses to compromise his vision.
Kelloggs last great project was commissioned by two artists,
who found a site perched among sandstone boulders,
overlooking the Joshua Tree National Park. The architect
conceived a giant ower of overlapping concrete petals that
enclose a soaring open space, an elevated master bedroom, and a
downstairs guest suite. The structure seems to grow out of the
boulders like the spiky Joshua trees that give this expanse of
wilderness its name. Construction stretched out over many years,
and the rough-textured shell was then enriched for another two
decades by San Diego-based designer John Vugrin. Etched glass,
sinuously curved marble, wood, and bronze dene an open work
area, a sitting room, dining area, kitchen and bathrooms. The
pool terrace was recently transformed into a glass-enclosed spa.
SET IN STONE
Chance played a large role in the creation of this extraordinary
house. Artists Jay and Bev Doolittle acquired the four-hectare
site in exchange for a at plot on the street that would have been
much easier to build on. They saw several of the houses Kellogg
had built in San Diego and invited him to drive up to Joshua
Tree. He chose the ridge as the ideal location, and then sketched
an open, light-lled space on a yellow pad. Aerial photographs
were combined with land surveys to create a site model as the
plans grew from the initial concept. Little did the Doolittles
realize what they were embarking on. To describe the experience,
they quote science-ction author Ray Bradbury: You jump off a
cliff and build your wings on the way down.
No contractor would assume responsibility for such an
audacious design in so remote a location. Instead, the owners
hired a supervisor and paid him for time and materials, without
setting a deadline. A team of unskilled workers gured out
solutions as they went along. It took three years to cut the rock,
lay a concrete pad, and construct a driveway, while leaving many
of the boulders in place. Twenty-six hollow columns are deeply
rooted in the rock and fan out to form the overlapping planes
that block the sun, while admitting refracted light through the
glazed spaces between. Steel and concrete withstand the desert
climate much better than wood; and neoprene joints allow the
glass to expand. Terraces extend out to either side, shaded and
protected by the house from erce desert winds. Theres an
architectural promenade from the road, up a winding paved
path, and through the interior spaces to the wall of rocks behind.
The house is a place of grandeur and mysterya total work of art
seamlessly fused with nature at its most sublime.

From the rusted steel fence and a gate that resembles a
dinosaur skeleton, to the ornamental drain covers and portcullislike front door, Vugrins craftsmanship is apparent everywhere.
His sculptural exuberance and love of ornament rival those of
Antoni Gaud, creator of Barcelonas Sagrada Famlia. He
fabricated almost everythingfrom the furniture to washbasins,
and etched glass to copper light-switches.
IN THE DETAILS
Two cast-bronze beams arch down through the living area to
support glasswork surfaces. Shifting levels dene the different
areas of the house but there are very few doors, and each space
ows smoothly into the next. The master bedroom is elevated
and encircled with pleated, backlit translucent glass so that the
cylindrical form hovers, like a gigantic lantern, within the main
space. A sunken seating area at its base is warmed by a hearth
inset with smooth pebbles and a snail-like copper hood. The
master bathroom is sculpted from marble and bronze, and a
shower is set beside the boulders and natural spring to the north.
The juxtaposition of different materials and textures, rough and
smooth, raw and rened, animates every corner.
There is a constantly shifting play of light and shadow
through the day. At an elevation of 1,300 metres, far from the
nearest city, the air is piercingly clear, and the sun beats down
ercely. The house lters its beams, creating a penumbra that
throws every surface into soft relief. Early and late, when the sun
is low, its rays softly model the petals of the roof canopy from
below. At high noon it is held at bay and hot air is released
through vents in the glazing. Theres a telling contrast between
the mass of the shelter and the openness of the stone-paved
terraces, blurring the boundary between indoors and outdoors in
a way thats hard to achieve in desert valleys, where summer
temperatures soar to 50 degrees, and residents retreat into
air-conditioned cocoons. The house is a sustainable response to
climatic extremes.
When the Doolittles put it up for sale, it drew the attention
of Matt Jacobson and Kristopher Dukes. Hes a Facebook
executive; she is an interior designer. They drove out to see it, fell
in love with the house at rst sight, and now use it as a retreat
from their oceanfront residence near Los Angeles.
STONE TEMPLE
A stone-agged path and
steps lead up to the entry.
workbook
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EXPERT ADVICE, DECOR TIPS,

AND STYLE ESSENTIALS FOR THE
CONTEMPORARY INDIAN HOME
JOHANNES ITTEN (1888-1967)

Ittens 1944 painting Space Composition, II
served as the inspiration for this illustration.
PHOTOGRAPHER: INDRAJIT SATHE
(Surface nishes in assorted colours) DuneDrizzle surface nish from the World Edition
collection by Royale Play; Asian Paints.
(Clockwise from top right) Jupiter plate;
Diesel Living with Seletti. Four Bulb lamp by
Matteo Cibic; Scarlet Splendour. Ceramic fox
by Lanzavecchia + Wai; Bosa. Piede Romano
porcelain object by Fornasetti; yoox.com.
Ceramic vase; Freedom Tree. Pito kettle
by Frank Gehry; Alessi. Wooden cat doll by
Alexander Girard; Vitra.
STYLE
pays tribute to four iconic Bauhaus masters through graphic interpretations of their work
STYLIST SAMIR WADEKAR . ILLUSTRATOR ROHAN HANDE
JOSEF ALBERS (1888-1976)

Albers is perhaps best remembered for his Homage to the Square series of abstract
paintings; a deconstructed version of his paintings serves as the theme for this illustration.
(Rectangular frame) Insignia Stringy surface nish in base colour RAL 5021 Wasserblau
with white strings and (yellow plane) Insignia Soft Touch surface nish with RAL 1007
Narzissengelb colour from the Insignia Special Effects collection by Woodtech Insignia;
Asian Paints. (Clockwise from right) Feniletilamina vase by Fabio Novembre for Venini;
yoox.com. Bull KRA 3 ceramic object by Karim Rashid; Bitossi Ceramiche. Centrepiece
by Jaime Hayon for Cassina; Poltrona Frau Group Design Centre. Cap table lamp by
KaschKasch; Normann Copenhagen. Cammei scented candle; Fornasetti Profumi.
242|
inside
OSKAR SCHLEMMER (1888-1943)

The structure of the metallic rods in this image is based on
a costume designed by Schlemmer for the performance of
the Triadic Ballet.
(Background nish) Dune-Drizzle surface nish from the
World Edition collection by Royale Play; Asian Paints.
(Clockwise from top left) Bulle DArgent ice bucket
by Christoe; Emery Home. Scope wall clock by Leff;
thehouseofthings.com. Dear O Deer ceramic planter;
Re-Culture. BeoLab 5 loudspeakers; Bang & Olufsen. Bell
suspension lamp by Diesel Living with Foscarini; Lightbox.
MAX BILL (1908-1994)

Apart from his paintings, Bill was known for his architecture,
typeface and product design. This illustration is an abstract
interpretation of his quadrangular, pop coloured paintings.
(Copper triangles) Midas copper-leang surface nishes from
the International Designer collection by Royale Play; Asian
Paints. (Clockwise from top left) Rock compote dish by
Michael Aram; SIMONE. Graal vase by Cdric Ragot; Roche
Bobois. Perch sculpture (medium); Taamaa. Le Nid ramekin
by Christian Ghion; Alessi. Falda vase (copper); Rosenthal.

244|
inside
inside
ADVICE
Window
SHOPPING
The online space, as the go-to place for collectors and

artists to meet and exchange notes, has redened the
concept of buying and selling art and provides a viable
option to traditional galleries and auction houses
WRITER MORTIMER CHATTERJEE
THE ORIGIN STORY

Auction houses have dealt in Indian art since the mid-1990s, and the
rst online auctions were held soon after, with the entry of Saffronart,
whose belief in the latter has been unwavering. Minal Vazirani, who,
along with her husband, Dinesh, co-founded Saffronart, occupies a
particularly advantageous position from which to contextualize the
history of online art purchases: Given that the process of acquiring art
and information from anywhere in the world is far easier now, the
market has grown more sophisticated in a very short span of time.
Since Saffronart launched 15 years ago, there has been a signicant shift
in the level of familiarity, acceptance and trust that visitors have with
viewing and acquiring art online, even at the top end.
International auction houses Christies and Sothebys have been
exploring the potential of the online space for many years. In 2014,
Christies registered sales of $34 million from online buyers, with the
highest-selling lot being Indias own Tyeb Mehta at $2.8 million. In
246|

ART-BUSTERS
The Artsy app for iPhone and iPad. Tyeb Mehtas
Untitled (Falling Bull) (1999) and a partially glazed
and engraved ceramic pitcher from the Picasso
Ceramics (1881-1973) sale, both sold by christies.com.
recent years, online-only auction houses have sprung up, such as

Auctionata and Paddle8. ArtTactic is a London-based art market
research group. Its founder, Anders Petterson, regards India as an early
adopter of online art buying. Looking at the worldwide potential of
online art sales, there is still a lot of headroom in his view: Our
estimate for global online art sales in 2014 was $2.64 billion (up from
$1.57 billion in 2013) and could increase to $6.3 billion by 2019if the
growth pattern continues. Recent ArtTactic survey ndings show
that 49 per cent of art buyers have bought directly online (up from 38
per cent the previous year).
The other online platforms for art are large aggregators and niche
sellers with a very select inventoryphotography-specic online
sellers, Merchants of Cool, for instance. India is yet to see anything on
the scale of Artsy, a US-based app and website that provides a platform
for galleries and institutions to promote their artists and exhibitions;
but it is only a matter of time before we see a version of it.
CHANNELLING THE WEB
Leveraging their large TV viewership and online following, NDTV is
preparing to become Indias newest entrant into the e-marketplace for
art, with an online entity named OnArt.com, offering everything
from ne art and prints to collectibles, jewellery and glassware. Gallery
tie-ups will play a key role in their strategy, so it is unsurprising to learn
that it aims to launch at the time of the India Art Fair, in January 2016.
Tara Roy, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design
(RISD), who observed the travails of young struggling artists while still
at college, spearheads the project, I knew brilliant artists who didnt
ARTSY APP PHOTOS: COURTESY ARTSY.NET; UNTITLED (FALLING BULL) BY TYEB MEHTA AND
CERAMIC PITCHER: COURTESY CHRISTIES
ver the past decade or so, the way we buy art has been
changing incrementally, but the pace is likely to
accelerate dramatically as online platforms thoroughly
disrupt traditional distribution channels. If art online used to be
limited, primarily, to research about what was being put up at
physical galleries and auction houses, the new online art pioneers still
want you to browse, and to learn, but what they really want you to do
now is ll up your cart.
The sales of art can be bifurcated into primary and secondary
markets. A primary sale refers to artwork delivered straight from the
artists studio to the collector. Traditionally, this meant a sale via gallery.
Now, however, direct sales between artists and collectors are on the
riseoften in the form of commissionswith platforms such as
Instagram having created instantaneous connects between the two. A
secondary sale is any artwork that is being resold. In the case of both
models, acquisitions can take place at a set price or through auctions.
SPACE TO GROW
One of the organizations to have partnered with StoryLTD is Kulture
Shop, which showcases the best of Indian graphic artists. The aim, as
expressed by co-founder Arjun Charanjiva, is straightforward, We
represent a younger demographic (22-40) than traditional art buyers.
They connect better with original graphic art. While Kulture Shop
does have a bricks-and-mortar presence, Charanjiva is keenly aware of
the importance of the online space: Art online in India is at a nascent
stage and has a long and exciting journey ahead. I see amateur graphic
artists and designers, real graphic artists, photographers and a new crop
of visual and ne artists reaching out with every passing month and
Portrait of Raja Prakash
Chand (1770); Saffronart.
Grace Jones by Francesco

Scavullo (1979); Sothebys.
FINE ART AUCTIONS

Christies.com (International + Indian)
Christies LIVE allows for online bidding: christies.com/livebidding
Sothebys.com (International + Indian)
Online bidding is possible through the Sothebys tie-up with eBay:
live.ebay.com/lvx/sothebys
Paddle8.com (International)
Auctionata.com (International)
Saffronart.com (Indian)
MARKET AGGREGATORS
Artsy.net (International + Indian)
Ocula.com (International + Indian)
COLLECTIBLES AND NO-RESERVE AUCTION
Storyltd.com (Indian)
year to more and more consumers. On the relationship with

StoryLTD, he says: Our demographic is very different from the older
customer base of StoryLTD, though we are happy to have a presence
on their site as we represent whats coming next.
Having followed the Indian scene for eight years, during which
time ArtTactic has produced 16 Indian art market-condence surveys,
Petterson is bullish about the opportunities that will open up to it. I
think the global online art market potentially offers Indian galleries
and artists an opportunity to reach new audiences outside India,
which could be an important additional channel for cultivating and
building collector bases outside the domestic market.
It should not be forgotten that physical galleries and institutions
have been waving the ag for Indian artists for many years around the
world. At any major art fair, Indian artists and galleries are certain to be
present. Despite all the inefciencies of the traditional bricks-andmortar art space, it does, ultimately, provide a collector the one
experience that a pure online model can never replicate: being there
with the work. Indeed, Petterson estimates that online art sales still
account for only about 5 per cent of the global sales, Physical galleries
and auction houses will continue to play an important role going
forward. Online art sales are not a substitute for traditional venues for
buying art, but about offering clients the choice of how to search, nd
and, ultimately, buy a work of art. I have a vested interest in ensuring
the long-term survival of bricks-and-mortar art spaces: I own one.
But it would be foolhardy not to see that the winds of change are
blowing hard and that anyone unprepared for what is to come is likely
to be blown away, consigned to the dustbin of art history.
Dabbawala and Macchiwali
art prints; kultureshop.in.
Mahabharat Se Kahabharat
paintings and Kala
cube by Jatin Kampani;
merchantsofcool.in.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Yellowkorner.com (International)
Merchantsofcool.in (Indian)
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Kultureshop.in (Indian)
POINTERS
While following online auctions, wait until near the end before
entering the bidding process.
If bidding online, set yourself strict limits and stick to them.
Understand the applicable buyers commission and taxes.
Ask for certicates of authenticity on artwork purchased, as well
as its provenance.
If buying an artwork from outside the country, check the
import duty.
GRACE JONES BY FRANCESCO SCAVULLO: COURTESY SOTHEBYS
know how to market their work. Artists too need to make money.
Our aim is to connect the artist to the buyer by creating a market
network. She will utilize the television network for informative
programming around the ne arts, but sales will be via an app and
website: We will not be in competition with galleries and collectors,
but will be a marketplace aggregator. OnArt.com would like to, in
some small way, do for Indian art what Amazon did for books: create a
market network that gives a place in the sun for more Indian artists
and raises demand for Indian art.
Of the present incumbents of the art e-marketplace, StoryLTD is
undoubtedly the largest. It is a Saffronart initiative and offers artworks
and merchandise from a number of niche sellers, but few traditional
bricks-and-mortar galleries. Vazirani explains, By partnering [with
them] we are aiming to reach a broader audience, as well as provide a
fantastic entry point for young collectors.
inside
POINT OF VIEW
Lies, subterfuge, betrayal and secrecyan examination of crimes

on the Indian art scene reads like a page-turning whodunit
WRITER KISHORE SINGH . ILLUSTRATOR LEO GREENFIELD
n 2011, socialite Sheetal Atulya Mafatlal,
who had married into the Mumbaibased industrialist Mafatlal family, asked
two of her friendstransport magnate Areef
Patel and apartment owner Yasmin MYto
temporarily house the familys collection of
modern Indian masters worth crores of
rupees. At that point, no one could have
imagined the charges and countercharges
that would follow. In 2012, in a curious turn
of events, Mafatlal accused her friends of
replacing the originals with fakes. Those
friends, in turn, blamed Mafatlal for
deliberately ofoading fakes on theman
accusation that seemed to carry weight
when, in 2014, the police seized 44 of
248|
the original paintings in a storage vault

belonging to a company allegedly owned
by Mafatlal herself. Of those paintings, ve
did not even belong to the family, and are
believed to be the property of Mafatlal
Dyes & Chemicals, the company owned
by the family.
As the case drags on in court, it has
come to light that Mafatlal herself had asked
yet another friendphotographer Vikram
Bawato make the copies for a mere
`35,000 each, which she then ofoaded on
Patel and Yasmin, while hiding the originals
in the course of a drawn-out inheritance
conict. The fake paintings were stored in
Yasmins apartments, and Patels employee,
Farukh Wadia, is the co-accused in a twist

in which Mafatlal claims he switched the
originals for the fakes. Bawa and another
woman photographer, who were
responsible for the copying, are now star
witnesses in one of the most scandalous art
scams that India has witnessed.
Among art crimes in India, Mafatlals is
probably the boldest, yet it is by no means
the only one involving fake works. Ten
years ago, artist SH Raza had lamented to
this writer that he received images for
authentication on an average of once every
week, even though many of the works were
obvious forgeries. But even he couldnt have
imagined, when, in 2009, he arrived at the >
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inside
< Dhoomimal Gallery in New Delhi to

inaugurate an exhibition of his own
paintings, that all, barring a few drawings,
would turn out to be bad copies. Amidst
charges of horse-trading, it was agreed that
the gallerys culpability was limited to its
negligence in carrying out due diligence,
since the works had been supplied by the
artists own nephews! Though matters
were hushed up, it left Indias most
expensive living artists collectors more
than a little jittery.
COPY THAT
Forgery is the Indian art industrys sordid
nightmare that cant be wished away as long
as theres big money to be made from it. In
2008, gallerist Renu Modi shut down an
exhibition of Kolkata artist Somnath Hores
sculptures rather than risk her gallerys
reputation, because his family insisted they
werent kosher. Art historian, critic and
curator R Siva Kumars contention, that 20
of the 23 works by Rabindranath Tagore
at a prestigious exhibition in Kolkatas
Government College of Art & Craft
were crude fakes, caused a scandal on the
occasion of the poet-artists 150th birth
anniversary. Works by the artistone
of nine national artists whose paintings
it is illegal to take out of the country
command a heft that is extraordinary
for their size. In 2006, artist Sanjay
Bhattacharya created a furore, claiming
a painting by his one-time teacher
Bikash Bhattacharjee in an Osians
auction was fake.
Internationally, suspect works are
routinely pulled out of auctions if questions
are raised about their legitimacy. Several
collectors would be dismayed to learn that at
least a few works in their repertoire would
not stand the scrutiny of experts. Even artists
have not been spared, with assistants
learning their tricks to push out copies, as
happened in the well-publicized case of
250|
Anjolie Ela Menons house-painter-turnedforger in 2004. Manjit Bawa too grappled

with fakes in his lifetime. And in the case of
Jamini Roy, another national artist, it
would appear that an entire factory is at
work churning out competent copies. With
the fraternity pointing ngers at everyone,
from framers to artists descendants and
trustees, faking has turned into one of the
biggest headaches for the art community.
Whether they are of paintings by MF
Husain or FN Souza, MV Dhurandhar or
Nandalal Bose, fakes proliferate, at least in
part, because Indians love a good deal but
are loathe to pay the additional levy charged
as a fee for verication.
STEALING THE SHOW
While the right-wing moral brigade
remains a particularly irksome force,
routinely vandalizing works of art and
threatening artists, another major concern is
theft. Even though there is no market for
well-known stolen paintings and sculptures
as in the West, the theft of collections is no
less rampant in India. Much of this has to do
with the absence of rigorous inventorying in

national institutions where works have been
reported missing. One such scandal was
unearthed at the Lalit Kala Akademi in
2003, when paintings by senior artists Ram
Kumar, J Swaminathan, MF Husain, KK
Hebbar, I Jayachandran and Somnath Hore
were found to have been stolen and replaced
by fakesa precursor to the Mafatlal case.
Though the case was handed to the CBI in
2006, no progress has been made. In 2004,
the College of Art, Delhi, heaved a sigh of
relief that the 40 works of art it discovered
stolen were not the labours of famous
artists. Experts worry that extraordinary
works of art and antiquity stored in
hundreds of museums, government
institutions or ofcial residences may well be
missing in the absence of rigorous auditing.
Plain old ignorance or apathy is another
reason for art disappearing before our eyes,
and not just from public-sector buildings.
The private sector has amassed a wealth of
art over the decades, but as ownership of
companies or buildings changes hands,
previously commissioned artworks are
simply ripped out and dumped by interior
designers ignorant of their historicity or
value. Some nd new homes thanks to those
who trawl the countrys chor bazaars (thieves
markets) for such treasures; a large painting
by Krishen Khanna was recently recovered
thanks to such diligence. But others are
fated to be consigned to the dustbin of
nostalgiaa crime that mocks our
celebration of the fake in the face of the
desecration of the original.
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OFF THE
Ranthambore wall covering, from the India Baroque collection, by Sabyasachi for Nilaya
WALL
In September, Nilaya by
Asian Paints and fashion
designer Sabyasachi
Mukherjee unveiled a new
collection of wall coverings
inspired by different corners
of the country. The collection
harks back to Indias regal
pastreminiscent of a
time when handmade
and artisanal were the
norm. A veritable whos
who from various creative
eldsinterior and fashion
designers, and architects
were present at the launch
co-hosted by .
Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Manju Sara

Rajan, Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Cond Nast Indias Alex Kuruvilla,

Amit Syngle
Sameep Padora
Jamini Ahluwalia
Shimul Javeri Kadri
Anupama Chopra
Ravi Vazirani, Rooshad Shroff, Mangesh DL
Sunu Aibara
Chanya Kaur
Abha Narain Lambah
Satish Kulkarni, Pavitra Rajaram, Ahsan Ansari
Kiran Shetty,
AD publisher
Deepa Bhatia
Mohak Mehta
and Pinakin Patel
BACKGROUND: MITHU MIYAN WALL COVERING FROM THE JODHPUR COLLECTION, SABYASACHI FOR NILAYA
AD editor Greg Foster
The MIDIval Punditz performing at the event
Cond Nast
Indias
Arjun Mehra
Annkur Khosla
Pratik and
Shikha Barasia
Namita Kuruvilla
Sangita Kathiwada
Rashida
Baker-Asrani
Punish and Shabnam Gupta
Nimish Shah and Payal Khandwala
Jasem Pirani,
Sameer Tawde
Rahul Gore and

Sonal Sancheti
Cond Nast Indias

Oona Dhabhar,
Pareina Thapar
Chiki Doshi, Jai Danani
Sarah and Mohamedi Sham
Jannat Vasi
The Sabyasachi for Nilaya lookbook
Ricky and Laila Lamba

Sukant Somani, Trisha
Chhabra, Saurabh Singh
Prerna Goel
Vidushi Gupta
Agarwal
Nuru Karim
and Andrea
McLeod-Karim
Raj Anand
Fahad Samar
Shonan
Purie Trehan
Gaurav Bhatia
Lalita Tharani
and Mujib Ahmed
ANAVILA
by Anavila Misra
What was the toughest
question you had to answer
over the judging rounds?
What is the future of the sari
in pure form? I thought to
myself, oh God! He is asking
me to predict my own future! I
can laugh at it now, but it was a
tense moment.
PAYAL KHANDWALA
by Payal Khandwala
What was the most exciting
part of the process?
The sketches we had to submit;
being able to spend two full
days drawing and painting was
therapeutic because its my
rst love.
OUTHOUSE
JEWELLERY
by Kaabia & Sasha
Grewal
Can you express your
excitement as we approach
the nale?
Anxiety. Adrenaline rush.
Uninterrupted thoughts
about the result. Out of
words. Lol. #mustwin
SHIFT
by Nimish Shah
Something we dont know
about you?
I was a fashion library assistant
for four years!
AND THE
FINALISTS ARE
As we get closer to announcing the winner of the Vogue India Fashion Fund 2015,
we catch up with our Top 8 to nd out how their journey has been so far.
NOT SO SERIOUS
by Pallavi Mohan
What was the toughest
question you had to answer
over the judging rounds?
Where do you see your brand
in the future? The brand name
is Not So Serious, so I hadnt
thought about that question
seriously!
DHRUV KAPOOR
by Dhruv Kapoor
MALVIKA VASWANI
by Malvika Vaswani
The most valuable piece of
advice youve received?
At this juncture, its
important for me to
have a small shop inhouse to do test runs
within my studio, as it
would help me churn
out more creations
and increase the
possibilities of an array
of designs.
A word of advice to anyone

applying next year?
One must be true to who they
are. Looking left or right just
leads to chaos. Dream big and
go for it.
VALLIYAN
by Nitya Arora
Which judge were you
most nervous about
showcasing to?
I think I was most nervous about
Sabyasachi Mukherjee because
he is someone I have looked up
to for a long time.
scouts
NEWSREEL
From the hottest products to the coolest launches, heres a
low-down on the latest in the market this season
LUXE LIVING
Thanks to its exclusively curated pieces of indoor and outdoor furniture from
around the world, New Delhis IDUS is a one-stop design destination. At
40,000 square feet, the store is equipped with furniture catering to a range of
modern aesthetics, like the Nelson bed and Vietato coffee table by Cattelan
Italia (pictured). The bed can be crafted with either a Canaletto walnut or a
burned oak frame. The headboard can be covered in different types of leather
from the sample card provided. The handmade coffee table in Apuano marble
and Petit granite works well as a sculptural element in your space. The table is
part of a limited edition. (idus.in)
TABLE MANNERS
Sunil Suresh, founder and CEO of Bengaluru-based Stanley

Lifestyles, believes in showcasing modern Indias prowess in creating
world-class furniture using ne materials. For almost 20 years, this
company has created original designs in contemporary and classical
styles. The Stanley team has painstakingly sourced the best materials
and tirelessly worked to present the Comfort collection. Part of this
collection, the Astra (below) and Derby (bottom) coffee tables have
black bevelled glass tops and Burma teak legs. The Astra has a
walnut surface nish while the Derby is clad in vintage Birch
leather. (lovestanley.com)
OPEN HOUSE
Gurgaon-based Mixx Windows introduces the Slim Series of

aluminium sliding doors from Italian brand Metra. The windows are
available in two- and three-track options with corner openings. The
NC-S 120 STH Slim Line sliding system adopts increasingly
contemporary detailing and functionality. It is equipped with a
central junction in a reduced size with multi-point locking systems
and a glazing thickness between 26-42 mm. Along with air- and
water-tight brush gaskets, the windows are designed to enhance
interiors as well as exteriors. It is an ideal solution for those looking
for maximum thermic and acoustic insulation without any
architectural barriers. (mixxwindows.com)
258|
COLOUR THERAPY
Be it for gifting or personal use, you are sure to nd something to add

character to just about any space at the Nur store. Located at New
Delhis Meherchand Market, Nur has been making colourful home
furnishings, accessories and furniture since 2007. The stores playful
designsfrom cushions to chairs, bedding to tablewarechange
every season, giving customers a whole new range of products to
choose from. The constant experimentation coupled with their
commitment to Indian craft traditions result in products that have a
timeless quality, and can be cherished for years. (nurhome.in)
BENCHMARK
Knock on Wood, a design studio in New Delhis Hauz Khas village,

has an elegant collection of handcrafted hardwood furniture. At the
brands state-of-the-art manufacturing unit in Chandigarh, a skilled
team of carpenters, paint and polish experts, welders, and lathe
operators work to ensure that each piece of furniture is created with
great attention to detail. Painstakingly made over a period of nine
months, the Ketch bench (pictured) is built using reclaimed pieces of
wood, sanded, and nished with white oil. Over six feet long, the
bench is suited for both indoor and outdoor use. (knockonwood.co.in)
IN GOOD LIGHT
The Vivian suspension lamp by Masiero creates a pop-art effect

with its bold colours and chrome nish. The polyurethane frame
hides warm LED lighting with opaque acrylic diffusers. The
bell-shaped lamp has been designed specically to avoid shadow
cones and disperse light evenly. The three-bulb suspension lights
can be split into individual pieces, or combined in numerous
compositions of shapes and colors. The 80-cm-high lamp has a
modern and colourful form, adding a quirky touch to your decor.
(masierogroup.com)
scouts
PLATING UP
Stefano Ricci, the exclusive Italian luxury fashion and lifestyle

brandlocated at Mumbais Taj Mahal Palace Hotellaunched the
2015 Royal Suite Collection. The collection with an aesthetic
matching the classic Florentine style, features ne porcelain, crystal
and silverware. With their intricate detailing and gold
embellishments, these pieces are perfect for a regal setting.
(stefanoricci.com)
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
Italian brand Modulnova recently opened its rst agship store in

Mumbais Sitaram Mill compound. Spread over 1,500 square feet,
the Modulnova boutique offers innovative kitchen, bath and living
solutions through its exclusive collections. The Blade (pictured)
kitchen is dened by its use of straight lines and angular forms that
create unexpected geometrical patterns. The kitchen appliances are
tted into the tall wall units. The island, with its large surface space,
also serves as a practical breakfast bar. (modulnova.com)
TURNDOWN SERVICE
Dicitex Furnishings started with a singular vision of becoming a

globally reputed name in the home decor industry. In a little over 14
years they have become one of the worlds top ve manufacturers of
furnishing fabrics and upholstery. Equipped with a state-of-the-art
production facility, they manufacture over 20 million metres of
premium quality yarn. The latest bedding collection from their
DCTex label showcases free-spirited bohemian designs. Presented
in the form of rich fabrics, these printed sheets reect various
personalities and lifestyles. They are available in oral motifs,
abstract patterns and nature- and travel-inspired designs. (dctex.com)
CURTAIN CALL
Homes Fine Furnishings brings to you a wide range of curtains and

upholstery in remarkable designs and materials. Established in 2011,
the brand has become one of the largest vertically integrated mills in
India, producing jacquard decorative fabrics for drapery, upholstery,
wide width sheers and embroidered fabrics. Their collections are
available across leading retail outlets. (homesfurnishings.com)
260|
GROUND WORK
FINISHING TOUCHES
FII Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. is a non-prot market development

agency funded by the Ministry of British Columbia to promote
Canadian solid wood lumber in India. Based on the sustainable
timber milling practices in Canada, each tree is harvested only after a
period of 70-80 years. The wood species of Douglas Fir, Spruce Pine
Fir and Yellow Cedar have been widely used across Indian projects.
The timber screen (pictured), in Western Red Cedar, creates a striking
edice while visually separating the outdoor from the interior space
of a living room. (bci.in)
WATER WORLD
The minimalist Linea basin mixer (pictured) by Artize has a striking

design feature; a graceful swinging spout which also acts as its on-off
mechanism. The multi-purpose spout pivots to form an arc that
controls the temperature of water along its curve. A jet of cold,
mixed or hot water can be produced at varying positions. Its
intelligent design also keeps the water at the centre of the washbasin away from the rim. One of the most interesting characteristic
of the Linea is the anti-scalding feature which prevents hot water
from coming into contact with the chrome body; allowing the
mixer to remain cool at all times. (artize.com)
For nearly 180 years, German company

HKS has stood out for its
exceptional quality of wooden
ooring, available in a diverse
range of colours and textures.
Today, under its fth generation
of family management, HKS has
adapted itself to the latest market
situations by including solid wood
oorboards and outdoor solutions in
their product range. The procuring of
speciality woods from all over the world
and its subsequent treatment results in a
rened product with a distinctive
appearance. The European Oak ooring
(pictured), featuring a rustic, smoked and
white-oiled surface nish, is available
through its Mumbai ofce. (hks1835.de)
FLOOR PLAN
Inspired by the Spanish phrase Mi Casa, Su Casamy home is

your home, Mikasa Floors by Greenlam is an engineered wood
ooring brand with various collections offering over 100 wooden
ooring options. A perfect blend of form and function, every
Mikasa plank is engineered to perfection in a state-of-the-art plant.
Mikasa oors are joined using PlankLoc, a revolutionary technology
that locks the planks together without using glue. You can be
assured about their longevity as the oors come with warranties of
up to 30 years. The Oak Noir ooring from the Pristine City
Collection can be seen in the picture below. (mikasaoors.com)
PRESENTS
ip f yo tastebuds
Do you travel the world in search
of mouth-watering delicacies prepared by some
of the most celebrated chefs? Now with Cond Nast Traveller,
some of our selected guests have the opportunity
to taste the nest cuisines right here in India.
Presenting Hot Tablesan exclusive live culinary series
for tastemakers around the country that celebrate
the common passion point of food.
The launch of the rst Hot Tables event in Bengaluru
saw fty guests enjoy a seven-course meal prepared
by Dharshan Munidasathe half-Japanese, half-Sri Lankan
chef behind not one, but two, culinary hotspots.
Both Nihonbashi and Ministry of Crab feature
on the Asias Best 50 Restaurants 2015 list.
Whats more, before each course, chef Munidasa engaged
in an open dialogue with the guests to explain his ideas and
the special ingredients behind every dish. The ballroom
at The Leela Palace Bengaluru provided the perfect setting
for a riveting night with many more to follow!
To collaborate with Cond Nast Traveller

on this culinary series, please email
[email protected]
stockists
The merchandise
featured in the magazine
has been sourced from
the following stores.
Some shops may carry
a selection only. Prices
and availability were
checked at the time of
going to press, but we
cannot guarantee that
prices will not change or
that specic items will
be in stock when the
magazine is published.
ALESSI: (alessi.com)
AKFD STUDIO: Jaipur
141-4068400; Bengaluru
080-42106797
(akfdstudio.com)
ANANTAYA: Jaipur 1414068400; Bengaluru
080-42106797
(anantayadecor.com)
ANEMOS: Mumbai 02226312050 (anemos.in)
ARIA INTERIORS:
Gurgaon 124-4287020
(ariainterior.com)
ART INTAGLIO:
Mumbai 09820134547
(artintaglio.in)
ASIAN PAINTS:
India 1800-209-5678
(asianpaints.com)
B&B ITALIA: Italy 003903-1795111; Mumbai
09833130815
(bebitalia.com)
BANG & OLUFSEN:
264|
New Delhi 09312393123

(bang-olufsen.com)
BAXTER: Italy 0039-03135999 (baxter.it)
BEYOND DESIGNS:
New Delhi 011-24335160,
D-18, Lower ground
oor, Defence Colony
BITOSSI CERAMICHE:
Florence 003905-7151403
(bitossiceramiche.it)
BOCCI: (bocci.ca);
see LIGHTBOX
BOSA:
Italy 0039-42-3561483
(bosatrade.com)
BROKIS: (brokis.cz);
see LIGHTBOX
CAPPELLINI:
(cappellini.it); see
POLTRONA FRAU
GROUP DESIGN
CENTRE
CARL F BUCHERER:
Ethos Swiss Watch
Studios, Mumbai 02266406991; Ethos
Summit, New Delhi 01140588722
CARTIER: Rose - The
Watch Bar, Mumbai
022-23620277; DLF
Emporio, New Delhi
011-46788888; Ethos
Summit, Bengaluru 08041130611; London 004420-73126930; Paris
0033-1-58182300
CASSINA:
(cassina.com);
see POLTRONA FRAU

GROUP DESIGN
CENTER
CK: Watches of
Switzerland, Mumbai
022-26402511; Genuine
& Gorgeous, New Delhi
011-27356445; Ethos
Summit, Bengaluru 08041130611; The Prime Luxury Watch Boutique,
Kolkata 033-22837185
022-61270011
(exform.it)
FORNASETTI PROFUMI:
Milan 0039-0289658040
(fornasetti.com)
FRANCK MULLER:
Rose - The Watch Bar,
Mumbai 022-23620277
FREEDOM TREE:
Mumbai 022-24914231
(freedomtree.in)
DDECOR: Mumbai 02266782000 (ddecor.com)

DE CASTELLI: Italy
0039-04-23638218
(decastelli.it)
DESIGN ARTIFACTS
HAVEN: Mumbai
09820951828
(designartifactshaven.
com)
DIESEL LIVING WITH
FOSCARINI:
(foscarini.com/diesel);
see LIGHTBOX
DIESEL LIVING WITH
SELETTI:
(seletti.it/diesel)
GLAS ITALIA: Italy

0039-03-92323202
(glasitalia.com)
EMERY HOME: New

Delhi 09810081810,
D-1 Shopping Centre,
Second oor, above
HDFC Bank,
Vasant Vihar
ESSAJEES: Mumbai
022-22021071
(essajees.com)
FLEXFORM: Mumbai
HOUSE OF RARO: New

Delhi 08527443666
(houseofraro.com)
HUBLOT: Rose - The
Watch Bar, Mumbai
022-23620277; Kapoor
Watch, New Delhi
011-41345678; Zimson
Watch World, Bengaluru
080-40913800; The
Helvetica, Chennai
044-28490013
INDI STORE:
New Delhi 011-69999933
(indi-store.com)
INV HOME:
New Delhi 011-29233122
(invhome.in)
IRONWORKS: Mumbai
022-26059838
(tejalmathurdesign.in)
KREA: New Delhi
011-26804444
(kreaworld.com)
PHOTOS: MONTSE GARRIGA, THOMAS ZACHARIAH
LEE BROOM: London

0044-20-78200742
(leebroom.com)
LEMA: Italy
0039-031-630990
(lemamobili.com)
LIGHTBOX:
New Delhi 09910754111
(lightbox.co.in)
LLADR: Bengaluru
080-40985215; Mumbai
022-22823436; New
Delhi 011-41864400
(lladro.com)
MAC-BRUZE: Noida
120-4041010 (bruzae.in)
MAHENDRA DOSHI:
Mumbai 022-23630526
(mahendradoshi.com)
MICHAEL ARAM:
(michaelaram.com);
see SIMONE
MOONRIVER: New
Delhi 011-41617103
(moonriverstore.com)
MOROSO: (moroso.it);
at LE MILL Mumbai
022-65252415
(lemillindia.com)
MUNNA: Portugal
0035-12-20165782
(munnadesign.com)
NIRMALS FURNISHING:
New Delhi 011-25176921,
3/4, Furniture Block,
Lajpat Nagar
NO-MAD: India
09820361687
(no-mad.in)
NORMANN
COPENHAGEN:
Copenhagen 004535-554459 (normanncopenhagen.com)
OMEGA: Mumbai 02230602002; New Delhi
011-41513255; Bengaluru
080-40982106; Chennai
044-28464092;
Hyderabad
040-23331144
PHILLIPS ANTIQUES:
Mumbai 022-22020564
(phillipsantiques.com)
PIERRE FREY:
(pierrefrey.com)
POLTRONA FRAU
GROUP DESIGN
CENTER: Mumbai
022-22614848; New
Delhi 011-40817357
(poltronafrauindia.in)
PRT-FAB:
Gurgaon 09310977254
(pretfab.com)
QAALEEN:
New Delhi 011-69000130
(qaaleen.co.in)
RAVISSANT: Mumbai
022-22873405; New
Delhi 011-45105500
(ravissant.in)
RE-CULTURE:
India 09811507117
(re-culture.com)
ROCHE BOBOIS:
Mumbai 022-61062233
(roche-bobois.com)
ROLEX: DiA, Mumbai
022-22042299; Kapoor
Watch, New Delhi
011-46536667; The
Helvetica, Chennai
044-28490013; Luxury
Time, Ahmedabad
079-26469797; Meena
Jewellers, Hyderabad
040-44767758
ROSENTHAL:
Gurgaon 124-4665485
(rosenthal.de)
ROYALE PLAY:
(asianpaints.com/pro);
see ASIAN PAINTS
SARITA HANDA:
Mumbai 022-40052686;
New Delhi 011-43521824
(saritahanda.com)
SCARLET SPLENDOUR:
Kolkata 033-40501000
(scarletsplendour.com)
SHADES OF INDIA:
New Delhi 011-49053333
(shadesondia.com)
SIMONE: Mumbai 02271117700 (simone.com)
SOURCES UNLIMITED:
Mumbai 022-26201700
(sourcesunlimited.co.in)
SWATCH: Mumbai 02224813523; New Delhi 01140588744; Bengaluru
080-22067921; Chennai
044-28490013
TAAMAA: Gurgaon
08826847828
(taamaa.in)
TASCHEN:
(taschen.com); at
VARIETY BOOK DEPOT
New Delhi 011-23412567,
19A, Ansari Road,
Darya Ganj
THE GREAT EASTERN
HOME: Mumbai
022-23770079
(thegreateasternhome.
com)
THE PURE CONCEPT:
Mumbai 022-61559898
(thepureconcept.co.in)
THE RAJ COMPANY:
Mumbai 022-23541971
(therajcompany.com)
THEHOUSEOFTHINGS.
COM: India 08003011110
(thehouseofthings.com)
URBANLADDER.COM:
(urbanladder.com)
VERONESE:
(verone.se); see
SOURCES UNLIMITED
VITRA: Bengaluru
09972244469; New
Delhi 09811155802;
Hyderabad
09949696892;
Mumbai 09833183969
(vitra.com)
WOODTECH INSIGNIA:
(asianpaints.com/
woodtechstudio); see
ASIAN PAINTS
YOOX.COM: (yoox.com)
JAHNVI
DAMERON
NANDAN
Founder of bespoke perfume label The Perfume
10
6
SHREYA BASU
8
9
1. RESTAURANT Okuda in Paris is my favourite.

I usually sit in one of the private tatami rooms
and it feels like I am in the inner sanctum
of a temple in Kyoto. 2. SPICE NOTE The
cardamom extract is a special kind of extract
we use that is uplifting, elevating and fresh.
3. CITY Currently, its Venice. I particularly
love the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, which
is famous for Italian painter Tintorettos
paintings. 4. FASHION ACCESSORY My 11.11 silk
bandhani scarves. I use them during the day, at
night, on ights, on the beach, as turbans and
even as jackets. Basically, all day, every day.
5. ARTIST Hema Upadhyay, a friend, is one of
my favourite artists. I am also working on a
perfume inspired by the smell of grass as used
in her artwork. 6. SCENT OF INSPIRATION
All the fragrant ingredients related to the
smell of my grandmothers bedroom form a
very important part of my palette today. This
Mnemosyne approach to fragrance is reected
in perfumes created through my Memory Pod
Project. 7. GETAWAY Must I really tell? Well,
OK. Its the U Spa Barrire Shiseido in Paris.
8. PLACE TO UNWIND I love walking in
gardens, particularly those lled with scents.
My most recent trip was to the San Francisco
Botanical Garden, which is almost like a garden
of scents in itself. 9. STYLE ICON Josephine
Baker (an American-born French entertainer)
who was an incredibly astute feminist in mind,
body and soul. 10. MOVIE Apart from all Derek
Jarmans movies, lo Sono lAmore (I Am Love),
a 2009 Italian movie, is one of my favourites.
JAHNVI DAMERON NANDAN PORTRAIT: HIMANSHU SHANI/COURTESY OF WWW.11-11.IN.

PHOTOS: 1. OKUDA PARIS. 3. DIDIER DESCOUENS. 4. COURTESY OF WWW.11-11.IN.
5. HEMA UPADHYAY. 6. PHOTOGRAPH BY SACHIN SONI. 7. HOTELS BARRIRE.
Library, globetrotter Jahnvi Dameron Nandan

lets in on some little-known secrets, her
inspirations and a few of her favourite things.

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PUBLISHING DIRECTOR ARJUN MEHRA

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2015

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BIG, BOLD & STYLISH

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AT HOME WITH THE

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MARCH APRIL 2015

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MAKE THE MOST OF SMALL SPACES

NIPA DOSHI & JONATHAN LEVIEN

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JULY AUGUST 2015

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E T THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD

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FROM EGYPT, KENYA,

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NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2015

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD