Art Alive

The coffee bar at the newly opened The Claridges in Surajkund offers more than just coffee,served as it is,in jumbo ceramic mugs. Called The Art Lounge,the narrow passage close to the lobby is stuffed with small tables and if you sit down in this crowded space for a quick snack,you will most likely be staring into a large,blown glass mural by artist Reshmi Dey that covers the entire lobby. The installation is backed with track lights that brighten up the coral-like structures. “The mural perks up the straight-line and minimalist look of our hotel with its colours,” says Shanker Narayanan,General Manager – The Claridges,Surajkund. Some of the hand-crafted pieces were done in Ferozabad and the bigger 30-inch glass corals were made by Dey in Birmingham. Even at the all day diner at the hotel called The Oasis,the walls are covered with paintings of Tughlaqabad Fort,Surakjund Mela and 11th century Tomar Chieftains by artist Suddhasattwa Basu. “The idea is to bring in some local flavour and our rich history into the diner,” adds Naraynan.

The décor at The Med at Radisson,Delhi,also stands out because of the unique art on the walls. The Mediterranean restaurant,that opened where Italianni’s once was,has put together 15-paintings made with wine. Surprised? Created by artist Vincenzo Reda,the regular water-colour sheets have been splashed with distilled grapes. “Each painting takes months as the artist studies the history of each wine before using it. The colour scheme is varied by storing wine at different temperatures,for several days till it gets different densities of colour,” says Chef Giovanni Leoparde,who heads the kitchen. “Hopefully,by this year end,Reda will also hold an exhibition of his latest wine artworks at this restaurant.”

When chef and restaurateur Chetan Malik set up Café Style in Noida,several vintage two-wheelers and made-to-order sneakers occupied a pride of place. “It makes us stand apart and the decor gels with the retro feel of our café,” says Malik. The porch has a Morris 8 (1947 edition) and Fiat 1100 (1954) parked in and also,there is a modified 1970 Willis,a BSA 1947 and an Innocenti Moped. Inside the café,a counter of Skin Style by his brother Mohit Malik,a student of fashion design,has been put up. Apart from trendy outfits,you can buy a customized pair of sneakers too. “Artworks and installations add vibrancy to the restaurant,” says Varun Tuli of The Yum Yum Tree who roped in designer Manish Arora to perk up his Oriental restaurant. “Much before the construction of the restaurant we created everything digitally and knew exactly what was required.” Close to the entrance,the central podium is decked with a glass cube that holds a mannequin dressed in a colourful skirt and a kitschy collage by the designer,and covers a 50 feet high wall at the restaurant.

When Gautam Arora,set up The Living Room in Haus Khas Village,he packed in different sets of tables for each corner and covered the walls with autographed Polaroid shots of Hollywood celebrities like John Travolta and Kate Moss. If you really like them,they can be yours for Rs 8,000 each. The mood at Ginger Moon in Khan Market is outlined by fashion designer Anjana Bhargav’s looming art installation. The Pan-Asian diner,which barely manages to squeeze in 40 covers,has put Bhargav’s work on one of its walls. Stroked in a kaleidoscope of colours,a closer look to the canvas reveals a bunch of rickshaw wallahs enjoying a tea break.