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Art show openings: How thematic menus enhance the experience
Summary
Art meets food in thematic sit-down dinners, pretty plates and grazing tables at elaborate show openings in galleries
The work of great artists has often inspired chefs, with parallels drawn between the creativity of both. But food can also serve as a bridge between artist and viewer, and gallerists, as enthusiastic hosts, curate special menus inspired by the artist and the art to enhance a show opening.
“Food adds that extra something to go beyond just seeing what’s on display," says Akshat Agarwal, head chef and business head of the boutique catering company Sage & Saffron in Mumbai. The company has curated menus for galleries in the city as well as for events like the street art festival St+art India in 2023. He recalls one of the earliest art shows they catered—multi-disciplinary artist Subodh Gupta’s exhibition at Famous Studios in Mumbai by Nature Morte in 2016. To reflect the feel of Gupta’s art and the oversized metal kitchen utensils he is known for, Agarwal contacted their utensil supplier for mini metal plates and bowls for serving, and spoke to Gupta about his beloved flavours. Finally, they served Mysore masala buckwheat dosa, tofu Chettinand, tacos stuffed with pork chilli, cheddar kulchas and rasmalai ice cream with saffron milk and pistachio to finish the meal.
Depending on the gallery space and the show’s theme, the menu is curated in different formats but fuss-free pass-arounds, sit-down dinners and grazing tables are the most popular. Caterers, gallery owners and food curators work together to capture the essence of the show and the preference of the artists in meals.
There’s a ready synergy between food and art when both come from the same place. Pooja Singhal, the Delhi-based revivalist of the Rajasthani form of pichvai, says food plays a lead role in her exhibits. In 2019, her show at Bikaner House opened with a sit-down dinner themed on chappan bhog with a modern take. “Bhog is a big part of the Vallabhacharya tradition and pichvais are depicted around that. At the chappan bhog, 56 kinds of food are offered to Shrinathji," she explains. “The worship of Shrinathji combines raag (music), bhog (food) and shringar (beauty)." So dal baati churma got a twist with cheese toppings and ker sangri with puri was served as delicate rolls.
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Tablescapes too can be inspired by artists. Delhi-based fashion designer Pranay Baidya curates elaborate Bengali meals for friends, family and events. In 2022, he crafted the dining experience for artist Paresh Maity’s retrospective Infinite Light at Bikaner House by gallery Art Alive. The menu, Journey through Bengal, honoured the artist’s Bengali origins.
For the table, Baidya turned to Maity’s older water-colour works dominated by dark hues of red and blue. He sourced Bengali gamchas in those colours and stitched them to create a large table cloth. For napkins, he got large batik handkerchiefs from Santiniketan. The meal featured celebratory Bengali dishes like chingri macher bora (prawn fritters), narkel diye cholar dal (channa dal with coconut) and basonti pulao (sweet pulao coloured with saffron).
Sit-down dinners are the norm for many show openings and artist or show-themed menus take on several interesting forms. Eeshaan Kashyap, a Delhi-based food and drinks curator, has carved a niche for himself with imaginative culinary concepts. In 2021, for the show Memory Keepers by Vadehra Art gallery, his menu was inspired by food nostalgia of the featured artists: Atul Dodiya, B.V. Doshi, Arpita Singh, Arpita Sen and Shilpa Gupta. “The list of artists was like a dream for me. The idea of memory—whether this food has been part of their artwork or memory—infused each dish," says Kashyap. Singh told him about a ber (winter jujube) chutney that was sold outside her school. He served a similar chutney with snacks. Dodiya grew up in a tight-knit Hindu area in Mumbai that scoffed at non-vegetarian food. He would crave mutton and had to make do with jackfruit. So Kashyap served jackfruit cutlets.
While menu curators like Kashyap, Baidya and Sage & Saffron play an integral role, gallery owners are central to the elevated culinary experience too. Rasika Kajaria, founder of Delhi’s Exhibit 320, is particular about her menus. “For me, food at previews is all about enhancing the atmosphere and creating a deeper connection between the art and the guests. I like the food stations to be a space where the audience may bond over the artworks. Sometimes, I serve thematic dishes that directly tie into the exhibition. This way, the food becomes an extension of the art, adding another layer to the sensory experience," she says.
She recalls the menu at a 2023 retrospective of print master Devraj Dakoji that Exhibit 320 hosted. As Dakoji was born in Hyderabad and moved to New York, Kajaria wanted the food to reflect both cities. She served wild mushroom galouti with Hyderabadi biscuit roti and creme cheese, mirchi ka salaan goat cheese fritters and meal in a bowl with Hyderabad quinoa pulao accompanied by bhurani raita.
Galleries pay homage to their neighbourhood too. Mumbai’s 47 A, located in the East Indian hub of Khotachiwadi, celebrates local flavours and home chefs. “We look at our art show openings as a way of engaging deeper with the community. The food is kept simple with everything sourced from the area. Our cakes are by a neighbourhood baker Merita D’Souza Phillips; biscuits, cookies, cheese sticks and khari come from the age-old Irani bakery Yazdani; and the drinks like kombuchas and Christmas punch are made by Lucano Alvares who lives right around the corner," says gallery director Aashini Shah.
Kashyap planned the decor and food for the Asia Arts Game Changer Awards at Hyatt Regency in Delhi on 7 February, exploring the theme “Share". The event brings together artists who have shaped modern art in Asia so the food spotlighted culinary diversity in the subcontinent with dishes such as Nepali chukauni (mashed potatoes) with bread, Sri Lankan fish curry and south Indian pepper mutton. It is a merging of food and art where one elevates the other.
