Saturday Feeling: The theatre and spectacle of performance art

Art often seems baffling because as human beings we seek firm logic. We want things to ‘make sense’, but art can leave us unmoored simply because it does not make sense in the way we are used to—why is half the hull of a ship sitting in a gallery, or is it really the artist’s individual work if it was actually cast by a traditional brass craftsperson or woven by an artisanal tapestry maker. Art makes us challenge our assumptions or the idea that there is one way of doing things. One the forms that sits on those blurred edges of ‘sense’ is performance art, which has been on the ascent since the 1980s and is occupying more space in galleries today, as we report in the story that forms the centrepiece of our 2026 Art Special. Performance art often perplexes people because doesn’t tuck into a box—it is theatre, it is movement, it is spectacle, it is drama but it is also not any of these, and there are no rules.

Think of performance art as a form of live art—the artist’s body, movements, gestures, expression and presence are part of the work and it creates an experience for the audience, sometimes involving them too. “Isn’t that a play, theatre,” you could ask. It’s not acting or the performing arts because there isn’t a script or a story line, there is no plot, no characters who exist outside of the artist. In performance art, the artists use their own bodies to explore the questions that visual artists depict on canvases or in sculpture and that theatre artists express through character and plot. The audience takes away what they will—they could be moved, baffled, surprised, call it ‘scam’ or ‘genius’. A testament to its growing importance is the fact that museums, galleries and collectors are buying performance art—a rather complicated contract that we also report on.

If you’re in Delhi this weekend, use our quick guide to the India Art Fair to see the best of the works on show. But if you’re elsewhere, too, we have a guide to the best shows across the country in the coming weeks. And if you're staying home, we have some ideas to keep you entertained.

Plated like a pallette

For long, art was confined to galleries or museums, and accessible to a select few. Today, it has spilled into urban spaces, animating streets and public corners. Art festivals are common in India’s metros, where Gen Z and millennials gather to socialise and exchange opinions. In the post-pandemic years, this cultural shift has increasingly become part of food and beverage spaces. Rituparna Roy meets the chefs inspired by art and serving it on a plate.

How clothes shape historical dramas

Nikkhil Advani's Freedom At Midnight is a compelling web series on the last days of India’s struggle for Independence, but what brings the pivotal moments and key figures alive are the costumes. Costume designer Ayesha Dasgupta recently won the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Costume Design for the show. For Dasgupta, it’s the fit of clothing that speaks about the person’s power, authority, personality and place in the hierarchy, which is what she depicted through her costumes, she tells Dhara Vora Sabhnani.

How to choose ANC headphones

Picking up a premium pair of over-ear active noise cancellation headphones in 2026 is no walk in the park with a flurry of compelling launches in recent months joining all the usual big names in personal audio. In a crowded premium ANC headphone market, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 80th Anniversary Edition and JBL Tour One M3 take very different routes to the top—one leans into sound purity and marathon battery life, the other bets big on features, writes Tushar Kanwar.

Child-free couples rethink identity and ageing

Across urban India, young, married professionals in their 30s are increasingly choosing “voluntary childlessness”, which is “a deliberate and permanent decision to not have biological or adopted children.” Psychotherapists say the decision to go child-free is far deeper than fear or convenience. It reflects how this generation has psychologically metabolised instability. But beneath this lies a more intimate question—what does choosing a child-free life do to the human psyche, to identity, marriage, purpose, and the emotional architecture of growing older? Divya Naik explores how this decision reshapes their sense of self, social connections, and planning for old age.

A monster car for productivity on the go

The silhouette is familiar—stately and elegant—yet the 2026 Mercedes Benz S Class is an entirely different car from its predecessors. Renuka Kirpalani got an exclusive preview of the 2026 S Class in Sindelfingen, Germany, two months ahead of its global unveil. With 537 hp and 750 Nm of torque, the punch is unmistakable the moment you put your foot down. Inside, a redesigned instrument panel, new door trims, and a reworked console bring a sense of freshness. With a sharper design and an AI assistant, this is a car engineered for luxury, performance and life on the go.