Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Welcome an OBE artist
Next week, London-based artist Idris Khan travels to Mumbai with his latest works for a month-long show titled, Re-Imaginings, at Fort's Galerie Isa.

Idris Khan receives the OBE from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace

It was just last week that Khan, who has been acclaimed for his large-scale and layered works (paintings, photographs, sculptures), was awarded the prestigious OBE (Order of the British Empire) medal from the Royal Family at the Buckingham Palace after being appointed as an officer of the OBE in the Queen's honours list for his service to art earlier this year.

Interestingly, the Mumbai show will also feature works by his wife and artist Annie Morris. "It's an honour to host the first-ever joint exhibition of the duo. He is one of the most iconic artists of our times," shared gallery director Ashwin Thadani.

When uncles join in the partying
Recently, the comedy collective AIB and popular music producer Nucleya set out to hunt for the ultimate party music artiste, and found four finalists. Hailing from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune, each finalist will now get a chance to perform at the NH7 Weekender in Pune with an impressive line-up featuring Vishal Bharadwaj, Steve Vai and Prateek Kuhad among others.

But before that, we got a taste of the music of the new-found talent with one of the finalists, Pune-based Ritviz's winning track, Udd Gaye, which went online recently. With a catchy chorus and interesting beats, the video shows middle-aged and elderly men grooving to the music, and has already received over two lakh views. When it comes to peppy music, age is no bar.

Pic/Rane Ashish

Hasi toh phasi
Laughter seems to have filled the air at the opening of a Bahraini art exhibition attended by (from left) artist Rouble Nagi, Sena leaders Aditya and Uddhav Thackeray and actor Jacqueline Fernandez at a Bandra art society yesterday.

Cross-border litfest
It's an event which as we speak, is breaking barriers, and borders. Penguin Random House has initiated a weeklong digital litfest to celebrate literature from India and Pakistan. Called Books not Borders, the first edition of this online project will focus on writing on and from both nations.

Moni Mohsin and Meena Menon

The intent is to bring together the best writing, and use the medium to begin a dialogue for interested readers in the Subcontinent. There will also be exclusively written experiences, and collaborative articles by Indian and Pakistani writers. From Adnan Malik and Moni Mohsin to Sakshama Puri Dhariwal, Meena Menon and others, expect a rich legacy of the written word to be on display.

Drumming up some noise
In an effort to make Goa's beaches cleaner, a company that looks into garbage management, beach and marine safety across its coastline, kicked off the #TeraMeraBeach campaign this week. The campaign will see daily hour-long drum circles and community art at the popular Baga, Calangute, Candolim, Miramar and Colva beaches. Supported by the state government, the campaign aims to involve tourists.

The drum circle will be led by Taal Inc and the participants will add a piece from the collected waste to the art installation. While the concept is interesting, to what extent will drumming stop drunks in swimming trunks from throwing cigarette butts on the beach? We'll wait and watch.

Mumbai's sweet note to the royal couple
For Pooja Dhingra, news isn't just about keeping herself abreast of the goings-on. The pastry chef loves incorporating glamorous events into her creations, too. While earlier this year, she took inspiration from the red carpet looks of the Cannes film festival - think champagne dark chocolate cake and red wine-spiced macarons - this time, it was Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement announcement that piqued her interest.

The result? Butter cookies, berry cupcakes and Belgian chocolate cake pops inspired by the royal couple's attires. "I've been a royal family sucker forever and have way too many books on William and Harry (don't judge me). And to add to it, I'm addicted to [Markle's TV show] Suits," confessed Dhingra.

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