What happens when the two finest works of art meet complete harmony. Head to catch a glimpse of what The Marco Polo Diaries have in store with great tasting food and fine art on display
What happens when the two finest works of art meet complete harmony. Head to catch a glimpse of what The Marco Polo Diaries have in store with great tasting food and fine art on display
He traveled for two and half decades and left a legacy behind him. He's the man, who has inspired this exhibition. He's Marco Polo for you. The Marco Polo Diaries showcases different works of 14 different artists inspired by the legendary Venetian Marco Polo and his journey of 24 years around the world, more commonly known as the Silk Route.u00a0
"What started off as an art show now has great food to go along with it. The thought of preparing a special buffet especially for the art exhibition came along the way. We liked the idea of preparing a special feast along with the art. It made complete sense. We all know that pasta is the staple food of Italy and originally belongs to Italy. But it is believed that it was Marco Polo who brought the pasta to Italy from China. The noodles that the Chinese prepare are where the pasta came from," says Chef Chandra Sekaran.
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Foodies delight: Delicacies from all around the world |
World on your platter
The dinner buffet consists of a myriad number of dishes from all parts of the world. Each kind of cuisine, right from our very own Kerala to Vietnam to the Mediterranean has two vegetarian dishes and two non-vegetarian dishes. "We have done extensive research on the different places that Marco Polo had visited, what he did, the kinds of cuisines there was in those times and prepared this menu," avers chef. Though the menu keeps changing everyday, some of the specialties you would find are the fried crab claws with shrimp paste, fried prawn coated with coconut along with the likes of Avial and Ada Pradhaman.
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Gastronomic delight: Chef Chandra Sekaran (thumbnail) and one of his creations |
Double treat
The art show consists of works by 14 artists and is curated by Apparao Gallery. Some of the pieces on display include works by Smriti Dixit, who takes of everyday objects and uses fabric and fibre to create partly three dimensional surfaces, while designer couple Rahul and Gunjan look for inspiration from the silk route to create a work on fine art on silk paintings.u00a0
"The reason we picked this theme is because it interested both our collaborators, the Asia Pacific and the Taj.
We wanted to do something to do with Far East Asia, that had some intellectual content to it and the idea of something evocative interested me," says Sharan Apparao, curator for the show.
Apparently food and art go along and as Chef Chandra Sekaran aptly puts it, "Both art and food is going along very well and it has been well accepted so far"
Where to go
At: Taj West End, Race Course RoadOn till: September 26Wallet factor: Rs 1,200 inclusive of taxes.More on Marco Polo...Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant was born in the middle of the 13th century. Though his date of birth hasn't been confirmed, it is believed that at the age of 17, Marco Polo along with his dad and uncle set off on a voyage that lasted all of 24 years. It is said that they travelled around the world and that path has now come to be known as the Silk Road or Silk Route. Marco's journey started from Venice through Iraq, Turkey, Tabriz, China, India and other such 21 places before coming back to Venice.
