Bazaar buzz: The best art exhibitions, restaurants, and cultural experiences to explore this August

SHARED HISTORIES

Explore South Asia’s rich artistic legacy at The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection, a landmark exhibition presented by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in collaboration with Christie’s London. On view at Christie’s King Street, London, from July 16 to August 21, the exhibition brings together modern, contemporary, folk, and indigenous art from the KNMA collection. It features works by MF Husain, SH Raza, Neha Choksi, LN Tallur, Simryn Gill, Zarina Hashmi, FN Souza, Gauri Gill, among others, exploring themes of memory, migration, belonging, and shared artistic histories across South Asia.

VARIED VISIONS

Trace the enduring cultural ties between Bengal and Bihar at Vichitra, an ensemble exhibition at Temporary Gallery in Patna. Organised by the Kolkata Centre for Creativity and Emami Art, the show is on view till July 21. Featuring painting, sculpture, photography, textile and print, Vichitra explores overlooked histories, labour, ecology, migration, memory, and abstraction through works by Lalit Mohan Sen, Kartick Chandra Pyne, Prasanta Sahu, Anjan Modak, Ujjal Dey, Pradip Das, Tapas Biswas, Kushal Ray, among others.

BETWEEN WORLDS

The many facets of identity come alive at Mirrors: Distance Between Worlds, an exhibition featuring diaspora artists Shana Sood and Yolanda Peña Mazzoni at Bikaner House, New Delhi, from July 23 to July 29. The showcase brings together two distinct artistic practices shaped by cultural intersections across India, Cuba, and the US. Through paintings and mixed-media works, the artists examine migration, memory, belonging, and the evolving idea of home.

ANIMAL ALLEGORIES

Explore artist Zimbiri’s meditative take on identity at Dear Tiger, a solo exhibition at Nature Morte. Through recurring motifs of deer and tigers—often wearing each other’s masks—the exhibition reflects on how identity is shaped by family, community, culture, and lived experiences rather than existing as something fixed. Bubbles, mazes, puzzles, and boxes further explore the stories, roles, and environments that influence our sense of self, while textile sculptures inspired by traditional Bhutanese forms examine collective identity and belonging. The showcase will run till July 18.

SUMMER MOOD

Ease into the season with Postcards from Summer, The Fio Table’s new seasonal dining experience that transforms the restaurant into a nostalgic summer escape. Set against lemon and sunflower-inspired décor, the menu celebrates bright, fruit-forward flavours with cocktails such as The Happy Mango, Amalfi Calling, and Melon Day. Desserts include a tangy lemon curd basque cheesecake and the indulgent mango tres leches, while new savoury additions range from avocado tzatziki with honeyed walnuts and mustard chicken pita taco with tropical fruit salsa to morel butter mafaldine.

A DIFFERENT TAKE

Artist Chandra Bhattacharjee explores the quiet resilience of everyday lives at his exhibition, titled Shots in the Dark. The showcase opens at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, from July 18 to July 24, before travelling to Art Alive Gallery from August 1 to 20. It presents charcoal drawings and delicate watercolours inspired by people who often remain invisible within the urban landscape. Rendered in his monochromatic style, the works invite viewers to recognise the humanity embedded within the ordinary.

TROPICAL TABLE

Explore Sri Lanka in Delhi at Zetu, a 175-seater finedining restaurant in Mehrauli. The restaurant draws on authentic island flavours, combining ingredients like coconut, curry leaves, and spices with modern techniques. Highlights include the signature lamprais, ceremonial kiribath, crispy hoppers, kottu roti, GINI Outdoor Kitchen’s famed house flatbread with fish floss, guava pie, and brûléed wattalapam. Set beneath a 500-year-old banyan tree, the Geoffrey Bawa-inspired space promises an immersive dining experience.

DOMESTIC TALES

Explore the quiet beauty of ordinary life at িনত্য-নূতন: The New in the Everyday, a solo exhibition by artist Soma Das, on view at Gallery 2, Emami Art from August 8 to September 18. Featuring recent works across gouache paintings, metal, wood, terracotta, hand embroidery, and appliqué, the exhibition celebrates everyday women and men who find moments of joy, community, and rest amid routine life. Drawing from the visual language of Indian miniature paintings, Das reimagines domestic spaces and middle-class experiences with wit, empathy, and subtle social commentary.

CLAY CONVERSATIONS

Earthen artistry comes alive at Summer Ceramics, a group exhibition at Gallery Vayu, New Delhi, running until July 26. Presented in collaboration with Art Ichol, the exhibition brings together ceramic artists Milan Singh, Ravi Kumar and Uday Singh, whose distinct practices are united by a shared exploration of clay, nature, and craftsmanship. Through vessels, sculptures, and organic forms, Summer Ceramics reflects on humanity’s relationship with nature and the transformative possibilities of clay.

PRIDE PERSPECTIVES

Diverse LGBTQIA+ narratives return with Unboxed 2.0: The Queer Art Exhibition at Art Junction, The LaLiT New Delhi. Twenty-two artists, including Anand Jaiswal, Anurag Dubey, Deepak Kumar Rai, Khusboo Sharma, and Renu Dhiman, explore themes of gender, identity, love, memory, migration, mythology and selfhood, reclaiming queer stories through deeply personal and culturally rooted artistic expression.

LUXURY DINING

For a new kind of riverfront dining in Goa, head to Bastian Riviera. Set along Goa’s backwaters, Riviera blends international-style destination dining with scenic river views, water-facing cabanas, landscaped decks, and an open-air bar. The menu is seafood-forward and indulgent, featuring tuna crispy rice, lobster thermidor, burrata salad, and wild mushroom and truffle fried rice. Desserts include molten cookie and burnt basque cheesecake.

CRAFTED HOMES

Zynaty Living has unveiled its first flagship experience store in Chattarpur, New Delhi, offering an immersive destination for contemporary interiors and personalised design solutions. Designed around the idea of functional luxury, the store highlights premium materials, handcrafted finishes, and timeless aesthetics that blend style with everyday usability.

WOVEN IDENTITIES

Dive into the layered worlds of Viraj Khanna and Brian Robertson at Made To Appear at GR gallery, New York, on view till August 1. Bringing together mixed-media textile works, the show blurs the boundaries between embroidery, painting, and digital imagery, while examining identity, authenticity, and the performative culture of social media.

SECRET SIPS

The country’s smallest bar is now open at THC, a fourseater cocktail room tucked inside Olive Qutub in Mehrauli, New Delhi. Guests are treated to four bespoke cocktails crafted live by Olive’s R&D head Chong Sherpa and bartender-host Rajat Tolia. More than just a tasting, the experience encourages conversations around travel, music, food and culture. THC is open every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 pm.

NOSTALGIC FEAST

Dine your way through a more elevated take on North Indian classics at Daryaganj Gold at GMR Square, Aerocity, New Delhi. The 150-seater restaurant pairs its much-loved classics with an exclusive Gold menu that reimagines familiar flavours. Look out for dishes such as 24 karat mutton biryani, dahi bhalla bingsu, gol gappa trio, and heritage recipes like nargasi kofta and jelly fruit cream custard.

FLAVOUR BURST

Looking for a fresh seasonal meal? Head to Chorus Café in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, where the new summer menu celebrates hyper-local ingredients with global influences. Highlights include the pear & fig orchard, chorus panzanella, South American-inspired charred corn & couscous mosaic, and handmade truffle tortellini. End on a sweet note with the Citrus Cheesecake, Pistachio Cannoli or Zucchini Chocolate Cake.

ARTS RETURN

Explore the evolving language of contemporary art at the 11th Serendipity Arts Festival in Panjim from December 13 to 20. The line-up spans visual arts, craft, culinary arts, music, dance, theatre, accessibility, and special projects. Expect exhibitions, performances, workshops, and immersive experiences that foreground experimentation, collaboration, and inclusive cultural storytelling across artistic disciplines.

BOLD BITES

Taste the Indie-Mex cuisine at Péndulo, which has unveiled a new à la carte menu at its restaurant in Ambawatta One, New Delhi. Standout dishes include the habanero butter chicken, chipotle lobster, mulato chilli raan, and the cult-favourite lamb birria taco, alongside inventive vegetarian plates, such as yam tostada chaat, Himalayan gucchi cottage cheese, makhani mole artichoke, and rasam quesadillas. The beverage programme featuring tequila, mezcal, and original cocktails completes the experience.

INDIAN DIALOGUES

Discover the richness of contemporary Indian art at Sediments of Becoming: Fossilised Present, Summoned Pasts at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. Organised in collaboration with Threshold Art Gallery, it marks the first dedicated contemporary Indian art exhibition in the museum’s 260-year history. Featuring works by Afrah Shafiq, Manjunath Kamath, Sumakshi Singh, and others, the exhibition explores cultural archaeology, memory, identity and history, reclaiming overlooked narratives through artistic practices.

KONKAN ECHOES

Explore the disappearing landscapes of the Konkan at Åacjk: at an ancestral threshold, an exhibition by Rohit Suresh Varekar at Gallerie Nvya in New Delhi. Running till August 31, the showcase transforms architectural fragments— doors, beams, and pillars salvaged from mud homes damaged in the 2021 Konkan floods—into poignant reflections on memory, ecology, migration, and cultural continuity. A installation of doublepanel doors, inscribed with ecological warnings inspired by environmentalist Madhav Gadgil, anchors the showcase

WELLNESS EDIT

From quick coffee breaks to leisurely meals, Public Supply—an all-day dining space at Hauz Khas—has you covered. The menu balances bold flavours with wholesome ingredients, featuring Brazilian acai mood bowls, signature big bright salads, sourdough focaccia sandwiches, bagels, and more. The real highlight is its functional beverage programme, offering cold-pressed juices, smoothies, matcha, specialty coffee, and protein blends that can be customised with collagen, creatine, magnesium, ashwagandha, and adaptogens.

This article originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar India's June-July 2026 print issue

Images: Courtesy the Brands 

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