We’re scarfing pomegranate aril-studded, chilli-oil drizzled baba ganoush with ‘everything bagel’-dusted naan at NMACC Arts Cafe, when we encounter our first Hirst, up close, in person. Nope, it’s not his famously preserved fish.
Most people remember Damien Hirst as the guy who, in 1991, suspended a 14ft-long tiger shark in a tankful of formaldehyde—it was art that was designed to provoke, to make its viewers contemplate mortality. NMACC Arts Cafe’s Hirsts are more recent, and decidedly more cheery. In fact, his Cherry Blossom series (2021) is possibly his prettiest work yet (no skulls or dead sharks here). Three original laminated prints on aluminium composite panels have Seurat-like daubs of pink and white paint on striking blue. Two works are in the hallway that leads to the building’s gallery space, Art House, adjoining the cafe. The third provides a sense of perennial spring to the cafe’s main dining room.
Stop to look around NMACC Arts Cafe, and it’s easy to see that we are surrounded by astonishing and thoughtful pieces. Currently, among the rotating list of artworks, along with the Hirsts, there is a print from Takashi Murakami’s Smile Flower series, a motif that’s so hyped, we get smiling rainbow flower pillows at stalls across Crawford Market. One of four works from Dia Mehhta Bhupal’s Shelf Life series shows bookshelves made of recycled printed materials spun into tubes. The titles in the frame placed across a real-life bookshelf include Mexico: The Cookbook, Hitch-22, and Sapiens. (Spend some time inches away from the work to get the full experience.) Also here are Rana Begum’s mood-altering spray-painted art and some of maverick artist Sameer Kulavoor’s Celebration Gates, which showed recently at Art Mumbai. Even so, this is not a room dominated by art, nor do frames crowd its walls. Designed by Gauri Khan, the Arts Cafe is less a gallery with dining tables, more an eclectic collector’s dining room.
After the grand glossy corridors and shiny banquets of the NMACC, the space feels like an oasis of ease. Here calming earthy shades and aquatic hues are illuminated with pools and streams of light, including a massive skylight. There is a long, glowing, sinuous Art Deco-inflected bar along one side of the room. It’s a design detail that Khan is proud of, even if guests don’t immediately notice its every nuance. “What sets it apart is the beautiful band of inlay flooring around the bar, featuring exclusive materials in white, gold, and greens—creating a harmonious connection to the lagoon-inspired aesthetic,” says Khan.
The 16ft long bar, designed by Gauri Khan, is the centrepiece of the all-day cafe
The bar’s shelving is anchored around a textile sunset by design firm NorBlack NorWhite. On the menu here, cover versions of cocktail classics call out to tipplers: chocolate old fashioned, mango picante, popcorn negroni. Around the corner from the bar is a PDR for 12 with a dedicated open kitchen. Across is a lounge-like space that we can see ourselves settling into for a session of well-caffeinated reading. At the far end sits an open balcony, designed for barbecues, brunches, and sundowners, all amid and under foliage. There is not a dull seat in this elegant room, with its gentle curves and play of materials, textures, and light. It’s also a relief to note that the Arts Cafe is not, like many places these days, designed specifically for the ’gram. Indeed, at first glance, it might seem like NMACC Arts Cafe would appeal mainly to The Grand Theatre crowd, or people visiting The Art House, or lunching ladies. But soon after we settle in, it becomes evident that it’s a worthy mid-range addition to BKC’s vast and varied dining landscape—an art-filled spot for animated conversation, a relaxed work meeting, or quiet solo contemplation. After our meal, we paired the phone photos we took of the art with Google Lens, and got ourselves a self-led mini art education.
