After a long day of wandering the labyrinthine halls of the India Art Fair in Delhi—dodging collectors so deep in thought you’d think this was the G20, deciphering artist statements that make Proust seem like light reading, and praying you don’t spill your drink on anything that costs more than your apartment—there’s only one destination: art patron Tarana Sawhney’s after party.
For 12 glorious years, Sawhney, who is the chairperson of the CII Task Force on Art and Culture and a member of the Tate International Council, and her husband, businessman Tarun Sawhney have played hosts to one the art world’s favourite dos. While the fair is a place for serious art, serious money, and seriously intimidating conversations, Sawhney’s soirée is where the art world kicks off its Tabis, and swaps 'the next big thing in art’ debates for easy banter, and, this year, it went all-in on the puns.
The theme? A ‘Pun Party,’ naturally. The execution? A cheeky spectacle that even had the most buttoned-up critics loosening their ties. The first clue that this wasn’t your typical post-fair gathering was the 12-foot banana lounging on the roof of the Sawhneys’ beautiful Lutyen’s bungalow—because what better way to welcome guests than with a nod to Warhol and a wink to Maurizio Cattelan’s $6 million duct-taped banana? The house, already a contender for the title of “museum most likely to have a TikTok account,” was dressed in its most playful attire for the night. A sign near the entrance declared, “This Is Not a Museum”. Spoiler alert: it totally is. Get the inside scoop on this pun-tastic event, on The Nod.
