India Art Fair New Delhi as New Hospitality Partner

PRLog (Press Release) - Jan. 31, 2013 - Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts Joins

India Art Fair New Delhi as New Hospitality Partner

Le Méridien celebrates its new association with a series of contemporary art activations at Le Méridien New Delhi

National, India – 31 January 2013 – Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts today announced it has been appointed as the official hospitality partner for the fifth edition of the India Art Fair 2013, South Asia’s largest and India’s premier modern and contemporary Art Fair.  To be held from 1-3 February 2013 in Delhi, the Art Fair will include 105 exhibitors from 24 countries featuring a video lounge, an art bookstore, art projects and a speakers' forum (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Forum).

“Our association with the India Art Fair underlines our vision of bringing unique and interactive art experiences to our culturally savvy guests,” said Arnaud Champenois, Brand Director Asia Pacific for Le Méridien and W Hotels Worldwide. “India Art Fair connects the most inspiring local artists and galleries with international curators and collectors. We are thrilled to collaborate with the Art Fair, offering creative minds and our curious guests a platform to engage in a dialogue, contribute to and share their passion for contemporary art.”

To celebrate its new association with India Art Fair 2013, Le Méridien will this evening host the event’s opening reception at Le Méridien New Delhi, which will take place after the VIP preview. Entitled “A Culinary Journey – Discovery of Taste,” the reception will be curated around the theme of five tastes (salt, sugar, vinegar, spices and chocolate) that will stimulate the taste buds and trigger conversations among the renowned artists and creative guests.

During the India Art Fair 2013, Le Méridien New Delhi will host prominent artists from across the globe, including 40 eminent speakers.

Indian Artist Duo Jitin Thukral & Sumir Tagra Unveil New Arrival Artwork

On this occasion, Le Méridien New Delhi will also unveil its new Arrival Artwork, part of Le Méridien brand’s signature arrival experience that helps guests to reset their mind and stimulate dialogue and curiosity.  LM100™ members and Indian artist duo Jitin Thukral and Sumir Tagra have been selected to create the new interactive installation. Known for a body of work that is truly pop, Thukral & Tagra collaborate in a wide variety of media including painting, sculpture, installation, video, graphic and product design. They eloquently mix high art with low art, design with formal art standards, and ornate objects with everyday products. Their work comments on the globalization of consumer culture as experienced in today’s India and the human tendency to dream. The installation for Le Méridien New Delhi embodies this spirit of the artists and provides an engaging experience that will transform the first ten minutes of a guest’s arrival moment at the hotel.

Speaking on the occasion, Tarun Thakral Chief Operating Officer Le Méridien New Delhi said, “Le Méridien New Delhi has always shown a key interest in taking the lead to create innovative expressions of art and design to engage our guests. We are delighted to embrace yet another dimension of contemporary art as we enter our 25th year with the new interactive installation of projected art by Thukral & Tagra. We hope that with this we will continue to provide a new discovery at Le Méridien New Delhi.

As Le Méridien aims to become the hub for the creative and curious minds, we create experiences to inspire hotel guests and the local communities. Art is used in surprising and unexpected ways to stimulate dialogue,” added Champenois. “Our LM100™ creative community, curated by Le Méridien Cultural Curator Jérôme Sans, inspires creativity in a relevant and innovative way. With the installation of this interactive artwork by Thukral & Tagra, Le Méridien recognizes the importance of India in the art world today and actively seeks to engage our guests and local communities by offering interactive and creative moments of discovery.

Journey of the Space Between -- A New Perspective Event at Le Méridien New Delhi

On the 1st February 2013, Le Méridien New Delhi will also host ‘A New Perspective’ event on short stories entitled, “Journey of the Space Between.” The New Perspective event series is designed to showcase LM100™ members through an interactive experience that will allow guests to gather new insights and stimulate dialogue. Sans will lead the event to provide an interactive and engaging dialogue between Thukral & Tagra. Inspired by the images of Thukral & Tagra, visual artist, writer and LM100™ member Sam Samore has written a fairy tale for the India Art Fair, and the discussion will be centred around this book that explores the journey in between two realities, two cities, two worlds. Illustrations by Thukral & Tagra are intricately woven into the story. This book is the third of a series for Le Méridien that began with ‘Between Paris and Philadelphia – Five Transformations’ and continued with ‘Between Istanbul and Bangkok – The Key to SomeWhere.’ A metaphor for the traveller’s journey: always in between two cities, two points, two geographies the third book in the series explores the journey in between the two inspirational cities of Kuala Lumpur and New Delhi.

Jérôme Sans will also lead curated walks around the Art Fair for Le Méridien guests. Renowned as a “cultural entrepreneur and pioneer in contemporary art,” Sans has curated numerous major exhibitions around the world and was Director of the Ullens Centre of Contemporary Art in Beijing from 2008 to 2011. He is currently Creative Director of the magazine L’Officiel Art as well as Artistic Director of the Rives de Saône project in Lyon, the biggest public art project in Europe.

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For further information, please contact:

Atul Malikram

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