Date: 30 May 2018
Venue: Art Gallery of the Embassy of Peru, Vasant Vihar

The Peru embassy recently hosted a fun event. To celebrate the 1st anniversary of the opening of the Art Gallery of the Embassy of Peru and the 1st anniversary of the Indo-Peruvian Friendship Association (INPEFA), the Ambassador hosted a cocktail for media and invited guests. A host of signatories from other embassies graced the event with their presence.

The art display was spectacular. The ceramics in earthy hues and fantastic shapes and designs had animated faces, animals and abstracts of other known forms. The wide eyed faces with quirky body structure were very reminiscent of Mayan art. Gold leaf paintings and ornament pieces took us back to Machu Pichhu and the Inca era. Much of the stuff had a very Harappa feel. It seems art developed a similar language all across the globe.

The other section of the exhibition displayed weaves from Peru. Carpets and wall hangings adorned the walls of the gallery. The llama is a much loved animal in Andean culture and they appeared in all colours in Peruvian art. A set of mannequins in Peruvian clothes were also displayed. Some of the weaves had a very Indian feel to it.

Art and cocktails is a stylish combo and helped to boost the spirits on the hot evening. Pisco, the popular brandy based cocktail with coconut flavor from Peru was the most sought after drink that evening, It was sweet yet refreshing flavor with the right amount of kick. Among the canapé, the bakery was something to die for.

A word of caution – the Peru Embassy and the art gallery are both at Vasant Vihar  BUT different locations. This led to confusion for us and many other guests.

Food and art are like oceans. They bind all across their globe. They have their own language – all you got to do is be open. It was heartening to see – Peru and India are speaking the language or art so well and in fact discovering how different yet how similar we all are when we think beauty. We wish the whole world would take a leaf and speak the language of art like the Peru Art Gallery in India.