The many lives of the ‘Ramayana’ in London

India, Everywhere Last month, during London’s Frieze week, Indian designer Vikram Goyal transformed two rooms at 7 Grafton Street into Wings & Tales, a fantastical interpretation of the Ramayana. The Georgian townhouse in Mayfair saw monkeys carrying flags and firecrackers and crocodiles emerging from embroidered brocades. Weeks later, at a dinner in the city, I found myself in conversation with someone from a magazine who was still talking about the salon-style exhibition.

It was telling. During a week when Frieze and PAD London increasingly double as social circuits, Goyal had offered something different: time to sit, absorb and understand the stories behind the objects. The choice of a townhouse felt especially fitting for this intimate proposition.

As art consultant Tahira Chawla, who attended the exhibition, observed, fairs rarely allow visitors to fully appreciate the craftsmanship or the making of a piece.