LuxeBook December 2020

Digitally different Since the beginning of the lockdown, VAG intensified their social media presence. VAG changed their quarterly newsletter to weekly. They also started a series called Thoughts from The Studio, in which the galley artists share their views, one at a time. They speak about the effects of lockdown on their practice and the art they created then.This spilled over to Instagram and Facebook as well. “It was quite a poignant series and people really appreciated it,” says Vadehra. “Digital has to be an important part of anyone’s strategy today. We have seen what a big difference it can make and how quickly people embrace it,” says the gallerist. Vadehra’s recent show FRIN/GE on view at the gallery until January 1, 2021, also has a touch of digitisation. The show is also presented as an immersive 3D digital experience online with a multi-dimensional mapping of the show.They tied up with Matterport , a digital company, to create a virtual walkthrough of the space. You can also click on certain areas to learn more about the artwork. An online store of art-inspired products Another digital initiative that emerged from the lockdown was an online store (https://shop.vadehraart . com/) for their art-inspired products. VAG diversified into publishing in 1996 and launched their products in 2008. The lockdown propelled the gallery to launch an e-store for these products. They began working on it in April 2020 and went live in July 2020. The online store sells signed prints of A Ramachandran, Atul Dodiya, BV Doshi, MF Husain, Arpita Singh, Paramjit Singh, Manjit Bawa, SH Raza and Shilpa Gupta; photographs of Akbar Padamsee, Briana Blasko, Vicky Roy and others; books on Indian art and artists and art-inspired products such as cushions and coasters. While may not afford a painting of SH Raza or A Ramachandran, they surely can enjoy their works’ digital renderings printed on home décor accessories. “It has been very exciting to see people’s response to our digitisation initiatives, in terms of online sales. Buyers are coming from all parts of the country, including remote locations where a gallery wouldn’t typically go to,” says Vadehra. “The market is cautiously optimistic. Over the past few months, we have all tried to reach out to our audiences in innovative ways and our efforts have paid off,” concludes the gallerist. 26| L U X E B O O K | D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 0 MG Motors zero tailpipe emission vehicle, the ZS EV SUV is an eco-friendly car that does not compromise on aesthetics and has an excellent build quality and performance. Luxebook’s Top 50 women in luxury had the opportunity to experience this majestic vehicle and here’s what they said. Akriti Agarwal, CEO, Thirsty Enterprises, Thirsty Beers & Thirsty Restaurants & Bars said “The driving experience of the ZS EV SUV was phenomenal. It glides through traffic like butter on the road. It’s easy to drive, it’s user-friendly, navigation friendly, there may be a lot of buttons that look overwhelming but are super easy to use. It also has the softest touch screen I have ever seen in a car.” The SUV has a 360-spider navigation that tells you the dynamic range in each direction from your current location based on the traffic/road conditions. The car also comes with a 20.32cm HD Touch Screen powered by the i-SMART EV 2.0 to ensure you always have a finger on your car’s pulse. Priyanka Nijhawan, Director- Representations, Nijhawan Group says, “My driving experience was very beautiful. It’s a very silent car, it’s a very smooth ride. The child in me cheered with joy with the panoramic views through the sunroof, which I was told is actually the sky roof because it covers the whole roof. In addition to that, automated infotainment is state-of-the-art technology, which really stood out for me. I am a sports car enthusiast and I have my eyes on MG ZS EV SUV’s sports variant.” 90%of the roof enhances the experience of travelling around in the car. “The future of the electric vehicle in commercial vehicle space is very, very promising. The car is very, very spacious in the sense that space is amplified because of the panoramic sunroof. We recently took our seven-month-old for a drive in the car and he enjoyed staring up at the sky at the birds, He actually felt like he was outdoors so that was really beautiful,” says Khushi Singh, AVP – Events & Experiences, Percept ICE. Powered with an ultra-high-density battery capacity of 44.5kWh and Max Torque 353 Nm, it goes from 0-100 km/h in 8.5 Sec with a max power of 142.7 PS. MG ZS. EV is equipped with an inbuilt PM 2.5 Air Filter to provide healthy air inside your SUV cabin. This means even if PM 2.5 measurement outside is 200-300, the level inside the car will be less than 30 AQI, in just under 5 minutes. MG ZS EV also reduces your carbon footprint and lets you know how much contribution you’ve made to the environment in terms of CO2 saved. “My favorite feature in the car is that it tells me how much carbon dioxide I have not emitted into the environment by driving the car. It has so many positive benefits for the environment. It makes MG Motors’ ZS EV SUV the car of today and tomorrow,” says Elisha Saigal, Founder, Elsol. Master of Wine, Sonal Holland says, “It is very important to embrace the products that give back to the earth. The MG Motors EV is a unique concept because when it comes to environmental sustainability, wed to think about the kind of future we are leaving for our next generation and I think MG will be able to make a bigger dent, a greater impact on the new generation who wants to make a more meaningful choice.” The automatic transmission car comes with three drive modes - Sport for accelerated driving mode for an exhilarated driving experience, Normal for a driving mode with balanced range and driving performance and Eco for efficient driving mode to maximize range and is available in three colours - Ferris White, Currant Red and Copenhagen Blue. A clean drive LuxeBook’s Top 50 women in Indian luxury enjoyed driving MG Motors’ Zs EV SUV D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 0 | L U X E B O O K | 27 SPECIAL FEATURE