As conversations drifted between art, design and luxury at MG Select Hyderabad at Jubilee Hills, the evening slowly transformed into something far more immersive than a regular automobile showcase. Organised in collaboration with Kalakriti Art Gallery, Luxury Meets Art brought together contemporary art and automotive design in a way that felt both intimate and unexpected.
At the centre of the evening was the all-new MG M9, which became more than just a luxury vehicle for the night. As artist Sumanto Chowdhury worked live on the car, guests gathered around watching intricate motifs and line drawings slowly take shape across its surface. Inspired by miniature art traditions, flora and fauna, and architectural detailing, the artwork turned the vehicle into a moving canvas.
Originally from Kolkata and now based in Hyderabad for over two decades, Sumanto explained that his process remained instinctive regardless of the surface. “My work is miniature-based and miniature-related, and I work in this type of flora and fauna art. The Kalakriti Art Gallery invited me to paint designs on the new MG car and I started with line drawings, flora and fauna, and motif drawings. I regularly work like this, so I do not think about the surface. I only think about space division, and then I continue with the drawing,” he shared.
For Ruchi Sharma, chief curator at Kalakriti Art Gallery, the collaboration was about finding a natural dialogue between two design practices. She explained that both art and automobiles are deeply rooted in craftsmanship, innovation and aesthetics, even though they belong to different worlds. “The central idea behind bringing art and automobiles together for Luxury Meets Art was to create a dialogue between two forms of design practice that, at their core, are both driven by innovation, craftsmanship, and aesthetics. While one belongs to the world of contemporary visual expression and the other to luxury engineering, both engage deeply with form, material, surface, and experience,” she said.
Alongside the live art experience, artist Masuram Ravikanth presented works from his Royal Gaze series, which added a regal mood to the evening. Featuring Maharajas and Maharani figures inspired by colonial-era imagery and the works of photographer Raja Deen Dayal, the paintings explored royalty, costume and royal lifestyles through Ravikanth’s distinctive style.
“My painting is part of the Maharaja series, which includes Maharaja and Maharani. I worked on the royal costumes, jewellery of Indian Maharajas and focused on portraying their royal lifestyle through this series Royal Gaze. The series is based on the essence of royal living, which makes this series different from my earlier paintings,” Ravikanth said.
For MG Motor India, the collaboration reflected a larger philosophy around creating curated experiences rather than conventional product showcases. P Sai Gautham, dealer principal at MG Select, Hyderabad said the brand has always viewed its experience centres as spaces designed for appreciation and interaction. “Collaborating with an art gallery was a natural extension of that thinking. We already regard our spaces as curated environments, and so inviting artists to bring their work into that space alongside our cars in Hyderabad felt entirely true to what MG Select represents,” he said.
He added that the live painting session became one of the most engaging moments of the evening, with visitors staying around the car throughout the process. “Guests gathered around the M9 as the artwork took shape, remaining engaged throughout the entire process. It gave people something to connect over, and the conversations that followed felt genuinely spontaneous. The live element brought a dimension to the evening that a static display could not have offered,” he explained.
As the evening came to a close, it left behind more than photographs and conversations. It offered a glimpse into how art, culture and luxury can coexist in everyday spaces, making creativity feel less distant and far more alive.