Talking in Colour: ‘A Story in Red’ is an Immersive Art House Experience in Kochi presented by Asian Paints Royale Where walls, objects and shades of red come together as a contemporary art narrative.
Kochi is a city where time slows down and it somehow finds a way to linger. Whether it is the bamboo stalls with clay tiles, rife with fruit, fish and fried edibles or the architecture that is a mix of Portuguese, British and local Malayali sensibilities which stretches all the way back to 1503.
It is in this city of art and architecture, that Asian Paints unveils an intimate new cultural address in Fort Kochi—an Art House experience crafted with Asian Paints Royale. Titled ‘A Story in Red’, the venture transformed a quiet Kochi residence into a fully immersive red world where colour is not merely applied, but staged; not simply seen but felt.
The experience is conceived as a walk-through, and after one has delt with the refreshing drinks and nibbles being plied, A Story in Red unfolds across several installations, each centred on a single object rendered in a familiar shade of red.
Curator Ranji Kelkar has curated and even created a collection of thirteen objects (Yes, he does not believe that the number is unlucky!) Kelkar is a vintage textile and jewellery aficionado with over two decades reimagining style in fashion and interiors, and a sought-after home boutique in Goa listed as a ‘must-visit’ by multiple media outlets.
“These objects are drawn from everyday life and ritual, placed within rooms washed entirely in Royale reds altering their scale, meaning and emotional weight. In this setting, walls do more than define space; they direct attention, influence movement, and shape perception,” says Kelkar. With contributing artists and spaces like Savio Jon, Smriti Morarka, Kunal Shah Kaash space, Jaipur Rugs and Ranji himself – the show contains multitudes with a strong underpinning.
The entire concepts of the immersive experience is wrapped around the question, how do we weave a story in red? “We got down to understanding the colour red and reveal its multi-dimensionality, from its warmth, rich positive energy, auspiciousness to its connotations of caution, since red is often used as a signal of warming of highlighting limits,” says Amit Syngle the CEO of Asian Paints.
“The nuance of red coming as a story is very different and we have used it to explore how you can create a story and weave it in with a silk, matt or lime finish textures of paint. The multi-dimensionality culturally nuanced interfacing with the Kochi Biennale, if we were to work with a vintage designer someone like Ranji, how we can marry the nuances of the colour to the objects of his choice and bring them alive. We wanted to explore how red really mingles and interfaces for which we used various reds tonalities, going up to a light pinkish red,” he says adding, “It is a juxtaposition of form and colour.”
The objects we interacted with were a saree, a red vintage Gharchola, saree that is worn at Gujarati weddings, which is known for its signature grid-like design and zari weaving. It has a deep cultural significance and we are told that it is more than just a garment—it’s a symbol of blessings, tradition, and craftsmanship. Then we encounter a set of bangles, that Kelkar has mounted into a pillar like installation.
This is backed by an installation of red Parsi house slippers known as Sapats, a quintessential element of Zoroastrian Parsi culture, symbolizing comfort, tradition, and equality within the home.
A beautiful curtain crafted out of prayer beads, creates an enclosure around a mound of red rice, which is very symbolic of what is the main lunch meals in Kochi along side a bunch of red bananas that are also native to the Kochi cuisine.
There were also a set of pedestals painted in the different textures of red paint, bearing Burmese Thaals, that is part of a girl’s trousseau imported from Burma. The walls are decorated with an inviting kimono that is light pinkish red, and then a wall hanging that depicts a Persian prince celebrating and having a feast. A twin of this piece was sold Christie’s Auction so we are told by the curator, Kelkar.
Offsetting all these red elements in the room with red walls, is a white chair. We are told by Manju Sarah Rajan, their tarts manager, that the Yoruba Beaded Chair, from the Kaash Gallery in Bangalore is actually an import from Nigeria.
At the heart of the experience is a question: what happens when a colour carries so much symbol and sensation – joy and obligation, desire and discipline? The answer changes from room to room, object to object. There is no single story. Only red, telling itself over and over, differently each time.‘A Story in Red’ by Asian Paints Royale will be open for a limited period to the public from February 1st to February 15th 2026 through listed walkthroughs and invite-led experiences in the creatively buzzing area of Fort Kochi within the duration of the evocative Kochi Biennale.
Georgina is an independent critic-curator with 18 years of experience in the field of Indian art and culture. She blurs the lines of documentation, theory and praxis by involving herself in visual art projects. Besides writing on immersive art for STIRworld, she is a regular contributor for The Hindu, MASH Mag and Architectural Digest.
