Stone Portraits arrives in Chennai: A Multisensory Journey of Art, Stone & Culture

StoneX, renowned globally as the purveyor of the world’s finest stones, is set to present Stone Portraits, an immersive evening that transcends the traditional boundaries of art and craftsmanship. The event will take place on 29th August 2025 at Cholamandalam Artists’ Village, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, offering press and select guests an unforgettable multisensory journey through the cultural and emotional language of stone.

Following the resounding success of its showcase in Bangalore, Stone Portraits now arrives in Chennai beneath the timeless canopy of the banyan at Cholamandalam, a landmark for contemporary Indian art since 1966. This unique evening will celebrate stone not merely as a material, but as a living narrative of provenance, mastery, and memory. Guests will be taken on an experiential journey that brings alive the essence of each stone’s origin, inspired by the culture, cuisine, festivals, and rituals of its homeland. Every sense will be engaged:

Sight: immersive worlds narrating the provenance of each stone.

Touch: the raw textures and beauty of the land resting in your palm.

Sound: evocative music inspired by the regions of origin.

Taste: ITC’s Fabelle has specially curated exclusive handcrafted chocolates, designed as flavour memories inspired by herbs, spices, and culinary traditions of each landscape— paired with fine wine and delicacies.

In addition to this sensory journey, four traditional artisans from Mahabalipuram – S. Velliyan, A. Viswanathan, S. Suresh, and P. Saravanan, will be present as part of the live programming. Highly skilled in both hand and machine carving, they will guide guests and spectators in chiseling intricate line drawings and patterns onto five marble slabs (a total of 75 pieces arranged) of diverse provenances. This interactive element bridges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary storytelling, offering guests a rare opportunity to engage with stone in its rawest, most authentic form.

Adding to this celebration, artist Magesh R will present his exclusive StoneX piece, created especially for this Chennai edition, highlighting the confluence of material mastery and artistic imagination.

 

He is a painter who often depicts animals and birds in his canvases. His pastels, watercolours and acrylics lean towards representing wild beasts like elephants, deer, wolves and owls, and occasionally domesticated animals like dogs and horses. His paintings of horses are usually titled The Monarch, which is also the name given to the sculpture he has designed in the grey Turkish stone Grigio Bronze Amani.

This exclusive cocktail evening will offer the guests a first-hand experience of how stone becomes story, and story transforms into memory.

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