Highlights:
- £120,750 raised through art sales, with £6,037.50 donated to charity (5%)
- Hosted by Meera Syal at Surinder Arora’s Fairmont Windsor Park
- New exhibition by Zara Muse combines the Diwali spirit with contemporary painting
- Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar curated a Diwali-inspired menu
- Night of art, culture and community giving back
The grand ballroom at Fairmont Windsor Park glowed on Thursday (October 23 2025) as Zara Muse Diwali Reverie brought together artists, philanthropists and community figures and raised £120,750, with £6,037.50 (5%) donated to The Arora Charitable Foundation. The hotel, part of Surinder Arora’s Arora Group, hosted the evening, with Meera Syal introducing the programme.
Zara Muse Diwali Reverie raises £120,750 for charity at Fairmont Windsor Park www.easterneye.biz
Why Zara Muse’s Diwali Reverie stood out
Zara Muse, who moved from the City to a full-time art career, presented a collection that favours texture and energy over tidy representation. The Diwali Reverie series uses palette-knife layers and sculptural strokes to capture light, ritual and movement. Muse said the works were shaped by time spent across India, from Jaipur’s lamps to Udaipur’s mirrored surfaces and the constant motion of Mumbai streets.
Her market momentum is clear: a portrait of Malala Yousafzai sold at Bonhams in April 2025 for £51,200, a result that has increased collector interest in her secondary market.
Inside the Fairmont’s Diwali celebration
Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar stepped away from his Mayfair kitchen to plate a Diwali-inspired menu that matched the paintings’ colour and texture. Between courses there were short talks from leading British-Asian figures and a live art demonstration. The mood was intimate and social, people moving from canvas to conversation, pausing to look.
How the night raised funds
The live auction of Muse’s works produced most of the evening’s receipts. As the auction gathered momentum, hands went up across the room in quick succession. By the close of bidding, the sale total stood at £120,750. From that amount, £6,037.50, representing 5% of the proceeds, was set aside for The Arora Charitable Foundation, which continues its work alongside The British Asian Trust, Age UK and The Prince’s Trust.
What’s next for Zara Muse?
The auction success, paired with the Bonhams sale, has sharpened collectors’ focus on Muse. There’s talk the Diwali Reverie collection may travel to further exhibitions. “It’s about transformation,” Muse said during a short speech, and last night that theme moved from canvas to community.
Amar Kanwar’s immersive films and installations will fill Serpentine North next year Instagram/paolamanfredistudio 
