The Kshetra Collective is a creative collective of diverse multimedia New Zealand artists of Indian heritage.[1] The collective is made up of Tiffany Singh, Shruti Yatri, Mandrika Rupa, Jacob Rajan, Rafik Patel, Sarah Dutt and Mandy Rupa-Reid.[2] The collective formed and held their first exhibition in 2022.[3] Artists in the Kshetra Collective span disciplines of painting, dance, film, theatre, installation, architecture and spatial design.[4][5]

Kshetra Collective
Formation2022
HeadquartersNew Zealand

The growing collective aims to showcase a diverse range of experiences, stories and identities of New Zealand Indians, not dictated by a specific group, language or religion to express the Indian diasporic experience.[6][7] The collective have taken part in Diwali celebrations involving the community at Auckland Art Gallery.[8]

The name Kshetra is Sanskrit, meaning sacred or hallowed ground.[6]

Members

edit
  • Shruti Yatri (painting)
  • Rafik Patel (spatial design)
  • Mandy Rupa-Reid (dance)

Exhibitions

edit

A Place to Stand

edit

The Kshetra Collective curated their first exhibition, A Place to Stand, at the Te Taunga Community Hub at Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland War Memorial Museum, which opened on 15th May 2022.[3] This was the first ever exhibition of contemporary New Zealand Indian art in New Zealand.[4] The exhibition explores the question, what is contemporary New Zealand Indian art?[6][9] Public programming alongside the exhibition included an artist panel discussion, an interactive rangoli activation and classical dance activations.[6]

Invisible Narratives

edit

The exhibition Invisible Narratives: Contemporary Indian Creatives in Aotearoa, was held at New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata in Wellington from September to November 2023.[10] This exhibition explores the South Pacific Indian diaspora through telling migrant stories and challenging prejudices.[11] This exhibition was funded through a grant from Creative New Zealand.[12]

References

edit
  1. ^ "A Place To Stand". Tiffany Singh Artist. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Indian art collective breaks down barriers in NZ's art scene". RNZ. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "A Place To Stand: Contemporary Indian Art in Aotearoa". aucklandmuseum.com.
  4. ^ a b Te Taunga: A Place To Stand Webinar - Auckland Museum, retrieved 15 January 2024
  5. ^ Pardoe, Sharron. "Wellington's weekend culture calendar". www.thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d The Kshetra Collective. "A Place to Stand" (PDF). aucklandmuseum.com.
  7. ^ "New Zealand Portrait Gallery: Invisible Narratives - Contemporary Indian Creatives from Aotearoa". tockify.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Diwali Celebrations". publicnow.com. 11 November 2023.
  9. ^ Lopesi, Lana. "Metro — Metro Arts — Tuesday 24 May". www.metromag.co.nz. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Invisible Narratives: Contemporary Indian Creatives from Aotearoa". New Zealand Portrait Gallery. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Invisible Narratives: Contemporary Indian Creatives in Aotearoa". mutualart.com. 16 January 2024.
  12. ^ "$5m Arts Grants Recipients Revealed". thebigidea.nz.

Further reading

edit