The Kshetra Collective is a creative collective of diverse multimedia New Zealand artists of Indian heritage. The collective is made up of
Tiffany Singh
Tiffany Singh (born 1978) is a New Zealand artist.
Background
Singh was born in 1978 in Auckland, New Zealand and is of Indian and Pacific descent. She graduated from the Elam School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008.
Car ...
, Shruti Yatri,
Mandrika Rupa,
Jacob Rajan
Jacob Rajan is a Malaysian-born-New Zealand playwright and actor. His highly successful plays include the trilogy ''Krishnan's Dairy'', ''The Candlestick Maker'' and ''The Pickle King''. Another work was ''The Dentist's Chair''. In 2002, he r ...
, Rafik Patel,
Sarah Dutt and Mandy Rupa-Reid. The collective formed and held their first exhibition in 2022.
Artists in the Kshetra Collective span disciplines of painting, dance, film, theatre, installation, architecture and spatial design.
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.
The collective have taken part in Diwali celebrations involving the community at
Auckland Art Gallery
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions.
Set be ...
.
The name is
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
, meaning sacred or hallowed ground.
Members
*
Tiffany Singh
Tiffany Singh (born 1978) is a New Zealand artist.
Background
Singh was born in 1978 in Auckland, New Zealand and is of Indian and Pacific descent. She graduated from the Elam School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008.
Car ...
(installation)
* Shruti Yatri (painting)
*
Mandrika Rupa (film)
*
Jacob Rajan
Jacob Rajan is a Malaysian-born-New Zealand playwright and actor. His highly successful plays include the trilogy ''Krishnan's Dairy'', ''The Candlestick Maker'' and ''The Pickle King''. Another work was ''The Dentist's Chair''. In 2002, he r ...
(theatre)
* Rafik Patel (spatial design)
*
Sarah Dutt (painting &
rangoli)
* Mandy Rupa-Reid (dance)
Exhibitions
''A Place to Stand''
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.
This was the first ever exhibition of contemporary New Zealand Indian art in New Zealand.
The exhibition explores the question, what is contemporary New Zealand Indian art?
Public programming alongside the exhibition included an artist panel discussion, an interactive rangoli activation and classical dance activations.
''Invisible Narratives''
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. This exhibition explores the South Pacific Indian diaspora through telling migrant stories and challenging prejudices. This exhibition was funded through a grant from Creative New Zealand.
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References
Further reading
Te Taunga: A Place To Stand Webinar - Auckland Museum New Zealand art
New Zealand people of Indian descent
New Zealand contemporary artists
21st-century New Zealand artists
2022 establishments in New Zealand