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Joint Statement Promoting Safe Spaces Within the South Asian Arts Community

As active stakeholders in the South Asian arts community, we are concerned by the growing number of allegations of sexual harassment and reports of hostile work environments. These are serious concerns that need to be addressed with urgency.

The art world is amorphous in nature: social mobility is dependent on informal networking and personal and professional spaces cannot be easily separated. Survivors who publicly tell their stories face serious forms of retaliation. They are reluctant to disclose their identities because they fear losing work. As a community, we commit to ensuring that people who are speaking out are protected, and that professional opportunities are not denied to them. We respect the truth and stand in solidarity with those who come out with their stories.

We strongly object to the use of defamation as a method to intimidate and silence survivors and those who represent their interests. We call on all our peers; artists; curators; gallerists; collectors; writers; and heads of both public and private institutions to commit to the safeguarding of survivor accounts. We request them to rigorously advocate for open and supportive spaces that allow women, trans people, queer people, and those who have been disenfranchised by caste and class structures to voice their concerns and find support.

We pledge to collectively reflect, ideate and act on developing the necessary legal and informal support mechanisms to address these challenges. We will do our best to protect spaces for open conversations, and uphold basic codes of professionalism.

The undersigned,

  1. Aashna Jhaveri, Artist, Mumbai
  2. Abdullah Qureshi, Visual Artist and Researcher, Helsinki
  3. Abhay Sardesai, Editor and Writer, Mumbai
  4. Abhineet Singh, Founder, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  5. Abhinit Khanna, Independent Arts Manager and Consultant, Mumbai
  6. Abhishek Hazra, Artist, Banglore
  7. Abir Karmakar, Artist, Baroda
  8. Adam Bainbridge, Musician, London
  9. Adam Szymczyk, Artistic Director, ducumenta 14, Athens/Kassel
  10. Aditya Kapoor, Photographer and Filmmaker, New Delhi
  11. Aditya Pande, Artist, New Delhi
  12. Adwait Singh, Independent Curator and Writer, New Delhi
  13. Afrah Shafiq, Artist/Filmmaker, Goa
  14. Akansha Rastogi, Senior Curator, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi
  15. Alok Vaid-Menon, Artist, New York
  16. Amar Kanwar, Artist, New Delhi
  17. Ameet Sikka, Fashion Stylist, New Delhi
  18. Amna Hashmi, Art Educator and Practitioner (Assistant Professor),
    COMSATS, University, Islamabad
  19. Amol K Patil, Artist, Mumbai
  20. Amshu Chukki, Artist, Bengaluru
  21. Andrew Ananda Voogel, Artist, Taipei
  22. Anisa Nariman, Food Writer and Chef, New Delhi, India
  23. Anita Khemka, Photographer, Delhi
  24. Anita Rani, TV Presenter, London
  25. Anjali Monteiro, Filmmaker and Academician, Mumbai
  26. Anjalika Sagar, Artist, The Otolith Group, London
  27. Ankur Tewari, Musician, Mumbai
  28. Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Artist and Professor, University of Rhode
    Island, Bangalore/Rhode Island
  29. Anoushka Shankar, Sitarist and Composer, London
  30. Anurag Banerjee, Photographer, Bombay
  31. Anusha Yadav, The Memory Company, Mumbai
  32. Anushka Rajendran, Curator, New Delhi
  33. Archana Hande, Artist, Bombay
  34. Arijit Bhattacharya, Artist, India
  35. Arnav Adhikari, Writer/Editor, New Delhi
  36. Arnika Ahldag, JNU, New Delhi
  37. Aruna Chandrasekhar, Independent Photojournalist, Bangalore
  38. Aruna Keshav, Assistant Director, GALLERYSKE, Bangalore
  39. Asmita Parelkar, Photographer, Mumbai
  40. Astha Butail, Artist, Gurgaon
  41. Aunohita Mojumdar, Editor, Himal Southasian, Colombo
  42. Avantika Bhuyan, Freelance Writer, New Delhi
  43. Avinash Veeraraghavan, Artist, Bangalore
  44. Ayesha Jatoi, Artist, Lahore
  45. Aziz Sohail, Curator and Writer, Karachi/Los Angeles
  46. Bharat Sikka, Photographer, New Delhi
  47. Bhavika Aggarwal, Designer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  48. Bikkil Sthapit, Artist, Nepal
  49. Boshudhara Mukherjee, Artist, Bangalore/Mumbai/Kurseon
  50. Bunu Dhungana, Visual Artist, Kathmandu
  51. Chandrika Grover Ralleigh, Consultant, Cultural Strategy, New Delhi
  52. Charles Esche (Prof.), Director, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
  53. Chinar Shah, Artist, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore
  54. Clare Lilley, Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK
  55. Cosmin Costinas, Director, Para Site, Hong Kong
  56. Cynthia Packert, Middlebury College, Vermont
  57. David Sanderson, Times Arts Correspondent, London
  58. Dayanita Singh, Artist, New Delhi
  59. Deborah Bruguera, Activist, Padova
  60. Deep Kailey, Creative Director, London
  61. Deepak Ananth, Art Historian and Curator, Paris, France
  62. Deepali Dewan, Senior Curator of South Asian Art & Culture, Royal Ontario
    Museum, Toronto
  63. Devika Bakshi, Writer and Teacher, Delhi
  64. Devika Daulet-Singh, Director, PHOTOINK, New Delhi
  65. Dhruv Malhotra, Photographer, Jaipur
  66. Dia Mehhta Bhupal, Artist, Hyderabad
  67. Diana Campbell Betancourt, Artistic Director, Samdani Art Foundation, Chief
    Curator, Dhaka Art Summit
  68. Dileep Prakash, Artist, New Delhi
  69. Dinesh Khanna, Photographer, Delhi
  70. Diva Gujral, PhD scholar, University College London, London
  71. Dr Emilia Terracciano, Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford,
    London/Oxford
  72. Dr Rashmi Poddar, Director, Jnanapravaha, Mumbai
  73. Eesha Patkar, Editorial Manager, Saffronart, Mumbai
  74. Elvira Dyangani Ose, Director, The Showroom, London
  75. Emilia Bergmans, Founder, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  76. Fiza Khatri, Artist, Karachi
  77. Frances Morris, Director, Tate Modern, London
  78. Gabi Ngcobo, Independent Curator, Co-Director, Nothing Gets Organised
    (NGO), Lecturer, Wits School of Arts, Johannesburg
  79. Garima Gupta, Artist and Researcher, New Delhi
  80. Gauri Gill, Artist, New Delhi
  81. Gayatri Nair, Founding member, Chennai Photo Biennale/CPB Foundation,
    Chennai
  82. Guerrilla Girls, Artists, USA
  83. Hadrien Diez, Curatorial Advisor, Bengal Foundation, Dhaka
  84. Helmut Schippert, Co-Founder, Chennai Photo Biennale/CPB Foundation,
    Chennai
  85. Hem Partap Singh, Designer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  86. Hena Kapadia, Gallery Director, TARQ, Mumbai
  87. Henri-Claude, Curator and Former Director of École de Beaux-Arts, Paris,
    France
  88. Himali Singh Soin, Writer and Artist, New Delhi/London
  89. Iftikhar Dadi, Director, South Asia Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, New
    York
  90. Itisha Giri, Poet, Madrid/Kathmandu
  91. Jeroo Mullah, Social Communications & Media, Professor and Dancer
  92. Jessica Lim, Festival Director, Angkor Photo Festival, Singapore/Cambodia
  93. Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra, Artists, New Delhi
  94. Joe Paul Cyriac, Photographer, Thiruvananthapuram
  95. Jyoti Dhar, Art Critic, Colombo
  96. K. P. Jayasankar, Filmmaker and Academician, Mumbai
  97. Kai Altmann, Artist, Musician and Curator, Worldwide
  98. Kamayani Sharma, Art Critic, New Delhi
  99. Kanika Makhija, Artist and Researcher, Mumbai
  100. Karan Shrestha, Artist and Filmmaker, Kathmandu/Mumbai
  101. Karishma Dev Dube, Filmmaker, New York
  102. Karma Wangchuk, Artist, Bhutan
    103.Karthik Subramanian, Photographer, Chennai
  103. Kartik Sood, Artist, Shimla
  104. Kavan Balasuriya, Artist, Sri Lanka
  105. Ketaki Sheth, Photographer, Mumbai
  106. Kiran Nadar, Chairperson, KNMA, New Delhi
  107. Krishnaraj Chonat, Artist, Bangalore
  108. Kuldeep Patil, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi
  109. Kush Badhwar, Artist, Sydney/Mumbai
  110. Madhavi Gore, Artist, Bardez
  111. Madhuban Mitra, Artist, Kolkata
  112. Mahendra Sinh, Photographer, Mumbai
  113. Malini Kochupillai, Artist and Urban researcher, New Delhi
  114. Manas Bhattacharya, Artist, Kolkata
  115. Manishikha Baul, Performing Artist, Delhi
  116. Mario Ashley DSouza, Curator and Writer, New Delhi.
  117. Martha Rosler, Artist, Brooklyn, New York
  118. Medha Khosla, Designer Entrepreneur, ANOMALY, Delhi
  119. Meera Menezes, Art Writer, New Delhi
  120. Megha Rawla, Designer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  121. Megha Roy, Copy-Writer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  122. Mila Sambdub, Writer, New Delhi
  123. Mithu Sen, Artist, New Delhi
  124. Monali Meher, Artist, Gent, Belgium
  125. Mortimer Chatterjee, Director, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai
  126. Munem Wasif, Artist, Dhaka
  127. Mustafa Khanbhai, Artist, New Delhi
  128. Nada Raza, Curator, Dubai
  129. Naeem Mohaiemen, Artist and Writer, Dhaka
  130. Nalini Malani, Artist, Mumbai
  131. Nandita Jaishankar, Editor, New Delhi
  132. Natasha Ginwala, Writer and Curator, Colombo
  133. NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati, Director, Photo Kathmandu, Kathmandu
  134. Nihaal Faizal, Artist, Bangalore
  135. Nikhil Chopra, Artist, Bardez
  136. Nikhil Kaul, Designer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  137. Nilanjana S Roy, Author, New Delhi
  138. Niranjan Kunwar, Education Consultant and Writer, Kathmandu
  139. Orijit Sen, Director, People Tree, Goa
  140. Ornella D’Souza, Senior Feature Writer, Daily News & Analysis (DNA),
    Mumbai
  141. Pakhi Sen, Artist, New Delhi
  142. Paribartana Mohanty, Artist, New Delhi
  143. Parni Ray, New Delhi
  144. Parul Vadhera, Director, Vadhera Art Gallery New Delhi
  145. Payal Khandwala, Painter and Clothesmaker, Mumbai
  146. Phalguni Desai, Writer and Producer, Mumbai
  147. Philippe Calia, Artist, Mumbai
  148. Philippe Pirotte, Rector Staedelschule and Director Portikus, Frankfurt
  149. Pooja Pant, Artist, Nepal
  150. Prabhakar Pachpute, Artist, Pune
  151. Prabhavathi Meppayil, Artist, Bangalore
  152. Prajakta Potnis, Visual Artist, Mumbai
  153. Praneet Soi, Artist, Kolkata/Amsterdam
  154. Prarthna Singh, Photographer, Mumbai
  155. Prashant Panjiar, Photographer and Curator, Goa
  156. Prateek Raja, Director, Experimenter, Kolkata
  157. Prawin Adhikari, Asst. Editor, La.Lit, Kathmandu
  158. Premjish, Curator and Critic, Delhi
  159. Preti Taneja, Writer, United Kingdom
  160. Princess Pea, The Pea Family Studio, Gurgaon
  161. Priyadarshini Ravichandran, Photographer, Auroville/Chennai
  162. Priyanka D’Souza, Artist, Mumbai
  163. Priyanka Raja, Director, Experimenter, Kolkata
  164. Pulak Bhatnagar, Designer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  165. Pundoles, Mumbai
  166. Pushpamala N, Artist, Bangalore
  167. Qudsia Rahim, Executive Director, Lahore Biennale Foundation
  168. Rachel Spence, Poet and Arts Writer , London
  169. Radha Mahendru, Arts Manager and Filmmaker, Delhi
  170. Radhika Chopra, Collector, New Delhi
  171. Ragini Bhow, Artist, Bangalore
  172. Rahaab Allana, Curator and Publisher, New Delhi
  173. Rahel Aima, Writer and Editor, New York
  174. Rajyashri Goody, Artist, Pune
  175. Ramona Dmello, Digital Marketing Manager, Saffronart, Mumbai
  176. Randhir Singh, Photographer, New Delhi
  177. Ranjana Steinruecke, Director, Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai
  178. Ranjit Kandalgaonkar, Artist and Researcher, Mumbai
  179. Rashmi Sawhney, Associate Professor Film & Cultural Studies, Christ
    University, Bangalore
  180. Rashmi Varma, Designer, New Delhi
  181. Rebecca John, Curator and Researcher, Berlin
  182. Reeta Loi, Writer and Musician, CEO Gaysians, London
  183. Reetu Sattar, Artist, Dhaka
  184. Rhea Maheshwari, Assistant Director, GALLERYSKE, New Delhi
  185. Rishi Singhal, Discipline Lead - Photography Design, National Institute of
    Design, Ahmedabad
  186. Ritesh Uttamchandani, Photographer, Mumbai, India
  187. Rithika Merchant, Artist, Mumbai/Barcelona
  188. Ronny Sen, Photographer and Filmmaker, Kolkata
  189. Roobina Karode, Director and Chief Curator, KNMA, New Delhi
  190. Rosalyn Dmello, Art Writer and Author, New Delhi
  191. Roshni Vadhera, Director, Vadhera Art Gallery New Delhi
  192. Rudra Rakshit, Photographer, Bangalore/Pune/Sakleshpur
  193. Rupali Patil, Artist, Pune
  194. Sabih Ahmed, Researcher, Asia Art Archive in India, New Delhi
  195. Sadia Marium, Photographer, Dhaka
  196. Sahil Naik, Artist, Ponda
  197. Saif Hasnat, Journalist and Lyricist, United News of Bangladesh (UNB)
  198. Sakshi Gupta, Artist, Mumbai
  199. Salima Hashmi, Artist and Educator, Lahore
  200. Samira Bose, Writer and Researcher, New Delhi
  201. Sana Nasir, Art Director and Illustrator, Karachi
  202. Sandip Kuriakose, Artist and Writer, New Delhi
  203. Sania Galundia, Researcher and curator, Jaipur
  204. Sanjana Hattotuwa, Founding Editor, Groundviews.org, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  205. Sathi Guin, Artist, Baroda
  206. Savia Mahajan, Artist, Mumbai
  207. Saviya Lopes, Artist, Bombay
  208. Seher Shah, Artist, New Delhi
  209. Sethu Vaidyanathan, Trustee, CPB Foundation, Chennai
  210. Shahidul Alam, Photographer, Writer and Activist, Dhaka
  211. Shaleen Wadhwana, Independent Arts Professional, New Delhi
  212. Shanay Jhaveri, Curator, New York/Mumbai
  213. Sharareh Bajracharya, Chairperson, Srijanalaya, Kathmandu
  214. Shaunak Mahbubani, Curator, New Delhi
  215. Shazia Salam, Artist, Bangalore
  216. Sheela Gowda, Artist, Bangalore
  217. Sheelasha Rajbhandari, Artist, Artree Nepal, Kathmandu
  218. Sheena Dabholkar, LOVER Magazine, Nerul
  219. Shibesh Mehrotra, Copy-Writer, the Brewhouse, New Delhi
  220. Shireen Gandhy, Gallerist, Mumbai
  221. Shirley Bhatnagar, Artist and Designer, New Delhi
  222. Shiv Ankit Ahuja, Artist, Gurgaon
  223. Shivanjani Lal, Artist, Bombay/Sydney
  224. Shubigi Rao, Artist, Singapore
  225. Shuchi Kapoor, Founding member, Chennai Photo Biennale/CPB
    Foundation, Chennai
  226. Shumon Basar, Curator, Writer and Editor, Dubai/Berlin
  227. Sitara Chowfla, Curator, London/New Delhi
  228. Skye Arundhati Thomas, Writer and Editor, Mumbai
  229. Smita Prabhakar, Collector, Dubai
  230. Sneha Ragavan, Researcher, Asia Art Archive in India, New Delhi
  231. Sofia Karim, Architect & Artist, London UK
  232. Sohrab Hura, Photographer, New Delhi
  233. Sooni Taraporevala, Photographer, Screenwriter and Filmmaker, Mumbai
  234. Sosa Joseph, Artist, Kochi
  235. Soumyadip Ghosh, Researcher & Archive Manager, PHOTOINK, New Delhi
  236. Srinivas Kuruganti, Photographer, Mumbai
  237. Sudarshan Shetty, Artist, Mumbai
  238. Sukanya Ghosh, Artist, New Delhi
  239. Sumitra, Researcher and Curator, Bangalore
  240. Sunil Padwal, Artist, Mumbai
  241. Sunitha Kumar Emmart, Director, GALLERYSKE, Bangalore
  242. Suresh Kumar G, Artist and Arts Facilitator, Bangalore
  243. Swapnaa Tamhane, Artist and Curator, Montreal, CA
  244. Tania Bruguera, Artist, Havana
  245. Tanvi Mishra, Creative Director, The Caravan Magazine, Independent
    Curator, New Delhi
  246. Tanya Goel, Artist, New Delhi
  247. Tanzim Wahab, Chief Curator, Bengal Foundation, Dhaka
  248. Tara Kelton, Artist, Bangalore
  249. Tara Lal, Director, Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai
  250. Tarana Sawhney, Collector, New Delhi
  251. Tausif Noor, Curatorial Fellow, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
  252. Tejal Shah, Artist, Delhi
  253. Thomas Pouppez, Arts Manager, Kathmandu
  254. Trishla Talera, TIFA Working Studios, Pune
  255. Umer Butt, Director, Gallery Grey Noise, Dubai
  256. Urvashi Butalia, Publisher, Zubaan Books
  257. Ute Meta Bauer, Curator and Director, Center for Contemporary Art, NTU,
    Singapore
  258. Varun Gupta, Co-Founder, Chennai Photo Biennale/CPB Foundation,
    Chennai
  259. Varunika Saraf, Artist/Art Historian, Hyderabad
  260. Veera Rustomji, Artist, Karachi
  261. Veeranganakumari Solanki, Independent Curator/Art Writer, Pune
  262. Vidisha S, Artist-Curator, New Delhi
  263. Vidya Shivdas, Director, FICA, New Delhi
  264. Vidyun Sabhaney, Artist/Editor, Delhi
  265. Vivek Premachandran, Artist, New Delhi
  266. Yabya Kewat, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Fine Arts, Pune
  267. Yogesh S Barve, Artist, Mumbai
  268. Zain Masud, Art Advisor, London
  269. Zeenat Nagree, Writer, Mumbai
  270. Zishaan A Latif, Photography/Films, Mumbai
  271. Zubin Ekka, Arts Manager, GALLERYSKE, New Delhi