Events by this speaker

Meena Vari is a curator, educator, and cultural leader with over two decades of experience working in the realm of contemporary art and interdisciplinary creative work. She is currently the Creative Director and Chief Curator at Rizq Art Initiative (Abu Dhabi), where is programming and creating a curatorial vision with exhibition of contemporary art from around the world with special focus on the world. She has initiated socially responsive curatorial interventions such as The Soil Assembly - a global platform exploring soil as archive and commons, and also context driven national and international curatorial exhibitions like the Imaginary Museum Abudhabi, Being is Elsewhere & Sub-Plots: Laughing in the Vernacular. Her curatorial practice bridges material engagement with cross-sector collaboration, often working with artists from the Global South to foster culturally situated and future-facing frameworks. Previously, Meena served as Dean of Contemporary Arts and Curatorial Practice at Srishti Institute (2002–2023), where she founded the Srishti Interim Festival, convening over 300 artists annually in a major interdisciplinary showcase. Her partnerships include work with Tate UK, Transmediale Berlin, Ars Electronica, and the Kochi Biennale Foundation. A Fulbright and Chevening-Clore Fellow, she has advised institutions such as Science Gallery International, and MAP, Bangalore, and curated landmark exhibitions at NGMA, CRiSAP London, and Bikaner House. Through public speaking, mentorship, and curatorial leadership, she continues to advocate for inclusive, ecologically attuned, and socially engaged cultural practice.