Residencies Across Borders

Goto Katsushi is a practising architect/urbanist working in Mumbai and Tokyo and the director of design and research firm, Squareworks, Mumbai. He is also the co-founder of SqW:Lab, a research fellowship programme for cultural practitioners worldwide based in Mumbai.One of his recent projects with the Lab include project #7 Southlands which was nominated for INSIDE Award, World Architecture Festival 2018 and Dezeen Award 2018. Goto is a respected speaker at major international architecture and design summits and some of his recent presentations include Duality in Drawing - the potential of discursive drawing responding to the complex city at the triennial UIA Congress 2017 in Seoul; and Public Library as Public Space at Bienniale Spazio Pubblico Space 2019 in Rome. His current research focuses on the domesticity associated with the materiality of an ideal-family home and the intersection of politics of public domain and interior urbanism. He holds an March in Housing and Urbanism from AA School of Architecture, London; is assistant professor at Meiji University, Tokyo; and visiting associate professor at CEPT University, Ahmedabad.

Amita Malkani has been the Administrator of the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation for the past 14 years. The Foundation is primarily a scholarship-granting body for graduate students intending to study overseas. Amita coordinates the selection of outstanding young Indians for scholarships, grants and awards, both overseas and in India. The Foundation also supports individuals in fine arts, dance, theatre, film studies and music. Amita began her career in market research and went on to conduct social research for the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She has also conducted research for international publishing companies looking at developing the Indian market. Amita is also a part-time potter.

Sumana Roy is the author of the much-acclaimed book How I Became a Tree, an exquisite work of nonfiction on plants, trees and our place in the natural world. Her other books include Missing: A Novel, Out of Syllabus: Poems and My Mother’s Lover and Other Stories. Sumana is associate professor of English and creative writing at Ashoka University.

Vishwa Shroff’s artistic practise is firmly rooted in drawing, with a proclivity towards architectural forms that serve as compelling take-off points for a deeper contemplation on memory and our relationship with the material world. Her works seek to explore the narratives of lived experiences that lay embedded within surfaces. Shroff trained at The Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU, Baroda in 2002 and at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (UK) in 2003. She has had seven solo exhibitions in India, the UK and USA, including the recently concluded ‘Folly Measures’ at Tarq, Mumbai as well as several group shows. She also participated in a number artist residencies such as Swiss Cottage Library, London, UK (2017); Paradise Air, Matsudo, Japan (2015); Clarke Griffiths Levine, Birmingham, UK (2012) and is currently in residence at the Laurenz Haus Foundation, Basel, Switzerland. She is a recipient of the UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists, 2011 and the Josuken Housing Research Grant, 2020. Shroff is the co-founder of SqW:Lab and lives between Mumbai and Tokyo.

Matteo Trevisani is editor of Edizioni Tlon and editor of the Italian literary magazine Nuovi Argomenti. He also writes for la Lettura del Corriere della Sera, Sirene, Ultimo Uomo, K, and L’indiscreto, among other publications. His writing Libro dei fulmini for Edizioni di Atlantide was a finalist in the 2017 Premio Berto and the Premio Biblioteche di Roma, while his Libro del sole was the winner of 2019 Comisso Under 35 Award. His most recent book is Libro del Sangue, published in 2021. Matteo lives and works in Rome.

Reema Gehi Desai has been a writer on the arts for over a decade. She has previously worked with the Times of India Group (2011-2020) and Hindustan Times Media Group (2007-2009). She has completed her Masters in Journalism Studies (with a special focus on arts journalism) from Cardiff University, United Kingdom. Reema recently edited a book on art writings (to be published shortly) and completed an apprenticeship with an art and philanthropy attorney. An avid theatre enthusiast, Reema also served as the co-director of India's premier youth theatre fest, Thespo, in 2008, and worked in the press and marketing team of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2010.