Manisha AR

A storyteller interested in writing about education, identity, art and culture.

About Me

Photo by Karan Ajith Kumar

Writes about diaspora identity and its influence on art making.

She is currently an art critic for Design Pataki, storyteller and creative consultant at the Neu Lithium, teaching Spanish to elementary school children in Bangalore while researching tropes and stereotypes in contemporary travel writing through Carry On.



Independent Projects

The Food Web Series with food writer Shivani Unakar 

Invisible Visible: Poetry Collection with photographer, activist and art therapist Farah Salem 

Remnants/Remanence with new media artist and professor Ziv Ze'ev Cohen 

Alternating Currents, a collaborative essay with digital artist Anneli Goeller 

Get in Touch

  1. If you are a diaspora artists and/or work in new media or performance art, you can email me press releases related to openings and upcoming work on mrita[at]saic[dot]edu.
  2. Currently not taking any writing/editing clients. Check back for updates! 
  3. Social media handles on the top right.
  4. If you use any of the images of me from this website, please credit the photographer Karan Ajith Kumar.

Talk to you soon! 

My Writing

A Look At This Modern Art-Deco Inspired Farmhouse In Ghitorni, New Delhi

Spread across two floors, this three-acre farmhouse in New Delhi is an extravagant home experience. Inspired by the nature surrounding the location, the interiors of Ghitorni Residence are sharp contrasts of earthen shades like brown, green, grey, and beige. Bold color variances, layered textures, and ostentatious pieces are the design language for the home. A large sculpture greets one at the entrance, followed by a massive wooden block that serves as a door.

Anonymity, Art, And Socio-Political Commentary - Talks To Street Artist Tyler, Dubbed ‘Mumbai’s Banksy’

Street artist Tyler’s solo exhibition opened at Method Gallery earlier this month as part of Mumbai Gallery Weekend. While the Gallery Weekend may be over, the show is still on view across two venues in Bandra and Kala Ghoda. An unexpected plus is that Tyler has painted over the shutter of Method Contemporary Art and Treats, Bandra so viewers can get a taste of his exhibition even when it is closed. The event received a lot of coverage over social media, a tool that has been pivotal in his incre

Art and Investigation

The installation “70 Days Behind Inventory” is a jigsaw puzzle of brown and beige vinyl tiles arranged on a raised wooden platform to represent the floor from a corner store in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood. The floor is stained and the image of what appears to be a beverage can is printed on the tiles. A yellow bulb overhead creates a pool of light in the center of this piece by multidisciplinary artist Shadi Habib Allah. This 750-square-foot installation is part of an exhibit entitled “Put

Art Shows To Check Out In Mumbai This Month

We bring you a quick review round-up of shows to stop at in Mumbai this week. The positive impact of moving everything online for two years is visible when you look at the choice of artists and themes.

Jhaveri Contemporary, for instance, is debuting two diaspora artists from the UK, while Galerie Isa brings together a collaboration between miniature artists and landscape painters from two very different contexts.

We’ve also included a collaboration between art critic Nancy Adajania and textile artist Nelly Sethna. The retrospective explores narratives around Sethna’s work that brings her story and work back to life with fresh perspectives on textile arts and craft work.

Lastly we have a show that celebrates the ‘feminal universe’ at Method Art Space in Kala Ghoda by the iconic duo who make up WOLF, Jaipur.

Big Laughs and 'The Big Sick'

Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan have crafted a thoughtful romantic comedy which examines the relationship between race and stand-up comedy.

Set in Chicago, “The Big Sick” tries to answer some of the questions Americans may have about Pakistani Muslim culture. The movie opens with Kumail Nanjiani (portraying a character of the same name) arguing for more time onstage as he gets ready to deliver his pithy stand-up set. His jokes are awkward. He struggles to impress a talent agent in the audience who is scouting for comics to feature in the Montreal Comedy Tour.

Chicago gets its first National Indo-American Museum in Lombard

The first-of-its kind in the country, the National Indo-American (NIAM) will center stories of Indian Americans through workshops, exhibits, and other cultural events. Earlier this month, they opened their doors to visitors in Chicago, Illinois. Over time the museum hopes to build an archive of Indo-American history and culture. In 2008, they existed as a heritage museum in the Education department of Chicago’s Indo-American center.