Onaiza Drabu is an amateur illustrator and took to art as a reaction, not being able to find herself and her home reflected in the media and literature she was surrounded with as a child. She grew up in Kashmir and has been painting since 2010 and working with digital illustrations since 2013. Much of her work and practice is rooted in Kashmir — in memory and imagination. Onaiza is an anthropologist and a writer.

Prachi Jha is the co-founder of Daak, a digital publication on South Asian Literature and Art, and also of Life Lab Foundation, a STEM education not-for-profit based in New Delhi, India. She completed her Bachelor’s in English Literature and Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, United States, and a Master in Development Studies from The Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland. Prachi is passionate about writing and education.

Abhishek Thapar (Moga, 1985) is a theatre maker, performer, puppeteer and artist from India based in Amsterdam. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Physical Theatre from London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) and a Master in Theatre degree from DAS Theatre, Amsterdam. His works ‘My home at the Intersection’ and ‘Surpassing the Beeline’ have been co-produced and presented at various International festivals around the world

Affan Baghpati is based in Karachi, Pakistan. He is a Visual Artist and an Art Educator. He completed his undergraduate studies in Fine Arts from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi in 2015 and graduate program in Art and Design Studies from Mariam Dawood School of Visual Art and Design, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore in 2018. Baghpati has showcased his works at AAN Gandhara, Canvas gallery, Koel gallery, and Sanat initiative in Karachi; Rohtas 2 gallery, Taseer Art gallery, Faqeer Khana Museum, and The Colony in Lahore; Satrang gallery, 12.0 Contemporary in Islamabad; Museo Diocesano Carlo Maria Martini in partnership with Sotheby’s in Milan; Aicon gallery in New York; Twelve Gates Arts in Philadelphia; and 1x1 Art Gallery in Dubai. His works were also a part of the Sindh Art Festival 2014 in Karachi, Karachi Biennale 2017 (KB17) and Karachi Biennale 2019 (KB19), Lahore Biennale 2018 (LB01) and Lahore Biennale 2020 (LB02); Beirut Art fair 2019; and India Art Fair 2020. Baghpati received a 100% Scholarship Award by UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute for South Asia Regional Cooperation (UMISARC) during 2016-2018. He is currently a lecturer at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi. He is also the recipient of the first cycle of the ‘Residency in Museum’ hosted by the State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi, in 2020.

affanbaghpati@outlook.com

Mahvash is an artist from Srinagar, Kashmir. She has worked in various mediums — ranging from Pashmina, Papier Mache, Wood as well as oil and acrylic on canvas. She also teaches as a guest faculty at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Srinagar.

Shah Numair Ahmed Abbasi is a multidisciplinary artist and a freelance writer who lives and works in Karachi. He completed his BFA with a distinction from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2014 and has since exhibited both locally and internationally. He was the recipient of the Gasworks Pakistan Residency 2018 in London, and Antropical Artists Residency 2019 in Steinfort. He was a Visiting Artist Fellow of the Laxmi Mittal South Asian Institute at Harvard University, Cambridge in 2020. He has been writing reviews and discourses on art for various publications since 2015 and was the art writer in residence for Vasl Artists’ Association’s 13th Taaza Tareen Residency Program in 2021. Abbasi currently teaches at a private O level institution and as well as at his alma mater.

Born and brought up in Srinagar, Kashmir, Nusaiba Khan is a practising architect, currently based in Srinagar. An avid urban sketcher, you’ll often see her doodling in a little notebook which she carries around everywhere, trying to capture the essence of daily life. Through her work, she attempts to explore the relationship between urban form, architecture and culture. Most of her artworks are experimental amalgamations of diverse media and styles, including digital media, photography and printmaking. In addition to superimposed layers of texture, an unusual juxtaposition of form and lines is also characteristic to her drawings.

Richi Bhatia completed her Bachelors in Painting from Surat School of Fine Arts, Veer Narmad South Guj. Uni., Surat (2013); Masters in Painting from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara (2015). Bhatia got her Diploma in Curatorial Studies of Modern and Contemporary Indian art from Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai (2018). She was part and led as the

representative of M.S. University, Vadodara at Jenesys 2.0 Cultural Exchange Program, Japan (2013); Artist in Residence at the Blueprint Studio, Vadodara (2015); Artist in residence at space 118 (2017). Bhatia worked as a Researcher at the Bodhana Arts and Research Foundation for the retrospective of the artist Prabhakar Barwe, Inside the Empty Box, curated by Jesal Thacker (2018 – 19); She worked with The Guild Art Gallery towards the retrospective of the artist Sudhir Patwardhan, Walking through the Soul City, Sudhir Patwardhan: A Retrospective curated by Nancy Adajania (2019 – 2020) Some of her shows and projects include, Separations Geography – a collaborative project between Mandarjazail Collective (Pakistan) and Daak Vaak (India); an ongoing project; she was part of the project ‘Tankee Terminal’ by Hira Khan for Lal Jadoo, curated by Sana Pagganwala and Amin Gulgee, Karachi, Pakistan; Making Space, Celebrating 10 years of space 118 residency, Sakshi gallery Mumbai, 2019. She holds the Best Degree Show Award for her annual Display at the Surat School of Fine Arts, 2013. A Gold Medallist for her Masters in Painting from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara, 2015. She’s also the recipient of the prestigious Nasreen Mohammedi Scholarship, 2013. Bhatia lives and works in Mumbai.

Shahzaib Arif Shaikh is a Karachi based Architect photographer and entrepreneur. He graduated from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in 2014. He is one of the co-founders of the Mandarjazail Collective. He volunteers at the Horticulture Society where he co-founded The Tree club youth program – a society that primarily to propagate the deteriorating horticultural practice. His interest in experimenting with and implementing new ideas has allowed him to work with traditional artisans for projects such as Islamabad Airport. He was a co-curator for the IVS Alumni Show 2019.

Shahzaib is also a passion driven photographer and draws inspiration from his architectural knowledge to photograph people landscapes and spaces. He is currently working as an Associate at Shuja Rahim Associates and is a partner at a photography agency – Monochrome studios. Shahzaib is also working on developing a pro-biotics brand called PRO-B.

Veera Rustomji is an interdisciplinary artist from Karachi, Pakistan. Her artistic practice mixes stories and archives to create fictitious scenarios dealing with gender, geographical power structures, architecture, and the environment. She holds a BFA from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and an MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts at the University of the Arts London. Alongside her visual art practice, Rustomji is currently a Research Associate at the Maritime Archaeology Heritage Institute in Karachi and teaches at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in the Fine Art Department. She has curated and managed residencies for Vasl Artists’ Association in Karachi and worked at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in the Learning & Collections Department. She is a recipient of the University of the Arts London Postgraduate International Scholarship Award. Her research is currently being supported by the 2021-2022 Mead Fellowship Award

www.veerarustomji.com