The Kshetra Collective is a creative collective of diverse multimedia New Zealand artists of Indian heritage. The collective is made up of Tiffany Singh, Shruti Yatri, Mandrika Rupa,

Jacob Rajan Jacob Rajan is a New Zealand playwright and actor. His highly successful plays include the trilogy ''Krishnan's Dairy'', ''The Candlestick Maker'' and ''The Pickle King''. Another work was ''The Dentist's Chair''. In 2002, he received the pres ...

, Rafik Patel, Sarah Dutt and Mandy Rupa-Reid. The collective formed and held their first exhibition in 2022. Artists in the Kshetra Collective span disciplines of painting, dance, film, theatre, installation, architecture and spatial design. The growing collective aims to showcase a diverse range of experiences, stories and identities of New Zealand Indians, not dictated by a specific group, language or religion to express the Indian diasporic experience. The collective have taken part in

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

celebrations involving the community at

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

. The name is

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, meaning sacred or hallowed ground.

Members

* Tiffany Singh (installation) * Shruti Yatri (painting) * Mandrika Rupa (film) *

(theatre) * Rafik Patel (spatial design) * Sarah Dutt (painting &

rangoli Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, Petal, flower ...

) * Mandy Rupa-Reid (dance)

Exhibitions

''A Place to Stand''

The Kshetra Collective curated their first exhibition, ''A Place to Stand,'' at the Te Taunga Community Hub at Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland War Memorial Museum, which opened on 15 May 2022. This was the first ever exhibition of contemporary New Zealand Indian art in New Zealand. The exhibition explores the question, what is contemporary New Zealand Indian art? Public programming alongside the exhibition included an artist panel discussion, an interactive rangoli activation and classical dance activations.

''Invisible Narratives''

The exhibition ''Invisible Narratives: Contemporary Indian Creatives in Aotearoa,'' was held at New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata in Wellington from September to November 2023. This exhibition explores the South Pacific Indian diaspora through telling migrant stories and challenging prejudices. This exhibition was funded through a grant from

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...

.{{Cite web , title=$5m Arts Grants Recipients Revealed , url=https://thebigidea.nz/stories/5-m-arts-grants-recipients-revealed , website=thebigidea.nz

Members

Exhibitions

''A Place to Stand''

''Invisible Narratives''

References

Further reading