IMMERSE - Somaiya Vidyavihar University

3rd April

5th May 2025

Selection Committee:

Dr Varunika Saraf, Zeenat Nagree, Abhay Sardesai, Prabhakar Kamble.

Curatorial Mentor:

Shaleen Wadhwana

Curatorial Fellows:

Amshula Prakash, Himanshu Mahato, Teesta Albuquerque

Catalogue:

Download Here

Location:

Aurobindo, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai

Dates:

3^rd April - 5^th May, 2025

Date of Opening:

Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 5:00 PM Watch Here

Studio Visits:

Dhruvi Acharya, Parag Tandel, Sakshi Gupta, Sameer Kulavoor and Zeenat Kulavoor (Bombay Duck Designs)

Presentations:

All IMMERSE artists and curators gave presentations of their practice at Chemould Prescott Road as a collaborative event with Chemould CoLab and IMMERSE. Followed by a conversation on “Art of Pricing Art” with Hena Kapadia of Tarq, Sahil Arora of Method, Nitin Bhayana (Collector) and Al-Qawi Nanavati (Artist) moderated by Natasha Jeyasingh.

Workshops held by:

This year we featured a workshop on Artist and Curatorial Writing led by Shaleen Wadhwana and Abhay Sardesai, Director of the Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya School of Art. Sajid Wajid Sheikh conducted a session on navigating social media as a tool for artistic visibility and engagement. Padmabhushan Dr. Ganesh Devy offered a powerful conversation on politics, artistic metaphors, and the importance of speaking with authenticity.
Curator fellows also participated in a series of practical skills workshops: Nancy Adajania and Ranjit Hoskote explored curatorial methods. Yamini Telkar focused on curating for public spaces; and Anupam Sah shared approaches to material care and archival practices. Amshula Prakash guided a session on the legal frameworks surrounding art and artists. In addition, a practical module on financial literacy, legal agreements, and professional communication was conducted by Siddharth Somaiya, Natasha Jeyasingh, and Al-Qawi Nanavati.

Other visits:

The Fellows had sports evening of rock climbing and cricket, organised by the Somaiya Sports Academy at Somaiya Vidyavihar. The University also hosted a lunch and felicitation hosted by Dr. Pillai, Vice Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University, and Mr. Abhay Sardesai, Director of the Shantilal K. Somaiya School of Art.
Immerse came to a thoughtful close with an intimate breakfast conversation on the last day with Jitish and Reena Kallat