SANA REZWAN
Sana Rezwan, Founding Chairwoman, Public Arts Trust of India
Sana Rezwan currently serves as Executive Director at Prestige Group, one of India’s leading real estate and property development companies. Her role is to expand and advance her family's business across Northern India. Rezwan is also the founder of The Art Lab Studio, an art marketing agency specialising in strategy and partnerships.
In 2022, Rezwan created the Public Arts Trust of India (PATI), a non-profit organisation which focuses on democratising art for all in India. Rezwan is active with several arts and charitable organisations. She sits on the Khoj Board, supporting the organisation by advising on strategic decisions, collaborations, and future planning and is a member of Asia Art Society’s Cultural Ambassadors Circle.
Rezwan has also held positions on the Advisory Arts Council of Harvard University's South Asia Institute and The Art Production Fund board. She is also a patron to the South Asian Modern and Contemporary Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
LUCIJA ŠUTEJ: How did you enter the sphere of curation? And what were your primary goals as you started supporting the local art and design scene in India through the Public Arts Trust of India (PATI)?
SANA REZWAN: I want to start this by simply acknowledging the infinite and (sometimes) inexplicable power of Art! From 2012-2022, I lived in Chelsea right opposite Gagosian Gallery, and almost religiously, spent Saturdays visiting art galleries from 19th Street to 28th Street. The New York art scene has always been a melting pot of diverse values and approaches, contradictions and amalgamations. While some of the art resonated immediately, there was also art that baffled me. It was a transcendental learning period that trained my eye, and before I knew it, I was pursuing an MA at Sotheby's with a thirst for collecting, which eventually transpired into establishing the Art Lab Studio.
As I gradually started thinking about my roots during my time away from my home country of India - a need to find ways to reconnect started taking over. Art penetrates the subconscious unlike anything else and I found that the only way to reconnect with my culture was to support the creative practitioners across the subcontinent—a learning period.
The art and design scene in India was evolving at the time but still geographically restricted. When I finally moved back to India, to the incredible Pink City Jaipur (2022), I noticed there was little to no access for the local communities to experience Contemporary Art nor local support networks for artists to grow or expand their practices. This pressing gap led me to start the Public Arts Trust of India (PATI) in that very year!
Manthan, 2024 by Nandan Ghiya at Jal Mahal during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
Seeds of Yesterday/Tomorrow, 2025 at Patrika Gate by Social Design Collaborative during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
Lorenzo Vitturi X Jaipur Rugs, 2024 at Hawa Mahal during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
LŠ: And the origins and inspiration behind PATI?
SR: PATI was inspired by my visionary and incredibly philanthropic Grandmother. I can't possibly word the significance of her support and work for Al-Amen College dedicated to Muslim women in the sociocultural contexts of India. The family dinner table conversations surrounded her deep commitment to this cause and it subconsciously impacted me- this drive and need for change; and here I am decades later, almost continuing her legacy, endeavoring to uplift the next generation of India through the power of Art.
PATI's vision further benefited from my time abroad, my work with The Art Lab, my work as patron or board member at organizations such as the Art Production Fund, Harvard Arts Council and Healing Arts, and the South Asian Modern and Contemporary Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Watching PATI grow over the last four years and seeing the impact of the work we have done through Jaipur Art Week and Jodhpur Arts Week has been incredibly rewarding—meeting so many inspiring people through our projects across all walks of life. I am thinking of the teaching fellows at the helm of our Creative Arts Education program in five government schools in Jodhpur, the women academics in those schools, and the little children's immersive creations, as they embrace our interventions with open hearts and minds- it is all very inspiring and empowering. Also welcoming inspirational figures with distinct perspectives to the PATI's Advisory Board - Darius Sanai, Andrey Furmanovich, Pooja Sood, Madeleine Haddon, Judith Greer, Jai Danani, Rana Begum, Yulia Dultsina and Ranjit Hoskote—strengthened our work.
On a profound note, I must also acknowledge one of our team member's grandmother whose words incidentally became the overarching theme of Jaipur Art Week- Avato Bairo Baje (Marwari for 'the thunderous roar of an impending storm'). India has an incredibly rich arts and design scene, just in the last century, Gira Sarabhai redefined design education. More recently arts patron Kiran Nadar opened a multidisciplinary museum in New Delhi not to mention the impact of the India Art Fair.
LŠ: How do you see the current state of the India’s contemporary art scene?
SR: To say the least, India is the largest democracy on the planet. And its advantages and challenges present infinite possibilities and opportunities. For me, visionaries like Gira Ben and Kiran Nadar are a testament that no matter how much you do, there will always be more. And that drives us to identify gaps—to pursue change.
Also, there has been much discourse about the term 'Glocal' in the 21st century and the constant need to rethink and disrupt, especially given the pressing global issues. As I mentioned earlier, most of India's arts ecosystem remains geographically restricted and concentrated in a few cities. The majority of India's population still has no access to contemporary art.
Our initiatives have a microcosmic approach. Through PATI, we are working to decentralize this narrative, exploring how we can grow creative communities in cities across the country—building bridges between the art world and broader audiences.
We are going local—taking time to understand specific regional challenges and identify ways to support creative practitioners to evolve and not only create platforms to showcase. Our systems range from production to logistics support, and artists' mentorship to fostering collaborations with historic practices. Since founding PATI and Jaipur Art Week, it's been wonderful to see so many other spaces have opened up and/ or flourished within Jaipur.
Collage and Memories — a workshop by Ayushi Patni conducted during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
Social Spam, 2025 by Vagaram Choudhary at Hawa Mahal during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
LŠ: I would love to learn about the larger design ecosystem in India - and how did it shape your role in supporting emerging talent? Specifically as your platforms actively bridge arts and design in unique ways through programming.
SR: For centuries, patronage in South Asia has nurtured creative talent, craftsmanship, and artistic sustainability. Although a lot of focus has shifted to Contemporary Art, the significance of design and craft in India's cultural and economic identity isn't something we can overlook, especially in a city like Jaipur that has thrived on patronage since its inception.
While there are many amazing initiatives around the country supporting age-old traditions for contemporary contexts, there are still many heritage practices bordering extinction due to the lack of patronage that we endeavor to bridge through our various interventions. I am thinking of the Crafts Walk or the recently established partnership between PATI and the LOEWE FOUNDATION's Craft Prize—supporting artisans from India.
Inside Out, 2024 by Erez Navi Pana at Sumer School, during Jodhpur Arts Week, Special Programme Edition.
LŠ: Looking back on the start of PATI and Jaipur Art Week’s subsequent years—what impact has it had so far? What are your proudest moments?
SR: I feel both humbled and proud as a citizen and as a community member- witnessing the realization of a vision of inclusive coexistence through PATI's programmes. For instance, watching young students engaging with the films from the British Council Collection, including Hetain Patel, Rosalind Nashibi, and Wood and Harrison, during Jodhpur Arts Week Special Projects Edition—is to realize how our concerns across borders rise from a very humane place. It feels like witnessing the rise of a global consciousness at a grassroots level.
Every day brings about a new insight, a new interaction- be it with a practitioner or institution of global repute wanting to collaborate with PATI, or the outcome of a classroom in one of our 120+ students across five government schools in Jodhpur. During my last visit to Jodhpur, I witnessed young children brainstorming on designs incorporating biomimicry! To imagine the ripple effect of such initiatives is quite life-affirming.
The Whisperers, 2024 by Deborah Fischer at Sumer School during Jodhpur Arts Week, Special Programme Edition.
Miniature Painting Workshop by Vijayraj Prajapat, at Umaid Heritage Art School during Jodhpur Arts Week, Special Programme Edition.
The Whisperers, 2024 by Deborah Fischer at Toor Ji Ka Jhalra during Jodhpur Arts Week, Special Programme Edition.
LŠ: And what other immediate goals do you have in mind?
SR: For Jaipur Art Week Edition 5.0, we will be launching a new Digital pavilion to acknowledge and celebrate established, emerging, and mid-career new media art voices and interrogate the impact of digital technology on contemporary society. Co-curated by Sayan Sanyal and Harshit Agrawal, with mentorship from Nandan Ghiya and Suddhabrata Sengupta of RAQS media collective, it is designed as both an exhibition and a critical space for access, dialogue, and mentorship—the Pavilion aims to bridge gaps in digital literacy and public engagement, making new media art more accessible.
Also for our collaborative Arts Education programme with LAND (led by Kriti Sood) in Jodhpur, we are hoping to amplify our initiatives through larger outreach initiatives across the country to engage in a larger dialogue about Education reforms.
In 2025, we have also launched a new gallery space in Jaipur to create a platform for both original and underrepresented voices in contemporary art. Simultaneously, we are also constantly working on identifying further support need gaps for artists and how we may bridge them through PATI's intervention.
LŠ: Your curatorial approach is primarily focused on public art - why does in particular it speak to you? How do you see its role and how does it contribute to the cultural and social fabric of a city?
SR: For PATI, Public Art isn't just sculptures or murals in public spaces. Each Edition of Jaipur Art Week and Jodhpur Arts Week helps to redefine the term 'public art' by extending its reach by building discourse around urban spaces and heritage structures as sites for engagement through art to inspire new perspectives, reflection, and a sense of community.
During Jaipur Art Week Edition 4.0 (2024), seeing local tourist photographers use Social Design Collaborative's vernacular architectural sculptures Seed of Change outside the iconic Albert Hall for their trade, was simply epic and the sculptures even incorporated urns for bird feed!
For Jodhpur Arts Week Special Projects Edition (2024), in partnership with Nagar Nigam Jodhpur and the Jodhpur Development Authority, we were able to bring contemporary artists to the spaces that are part of the social fabric of the city. To make this work, we had to take a very considered and sensitive approach. We invited British artist Liz West to develop work in response to the city's iconic stepwell, Toorji Ka Jhalra. Integrating into the living energy of the stepwell, Tiered Reflections' vibrant mirrored squares harmonized with the geometry of this iconic stepwell, creating kaleidoscopic patterns in warm hues to reveal hidden architectural details as the light changed.
While Jaipur-based Ujjwal Agarwal's work Timelines transformed the facade of Ghanta Ghar into a living artwork. The generative installation, responded to the backdrop of sound and energy, in conversation with the surrounding market as it pulsed with the flow of traders, locals, and tourists throughout the day and night.
Timelines, 2024 by Ujjwal Agarwal at Clock Tower, during Jodhpur Arts Week, Special Programme Edition.
Exploring Sculpture — a workshop by Gaspard Combes conducted at Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
For Jodhpur 2025, we are in conversation to bring the British artist Chila Burman's iconic spin on the ice-cream vendor on the city streets, who will be distributing free ice-creams to all the visitors!
LŠ: As Public Arts Trust is the organizational body behind the Jaipur Art Week, I wanted to address this transition from public art to creating an art week. Were there specific models you wanted to address/challenge even?
SR: For PATI, public art, whatever its form, must be accessible and engaging for a broad audience, and what we have learned through carefully evaluating all our programmes, is that this can only be achieved through opportunities for exchange and learning that support audiences to have meaningful engagement with art. To support this, each Jaipur Art Week hosts a programme of free workshops and immersive learning experiences by the exhibiting artists and those based in the city. During Edition 4.0, emerging artist Vinayak Mehta helped children make their own bioscope, while Narendra Kumar Sain invited audiences to learn natural printmaking techniques. Supporting the development of a new commission for Jodhpur Arts Week, Kumkum Fernando invited local art and design students to help him develop the design of a new sculpture for Jodhpur's Mandore Gardens based on primary documentation of architectural details across the two cities.
These sessions allow audiences to interact first-hand with the artists' practice, exploring their own creative potential. Jaipur Art Week goes far beyond exhibitions and public art—it's a catalyst for cultural dialogue, learning and exchange.
Kesar-Kiyari, 2023 by Deepa Kumawat at JKKduring Jaipur Art Week 3.0.
Kal Aaj Kal, 2023 by Tinkal Khatri at JKK during Jaipur Art Week 3.0.
ON THE OLD ONE, 2024 by Ankur Yadav at JKK during Jaipur Art Week 3.0.
LŠ: What made Jaipur the ideal location for an art week (over other local cities)?
SR: Jaipur has always embraced an ethos of cultural modernity and openness, the city was built as a space for arts and crafts, drawing the most talented artists to exchange their skills with visitors, through trade and other means. Jaipur Art Week builds on this with a vibrant contemporary arts programme of exhibitions, site-specific installations, performances, studio visits, talks and interactive workshops for all ages. It creates a space for everyone to learn and discover something new regardless of their association or generation.
Today, there is a vibrant and energetic contemporary art scene in Jaipur, with a wealth of young talent who all need support to take their careers to the next stage. Often, these talented artists leave and migrate to a place with a more established art scene to help elevate their practice. I wanted to bring the platform to them, whilst also empowering them to develop their own arts ecosystem. Jaipur Art Week has now grown to be an important incubator for early and mid-career artists, providing much-needed opportunities for them to expand their horizons and gain visibility in the international art world.
It's been incredible to see artists from Rajasthan and Jaipur, including Lochan Upadhyay, Bhimanshu Pandel, and Ayushi Patni, who have all exhibited with Jaipur Art Week, go on to get other opportunities from the platform.
LŠ: Jaipur is an incredible architectural jewel with a very diverse heritage - what role do local institutions play in this process?
SR: We work very closely with Nagar Nigam Jaipur and Archeological Survey of India and Museums, Government of Rajasthan who have generously enabled us to use some of the most iconic spaces in Jaipur including Albert Hall Museum, the Jal Mahal promenade and Hawa Mahal. Additionally, we have private partners, including Golcha Cinema, Amrapali Museum, the Museum of Meenakari Heritage, Round Them Oranges Gallery, and the Patrika Group, who also open up the city for our exhibitions and programmes. These partnerships provide essential sites for engagement through art in a way that we can inspire reflection and a sense of community in ways that exhibitions in white cube spaces can't.
While not a strict criteria, we invite all of the artists applying for Jaipur Art Week to respond to these heritage spaces in their proposals. Those who don't immediately respond, we curate the work in collaboration— finding connections between their practice and the exhibition site to create really meaningful experiences.
Harmony Galaxy, 2024 by Arezu Zargar at Albert Hall Museum during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
Look How I Am Morphing Under The Sun, 2025 by Tinkal Khatria at Albert Hall Museum during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
LŠ: A big emphasis of the Jaipur Art Week is also support for emerging artists - how are you looking to build upon it?
SR: Building on our international connections, in partnership with the Liverpool Biennial, we co-commissioned Jaipur-based contemporary artist Nandan Ghiya's Manthan, which, after being exhibited at Jal Mahal promenade, will now travel to Liverpool from June 7th – September 14th, 2025 for the Biennial's 13th Edition. A reinterpretation of the ancient lore of 'The Churning of the Ocean', the work reflects on environmental shifts and race divides in the current socio political climate. It is our responsibility to show today's artists' work to the world and have them be considered seriously.
Jaipur Art Week Edition 5.0 will take place in early 2026 through open call and we will be supported by a Jury of esteemed international arts professionals - Aindrea Emelife, Anita Dube, Renu Modi, and artist duo Wood and Harrison. Artists are invited to share innovative proposals for new work that will encourage meaningful and open dialogue and collaboration with the communities of Jaipur. Further, to provide more year-round artist support, we opened a new gallery at our PATI HQ in Jaipur. Alongside the gallery's exhibition programme, we will also be running a series of professional development and learning programmes, focused on supporting young artists.
LŠ: On a larger, more global note - what do you think is the future of art weeks and (how) do you think they need to change in their model?
SR: With Jaipur Art Week and Jodhpur Art Week, we wanted to relook at how arts events can work for the communities in which they take place and support the artists they work with. To explore this further, we've developed two very different models which allow us to experiment and explore new ways of structures that create real meaningful impact through art. The only way to really achieve this is to do it in collaboration with the people you want to support through the work you are doing.
The ambition has always been to develop new models that others can then follow, or be inspired by. For PATI's activity and output to be meaningful, it's imperative we get audience and community input to continuously develop what we do and how we approach it.
LŠ: Public Arts Trust of India also had a recent expansion of Art Week to another Rajasthan's distinct site - Jodhpur. Why Jodhpur and not for example Udaipur? What motivated the creation of Jodhpur Art Week?
SR: Jodhpur is a very special city, its rich architecture and cultural heritage and the sense of community and the pride of its people, give a lot to work with. And this is not to undermine the city of lakes or a preference for Jodhpur over Udaipur. I feel there is such a lot to work with, not only in Rajasthan but across the country! And sometimes there are these chance encounters that just present an immediate need gap, an instant connection and you just have to go with it.
We are very excited to be launching Edition 1.0 from October 1st - 7th 2025, welcoming 20+ contemporary artists and designers from across the globe to the Blue City. Curated by British/Zimbabwean curator Tapiwa Matsinde (Design and Craft) and UK-based curator of Indian origin, Sakhshi Mahajan (Contemporary Art), Edition 1.0 brings together artists and designers from around the world to create site-responsive works in dialogue with Jodhpur's artisans, landscapes, and communities. Among the featured artists and designers are Aku Zeiling, Anitha Reddy, and artisans from the Siddhi Community, Ayesha Singh, Chila Kumari Burman, Lani Adeoye, and Richa Arya—with Burman debuting her first-ever project in India.
Museum of Stitch, PATI X LAND Creative Arts Education Programme, 2024 during Jodhpur Arts Week, Special Programme Edition.
Programme Ambassador interaction with students, during Jodhpur Arts Week Special Programme Edition
Cynatope workshop by Pooja Udhwani during Jaipur Art Week 4.0.
Maina Devi with local school students during Jodhpur Arts Week Special Programme Edition.
LŠ: How does it differ from Jaipur Art Week in terms of vision, mission, and even execution?
SR: Launching Jodhpur Arts Week gave us an opportunity to further experiment—to create something with the community for the community while maintaining a global reach.
In Jaipur, the model focuses on supporting the next generation of contemporary artists, while working to make art accessible through its exhibitions and parallel programmes in heritage and public venues. In Jodhpur, we are bringing together artists, designers, makers, and thinkers from around the world to co-create and collaborate with the local community through our Artist Residency programme and our Creative Arts Education programme active within the city.
We have also built a strategic partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur's Center of Excellence on Art and Digital Immersion, creating a residency programme for artists whose work intersects the disciplines of art, design, technology, science, and digital innovation.
Kitaab Khoj, PATI x LAND Creative Arts Education Programme, 2024, during Jodhpur Arts Week Special Programme Edition
Khel Khel Mein, PATI x LAND Creative Arts Education Programme, 2024, during Jodhpur Arts Week Special Programme Edition
LŠ: What craft communities shape Jodhpur as opposed to Jaipur?
SR: In Jaipur, the craft communities have a lot of attention, while in Jodhpur, there isn't the same spotlight on the work of local artisans. This is why we began working with this model in Jodhpur as opposed to Jaipur, as it gave us more space to work on a blank canvas and to see what's possible when you create real meaningful exchanges between artists and artisans.
LŠ: How do you envision the work of PATI in the future of India's art and design scene?
SR: It's been incredible to see the growth of the scene in the last decade, and I am excited to see how PATI can help shape that as we push to reshape how we can support the next generation.
I also recently joined the board of Khoj, and am excited and honoured to see how I can support the growth of an organization that inspired so many in India to start their own organisations—but also what I can learn from them to help PATI to grow further.