Subodh Gupta

Subodh Gupta is one of India’s most renowned contemporary artists, with works exhibited in prestigious art galleries and cultural institutions throughout the world including Hauser & Wirth (London, Zurich, and New York), Arario (Seoul and Beijing), Pinchuk Art Centre (Kiev), and Galleria Continua (San Gimignano and New York). Known for transforming everyday objects into large-scale installations that engage with his childhood, his home country, and universal themes encompassing migration, globalization, and the cosmos, his sculptures comprise objects that evoke either the exotic or the quotidian, depending on the viewer’s perspective.

Awarded the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Letters by the French Government in 2013, Gupta’s solo shows include ‘Anahad/Unstruck’ at Famous Studios, Mumbai, ‘Adda/Rendez-vous’ at La Monnaie de Paris, ‘Sangam/Confluence’ at Le Bon Marche, Paris, and a solo retrospective at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi curated by Germano Celant. His work was also included in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s recent show, ‘Megacities Asia.’

Anupama Kundoo

Dr. Anupama Kundoo is an internationally renowned architect, author, and researcher, with studios in India and Germany. She graduated from the University of Mumbai in 1989, received her PhD degree from the TU Berlin in 2008, and has been the recipient of the 2022 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, the 2021 RIBA Charles Jencks Award for her contribution to architectural theory, the 2021 Auguste Perret Prize for architectural technology, and the 2021 Building Sense Now global award of the German Sustainable Building Council.

Kundoo’s projects are rooted in social issues and take into account people and their need for a place of refuge in a meaningful way–she has built extensively in India and has had the experience of working, researching, and teaching in a variety of cultural contexts across the world including TU Berlin, AA School of Architecture London, Parsons New School of Design New York, University of Queensland Brisbane, IUAV Venice, and ETSAB Barcelona. She is currently Professor of Architecture and Structures at FH Potsdam and an adjunct Professor at Columbia University. Her work has been vastly exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012 and 2016, and her solo show was featured at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark in 2020. She has also been on the prestigious jury for the Lexus Design Award 2022, the Holcim Awards 2023, and the International Velux Award 2022.

Tarun Tahiliani

Hailed as the ‘Karl Lagerfeld of India’ by famous British stylist Isabella Blow, Tahiliani is an international fashion designer with several lines, including prêt-a-porter, diffusion, accessories, his most acclaimed being couture bridal wear. Having held runway shows around the world from London to Milan, he is a founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India, the governing body of the country’s official fashion week.

Tahiliani extended his design aesthete to the field of architecture and interior design with boutique hotels, holiday homes, and institutions across the country. Tahiliani’s venture creates luxurious living spaces across the country, across interior, landscape, or architecture design, with key assignments of restoration and redevelopment.

Vinu Daniel

Principal architect and founder of award-winning studio Wallmakers, Vinu Daniel completed his B. Arch from The College of Engineering, Trivandrum in 2005, and proceeded to work with the Auroville Earth Institute for the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Post-Tsunami construction. Driven by a philosophy of ‘What should we build?’ rather than ‘Should we build?’.

Daniel’s projects feature a poetic materiality of brick, mud, scrap, and waste, manifested within thought-provoking structures. Daniel has garnered global recognition for his cost-effective, sustainable works, including winning three editions of the Design that Educates Award, a nomination for the Brick Award 2022, and the Royal Academy of Arts Dorfman Award 2022. He also spoke at Session 11 of TED2023: Possibility in Canada, a celebration of the unbridled power of imagination.

Giri Venkatesh

Giri Venkatesh is the Vice President for Area Operations and the Executive Marketing Coordinator at Lexus Asia Pacific Division. He drives the brand’s marketing strategy in the region and in this role, is also the guardian of the brand’s development through product planning and training.

Giri started his automotive career with UMW Toyota Motor, Malaysia in 1997 where he held various assignments in National Sales Operations and later as Branch Manager of a Sales and Aftersales retail outlet. He also led the Lexus brand-building function and was responsible for the launch of the Lexus brand in Malaysia, Vietnam and India. Since joining Toyota Motor Asia Pacific firstly between 2003-2005 and then permanently in 2008, Giri has been passionately working with Lexus affiliates across the Asia Pacific region and is now based in Singapore.

His involvement with Lexus began in 2003 and over the years has been involved in the planning and launch of the brand across the region. Part of this also includes being closely associated with Lexus Design Award India and was involved in the program development team back in 2017. He believes in design that is inspiring and brave to cultivate a fresh sense of creativity and radical. Giri enjoys traveling with his family, football and experiencing different cuisines as a pescatarian with his favorite tipple of Gin and Soda.