Who shapes global culture? Director of Collections and Learning at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, Rebecca Lyons, Royal Academician and Artist Rana Begum and Chairperson of the JSW Foundation and Co-Founder of the Hampi Art Labs, Sangita Jindal discuss the shared role of artists and institutions in fostering global cultural leadership, along with a presentation by the artist reflecting on her pathbreaking career. The conversation will be moderated by independent arts consultant Priya Pall.

Generously supported by JSW and curated by researcher and arts manager, Priya Chauhan, ART ACROSS —— celebrates the power of critical dialogue and the critical need for celebrating the arts. Spanning key issues in art, design and architecture from a variety of perspectives including from institutions, market experts, philanthropists and creatives, the series aims to foster an inclusive platform to explore contemporary culture, with South Asia at its centre. All talks will also be conducted in Indian Sign Language.

Rebecca Lyons: Rebecca Lyons is an art historian, curator and lecturer. She is director of the historic and contemporary permanent collections, the library, archive, and education programmes at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. She also oversees the RA’s Executive MA in Cultural Leadership. Rebecca has worked for the National Trust, The National Gallery, Christie’s and most recently as the director of the Attingham Trust’s prestigious Royal Collection Studies. She is a member of the Advisory Council for the Society for the History of Collecting and for the Attingham Trust, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and Trustee of a large primary academy trust. Educated at the universities of Oxford, the Courtauld Institute and Cambridge, she publishes on collecting and collections in the 18th and the early 19th century.

Rana Begum: The work of London-based artist Rana Begum distils spatial and visual experience into ordered form. Through her refined language of Minimalist abstraction, Begum blurs the boundaries between sculpture, painting and architecture. Her visual language draws from the urban landscape as well as geometric patterns from traditional Islamic art and architecture. Light is fundamental to her process. Begum’s works absorb and reflect varied densities of light to produce an experience for the viewer that is both temporal and sensorial. Born in Bangladesh in 1977, Rana Begum lives and works in London. In 1999, Begum graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and Design and, in 2002, gained an MFA in Painting from Slade School of Fine Art.

Sangita Jindal: Sangita Jindal is the Founder of Hampi Art Labs and oversees the organisation’s strategic direction. As one of India’s most prominent philanthropists, patrons and collectors, for over 30 years she has supported art and heritage through numerous projects both at home and abroad. As Chairperson of the JSW Foundation – Sangita is responsible for its social development projects. The Foundation’s focus areas are Education, Health and Nutrition, Skill Development, Rural BPO, Environment and Water, Sports, and Art and Heritage. A philanthropist who believes in the transformative power of art, Sangita set up the Jindal Arts Creative Interaction Centre (JACIC) of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in 1994. She also publishes Art India Magazine which has been a chronicler of the Indian art scene since 1996, is celebrating the 5th year of the AD x JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship and is supporting the next edition of The Indian Ceramics Triennale.

Priya Pall: With a career spanning over 25 years, Priya Pall specialises in the field of museum management and planning.  She was the founding Director of Bikaner House, New Delhi (2015 – 2020); Director Saat Saath Arts (2019-2020), where she liaised with the Government of Rajasthan for the foundation’s flagship project The Sculpture Park at Madhavendra Palace, Nahargarh Fort; she was part of the founding team for establishing Heritage Transport Museum, Manesar (2012-14); and was founding curator for India Art Fair (2009); She has been on several advisory boards including Hyundai Motor India Foundation and NDTV’s Special Art Projects division. Priya has had associations with some of the leading artists, galleries, and organisations. She was awarded the Art Think South Asia (ATSA) Fellowship in 2011 by the Goethe Institut, through which she received training at Haus der Kunst, Munich. Currently, Priya works as a consultant with JSW Foundation and is enrolled in the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership at the Royal Academy of Arts, London and Maastricht University.