Supported by JSW and curated by independent researcher and curator Shaleen Wadhwana, the 2026 Talks Programme– Rising to Challenge, brings together artists, curators, thinkers, and cultural leaders to address the overarching question: What Makes Art Happen? Each panel responds to this question with a “challenge”— from long-standing issues of access, accountability and social difference, to urgent contemporary concerns such as Artificial Intelligence and indigenizing cultural spaces.
All talks are conducted in English and Indian Sign Language (ISL), with some talks in Hindi, Punjabi, Odia, and Saura* live translated for the audience.
*Saura (also known as Soura or Sora) is recognised as one of the oldest Indigenous languages of the Indian subcontinent
THEMATIC PREMISE
Tarini Jindal’s vision of creating a platform that celebrated the extraordinary skill of Indian artisans, while offering them a global presence, through building Æquō, India’s first platform for collectible design has shaped the way in which craft and design are understood in India, and about India in the world. As the Creative Director of Hampi Art Labs, she is also translating this vision for artists and artisans for local and global audiences.
Recently honoured with the insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), Sangita Jindal exemplifies a vision in which craftspeople, artisans, and the act of making are placed at the core of every institution under her leadership. Whether through Hampi Art Labs, the Earth Care Awards, or numerous restoration and preservation initiatives across India, her work reflects an unwavering commitment to sustaining the country’s cultural fabric. We look forward to Tarini Jindal and Mrs. Sangita Jindal’s insights on cultivating resilient cultural and artistic ecosystems, both within India and in positioning India in constructive dialogue with the global arts landscape. As a thought leader and global advocate for Indian art, craft, design, heritage, and culture, they have played a pivotal role in advancing their presence on the world stage. The creation of such long-standing cultural ecosystems requires consistency, foresight, and dedication — qualities that enable art to take root and endure.
Complementing this discussion is Alberto Cavalli, Co-Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation and a leading advocate for contemporary craftsmanship, who brings deep insight from his stewardship of the Homo Faber project — a landmark platform that celebrates master artisans and revitalises craft for a global audience. His work foregrounds the importance of meaningful encounters between makers and the public, and of sustaining living traditions through excellence, transmission, and cultural relevance. His perspective will illuminate how craft can shape resilient artistic ecosystems and strengthen international cultural exchange.
They will address the JSW x Homo Faber collaboration for the upcoming Venice Biennale 2026. In particular, they will talk about what it means to champion India and South Asia’s history and present of art and craft, on the global stage, and the challenges and triumphs of ‘making art happen’ for generations to come.
SPEAKERS
SANGITA JINDAL
Chairperson, JSW Foundation
President, ART India Magazine
Founder, Hampi Art Labs
Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation, is a leading philanthropist transforming India’s social and cultural landscape. Under her leadership and strategic direction, JSW Foundation, the social development arm of the JSW Group has an established track record and a legacy of enabling holistic change across communities around India. She established one of the foremost publications on art for South Asia – ART India magazine. She founded Hampi Art Labs to nurture emerging and established Indian art talent and holds key global roles representing India and South Asia, including being the Chairperson of the Asia Society India Centre. Her efforts to preserve heritage for future generations has led to extensive, award-winning restoration of monuments and buildings across the country. In 2025, she was conferred the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, one of the most prestigious honours bestowed by the French Government, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to arts, culture, and heritage conservation.
TARINI JINDAL HANDA
Managing Director of JSW Realty, Founder of æquō, Head – Art & Culture at JSW Foundation
Tarini Jindal Handa works at the intersection of craft, culture, and design, with a practice grounded in material intelligence and relevance. As Founder of æquō, a craft-led gallery, she collaborates with global designers and Indian makers to position craft as a living, contemporary practice – rigorous, adaptive, and rooted in process. Alongside æquō, Tarini leads design-led developments at JSW Realty, where architecture is shaped by place, material honesty, and long-term value. She also works across arts and culture initiatives at JSW Foundation, supporting projects that strengthen artistic practice and cultural ecosystems across India.
PROF. ALBERTO CAVALLI
Executive Director, Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, Geneva
Since 2016, Alberto Cavalli is Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship and Chief Curator of the non-profit institution’s cultural event Homo Faber. He has been General Manager of Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte since 2007. For both foundations, Alberto works tirelessly to value, celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship and share its beauty globally, through numerous projects, from apprenticeships to exhibitions. His interest in fine craftsmanship has resulted in his co-curation of several publications and has also led him to research and stand as a visiting professor at the Creative Academy in Milan and to teach at Milan’s Politecnico University. After graduating in International Political Sciences in Milan in 1998, Alberto started his career in fashion and communication, becoming a professional journalist in 2000. In 2023, Alberto Cavalli was appointed a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
MODERATOR
GUNJAN GUPTA
Designer; Founder and Creative Director, Studio Wrap and IKKIS
Gunjan Gupta is a designer and cultural auteur working at the intersection of craft, culture, and contemporary design. She reauthorises Indian material traditions into globally relevant collectible works. Through deep collaboration with master craftsmen, Gunjan creates objects of cultural depth, institutional rigour, and enduring value, transforming heritage into modern authorship and collectible narratives for museums and serious collectors. Listed by Phaidon’s ‘Designed for Life’ as one of the world’s most influential designers, she is known for her playful approach and blurring the boundaries between art & design. The only Indian Designer to have her works institutionally collected by globally renowned museums like MAD Paris, Museum of Decorative Arts, M+ plus Museum Hongkong and the prestigious Vitra Design Museum in Germany. In 2019 she launched IKKIS, a contemporary Indian homeware brand with a democratic vision that offers an unlimited series of finely crafted objects for everyday use to a global audience, with a collection of limited-edition series made through equitable collaborations between Gunjan and Indian master craftsmen.