Pottery House by Mansi Bhatt

Kaiwan Mehta is a theorist and critic in the fields of visual culture, architecture, and
city studies. Mehta has studied Architecture, Literature, Indian Aesthetics and
Cultural Studies. In 2017 he completed his doctoral studies at the Centre for the
Study of Culture and Society, Bengaluru, under the aegis of Manipal University. In
April 2022 he was appointed as the Dean at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, at
SVKM's NMIMS University. He was recently elected to the coveted International Committee of Architectural Critics (CICA).

Mumbai-based artist Mansi Bhatt works within performative photography, blending prosthetic makeup, body extensions, and elaborate sets to create sculptural, cinematic, and surreal installations. Her work explores absurd human observations and tensions between nature, body, and capital through disquieting performances and photo tableaux. Since 2006, she has exhibited in India and internationally, with solo shows including The Gallery (Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh 2007 and at Gallery Mirchandani Mumbai), A Suite (Chatterjee & Lal 2009), and Bastard’s Callings to Her Last Inheritance: Conservative Landscapes(Goethe 2019), KMB 16-17. Residencies include Watermill Centre (2005), MF Pittsburgh(2007), Khoj (2010), and invitation to Vancouver Biennale (2014), Nominated for The Tetley UK(2017) Notable performances include BulldozerYatra (2012), Kalkinama (Shanghai Biennale 2012), and Bastard’sCallingstoHerLastInheritance: Home (2019). Her film Pottery House, a surreal travelogue of her childhood home, was shown in her solo at The Guild, Mumbai(2025), screenings at the CAMP Bombay and Shared Ecologies Delhi. She views performance as regenerative space, using her body as a living archive. Bhatt was shortlisted for the Mrinalini Mukherjee Creative Arts Grant 2023.