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CV
 

EDUCATION

2014 MFA in Interdisciplinary Art, Parsons School of Design, New York City, NY

2011 BFA in Sculpture, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat, India
 

SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS

2023 Aperitif, a performance at Bolderaja, Riga, Latvia

2022 Civita Trays, site-specific work exhibited in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy as part of the Civita Institute Fellowship

2022 Rhizophora, Rubus Discolor Project, Portland, OR

2022 A Show for Neighbours, a display of works between the main door and the storm door of Rao's house

2021 Founded RUGA, a company for the nonbinary garments that are part of Rao's art practice

2017 Object, Road Number Zero, Cardiff curated by Devashish Sharma

2015 Interval: classical music & visual arts, Opera America, NY

2014 New Echoes, Anthology Film Archives, NYC curated by M.M. Serra

2014 New Echoes, The Film-makers’ Cooperative, NYC curated by M.M. Serra
 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS

2023 RUGA at Papi Juice's Markers Marketplace at Elsewhere, Brooklyn

2022 Blue Planet Poster Project, First Edition Arts, Mumbai

2022 As Above, So Below, a virtual exhibition following the residency at Altamirra, Goa, India

2021 The Print Out, an online exhibition by Pulp Society, New Delhi curated by Sitara Chowfla

2020 What we don’t talk about when we talk about love led by Aveek Sen, Experimenter Labs, Experimenter Gallery, Kolkata

2020 We Live in Real Time, Printed Matter St. Marks, Swiss Institute, NYC

2020 CO(pe)VID 19 Archive, on 2msquared.net by 2m squared artspace, Cardiff

2020 Reading Through, Goa Open Arts Festival, Goa

2020 I am the One I Have Been Waiting For, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore

2019 Form, Metaphor, Memory, Fine Arts Grantees exhibition, Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa

2019 A Week Exhibition, Jugmug Thela, New Delhi curated by Meenakshi Thirukode

2018 The Rejoinders exhibition, Gallery g39, Cardiff curated by Jess Matthews and Melissa Hinkin

2016 Hastakshar, Goa International Airport, Goa curated by Lina Vincent

2016 Permeate the House, The Hollows, Brooklyn

2015 The Artist Recipe Project, an online exhibition, Beijing curated by Qi You

2014 Before, The Kitchen, NYC curated by Niels van Tomme

2013 Lumpy Discourses, 25 East Gallery, NYC curated by A.K. Burns & Christine Howard Sandoval

2013 Tracing Erasure, 25 East Gallery, NYC

2013 states of becoming, 25 East Gallery, NYC - also served as co-curator with Lilly Handley

2012 Transparency, 25 East Gallery, NYC

2012 Re-educate, 25 East Gallery, NYC

2011 Undergraduate Degree Show, Maharaja Sayajirao University on Baroda, Baroda

2006 Square Foot Show, Tao Art Gallery at Kalaghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai curated by Kanchi Mehta


RESIDENCIES & FELLOWSHIPS

2023 ISSP Riga Residency, Riga, Latvia

2022 Civita Institute Residency, Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

2022 Artist-in-residence, Rubus Discolor Project, Portland, OR

2022 As Above, So Below, virtual residency, Altamirra, Goa

2020 Selected resident and grantee, Vermont Studio Center, Vermont (this residency did not take place because of Covid-19)

2020 The Human Way organized by Home Cooking, Prem Krishnamurthy and Kalaija Mallery

2020 Cel del Nord, a virtual residency, facilitated by Odette Brady, Barcelona

2019 Chennai Photo Biennale Residency Program (Phase I), Chennai

2018 The Rejoinders Residency, Cardiff

2017 CONA Foundation Passing Through residency, CONA Foundation, Mumbai

2016 Artist-in-residence at Mozaic Design, Goa

AWARDS & GRANTS

2023 CCA Islands Travel Scholarship by Japan's Center for Contemporary Art and Peace Winds Japan

2022 Drexler Family Diversity Fellowship, Civita Institute, Seattle, USA & Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy

2019 Serendipity Arts Foundation Fine Arts Grant, Delhi

2019 Chennai Photo Biennale Residency Grant by the Goethe Institute, Chennai

2018 The British Council and Wales Arts International Grant for The Rejoinders program, Cardiff

2017 CONA Foundation sponsorship for the Passing Through residency at the CONA Foundation, Mumbai

2012 to 2014 Merit-based Scholarship from Parsons School of Design

2008 to 2011 Merit-based Scholarship from Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
 

PUBLICATIONS AND AUTHORED TEXTS

2022 Garments featured in Vogue India (Condé Nast)

2022 Yamini Nayar’s text as a response to Rao's solo exhibition, Rhizophora. This text was presented alongside the work.

2022 Lilly Handley’s response to Rao's solo exhibition, Rhizophora. This text and map was presented alongside the work.

2022 Work featured in TAKEAWAY magazine, issue no. 18: Line, published by Kelly Best and Herbivore, Cardiff (authored text)

2021 Interview with Sitara Chowfla, Pulp Society, New Delhi

2020 Essay, Experimenter Labs Reader-I, issue: What we don’t talk about when we talk about love edited by Aveek Sen, published by Gallery Experimenter, Kolkata (authored text)

2020 Photo essay, Home ‘Bound’ series, Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore (authored text)

2020 Article about Rao's work in Platform Magazine, New Delhi

2020 Garments featured by Art and Wonderment, Mumbai

2020 Interview with Leslie Hickey, The Artist’s Human Way by Home Cooking

2020 Editor, legitWick newsletter, issue no. 4, published by Wick Pilates, NYC

2020 Interview with The Asian Curator, India

2020 Mail Art Series, Printed Matter Inc., NYC (authored text)

2018 Essay about our collaborative work ‘Dear Abbe’ by Alona Weiss, unbag magazine, issue: Reverie, NYC

2018 Work featured on the cover of unbag magazine, issue: Reverie, NYC

2015 Essay, The Artist Recipe Project: The Book published by Qi You, Beijing (authored text)

2020 Article highlighting Rao's work at Goa Open Arts Festival by Vivek Menezes in Livemint, India

2020 Garments featured by Art and Wonderment, Mumbai

2020 Interview with The Asian Curator, India

Work featured in various Indian art press outlets
 

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

2023 ISSP Artist Talk at Bolderaja, Riga, Latvia

2023 Artist Talk at Center for Contemporary Art, Japan

2023 Artist Talk at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

2022 Artist Talk at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, NJ

2021 Artist Talk School of Design Strategies, Parsons School of Design, New York City, NY

2021 Artist Talk at Kathmandu University School of Arts, Kathmandu

2020 Artist Talk at The Mobile Arts Residency, Bangalore

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

2023 Square Yard Project, growing and processing flax for linen, led by PA Flax Project, Pennsylvania

2022 Grounding led by master dancer Padmini Chettur & hosted by Anandam, Toronto

2022 Practice led by Padmini Chettur & hosted by Anandam, Toronto

2021 Imagination: History, Structure, Practice led by Aveek Sen & hosted by BICAR, Mumbai

2020 Repetition led by Rohit Goel, Padmini Chettur and Maarten Visser & hosted by BICAR, Mumbai

2020 Padmini Chettur: Works & Thought: Theoretical Explorations led by Padmini Chettur & hosted by BICAR, Mumbai

2019 Indian Textiles: Histories, Practices & Concerns led by Mayank Mansingh Kaul at Experimenter Gallery, Kolkata

2018 Training in Hindustani classical music led by Samarth Nagarkar, NYC & Prachala Amonkar, Goa - 5+ years

2018 First Step Module: Herbal & Natural Dyeing and Dyeing Techniques at Color Ashram and Biome, Goa

2018 Brand Impact Module: Building a Sustainable Clothing Brand at Color Ashram and Biome, Goa

2017 Weavers’ Intensive: a month-long weaving program at the Weavers’ Service Center, Bangalore

2014 Training in dance & movement techniques with Movement Research Inc., NYC - 1 year
 

OTHER EXPERIENCE

Covid-19 Case Investigator, New Jersey Department of Health, NJ - 2020 to 2022

Co-founder, STUDIO TIME, an virtual open studio space, with Alejandro Yoshii - 2020 to 2022

Guest Critic, School of Design Strategies, Parsons School of Design, New York City, NY - 2021

Visiting Artist Workshop, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Kathmandu - 2021

Art Faculty, Hunterdon Art Museum, NJ - 2020

Mentor, The Mobile Arts Residency, Bangalore - 2020

External examiner for Fine Arts, Goa College of Architecture, Panjim, Goa - 2020

Studio Assistant & Project Manager, Lenore Malen Studio, New York City, NY - 2013 to 2015

Cinema Assistant, Maysles Films, New York City, NY - 2014 to 2015

Assistant House Manager, Maysles Documentary Center - 2014 to 2015

Assistant Cinematographer to Martina Radwan on Andrea Geyer’s film Time Tenderness at The Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC - 2015

Archivist, The Film-Makers’ Cooperative, New York City, NY - 2013 to 2015

Art Teacher, Community Art Classes for Children, Sunset Park, NYC - 2013 to 2015

Teaching Assistant, Professor M.M. Serra for the class Avant Garde and the Moving Image, The New School, New York City, NY - 2013 to 2014

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