LUXURYABODE CURATOR

Sasha Altaf

CURATOR
Sasha Altaf


Sasha Altaf is an acclaimed freethinking art curator & art critic. She also is an adjunct professor at the Department of Art and Art History, University of Miami, Florida, United States. Her enormous body of work includes her written material and her lectures on contemporary Indian art with a special focus on feminist practices, contemporary media and its circumstances. Her impressive education background includes her MA in Art History at the University of Miami, USA in 1999. After this in the year 2006 she finished her MA in Advanced Studies in Feminism and Visual Art at the University of Leeds, UK and in the year 2010 she completed her BA in Art History at the Maharaj Sayajirao University in Baroda, India.

A very talented writer with an indepth knowledge on the subject she chooses to write on, Sasha Altaf has penned the well appreciated "Erotic Autonomy as a Politics of Feminism". She has also helmed the responsibility of a Director at the Talwar Gallery in New Delhi.

Sasha Altaf is the official curator for the "art" category on Luxury Abode. Right from paintings to sculptures - everything has to go under her watchful & experienced eyes to come aboard LuxuryAbode.com.

She also happens to be a board member and an expert advisor in the Luxury Abode team.

  • University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL M.A. in Art History Thesis: “Erotic Autonomy as a Politics of Feminism”(2006).

  • University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom M.A. in Art History Advanced Studies in Feminism and Visual Art Thesis: “Woman, Nation, Identity” (1999).

  • Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat, India B.A. in Art History Major: Art History (1996).

  • Director, Talwar Gallery – New Delhi (2012-2014).

  • Production Manager for Artists Film Assisted, administrated and managed artist Dara Friedman for her film ‘Dancer’, Miami (2011).

  • University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL Adjunct Professor, Department of Art and Art History Taught undergraduate/ graduate course on Indian Contemporary Art. Developed original syllabus, lectured, and administered course.(2009).

  • University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL Adjunct Professor, Department of Art and Art History Taught undergraduate course on Indian Art. Developedoriginal syllabus, lectured, and administered course.(2007).

  • Curatorial Assistant, Lowe Art Museum, Miami, Florida Assist Director and Chief Curator with documentation and research for the Asian Art collection, and serve as teaching assistant.(2003-2008).

  • Teaching Assistant, Department of Art and Art History, Miami, Florida Assisted faculty with research and grading. Lectured to students on Indian art as part of semester class schedule.(2002-2004).

  • S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai, India Visiting Professor Taught introductory course on Feminism in the Visual Arts(2001).

  • Soulkurry.com A Woman’s Portal, Mumbai, India Art Consultant Advised on issues of art acquisitions, conservation, and collecting.(2000-2001).

  • The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India Curator Conceived and curated gallery exhibitions resulting in increased visitation and sales. Exhibitions included Erotica, Excerpts from My Diary Pages, Early Works, Memoirs of the Past, Images of the Present & Picturing the Future, and Legatee – Sir J.J. School of Art.(1999-2001).

  • UTV, Mumbai, India Scriptwriter Wrote scripts for the television series, Aaap ki Shanti, focusing on women’s issues and the representation of women in the arts.(1999).

  • Christie’s, Mumbai, India Assistant to Bombay Representative Researched Indian art and assisted with authentications and appraisals.(1996-1997).

  • Jindal Arts Creative Interaction Center, NCPA, Mumbai, India Assistant Programs Officer Researched and organized advanced course on Indian film appreciation.(1995).

  • “Midnight to the Boom: Painting in India after Independence”: Book Review in Marg - A Magazine of the Arts, September 2014, Vol 66, no.1, Mumbai, (2014)..

  • “ Vivan Sundaram - A Memorial for the Passing Self” in Art India - The Art News Magazine of India, (Selection 1996-2014), Volume XVII, Issue 1I,(2014). .

  • “An e-conversation with artist Navjot Altaf on her practice…”, The Baroda Pamphlet, (Nov- Dec 2013)..

  • “Rummana Hussain: a dialogue through diffracted traces…” in Art Fair: A Magazine of Contemporary Visual Culture, Vol II, Issue 3, Quarter 1 on (Re)looking at Installation Art in India, New Delhi and Bhubaneswar,(2011)..

  • “When art and nature intersect: Shambhavi Singh” in The Hindu – India’s National Newspaper,(November 12, 2011)..

  • “Encountering the Archive…” in Art Fair: A Magazine of Contemporary Visual Culture, Vol I, Issue 2, Quarter 2 on (Re) looking at Installation Art in India, New Delhi and Bhubaneswar, (2011)..

  • “Amrita Sher-Gil: A Self portrait in Letters and Writings”, Review for the Marg Magazine,Mumbai, (2011)..

  • “Erotic Autonomy as a Politics of Feminism”, Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany, (2010)..

  • “Tracing Figures of Absence: Making Ciphers and Inscriptions in the Present” in Ed. Gayatri Sinha, in Voices of Change – 20 Indian Artists, the Marg Foundation, Mumbai, (2010)..

  • “Dialogue across Dialects” in The Hindu – India’s National Newspaper, (March 22, 2009)..

  • “Aesthetics of Urban Waste” in The Hindu – India’s National Newspaper,(November 23, 2008)..

  • “Between the Lines”; Review on Nasreen Mohamedi in The Hindu – India’s National Newspaper, (October 19, 2008)..

  • “Monochromatic Musings: Nasreen Mohamedi” in Art India - The Art News Magazine of India, Volume XII, Issue I, (2007)..

  • “War Paint” in The Art News Magazine of India, Volume IV, Issue IV, VOL IV, (2006)..

  • “Leo Figiel: A Passion for Sharing” in Marg – A Magazine of the Arts, Volume 56, Number 3, March (2005)..

  • “Remembering Baba” in Souvenir : Bandra – The Vocation Location, (2005)..

  • “Indian Art in Miami” and “Nasreen: Indian Photography Exhibit in New York” in Marg – A Magazine of the Arts, Volume 55, Number (4, June 2004)..

  • “The Orientalist Gaze” in The Art News Magazine of India, Volume V, Issue II, (2004)..

  • “Personal and Political” in The Art News Magazine of India, Volume V, Issue I,(2004)..

  • Newsletter from the U.S.A. for Marg – A Magazine of the Arts, Volume 57, Number 2, (December 2005); Volume 56, Number 4, (June 2005); and Volume 56, Number 2, (December 2004)..

  • “Inscriptions in the Feminine: Ghada Amer and Aliya Syed” in International Gallerie: A Journey of Ideas, Volume 7, Number 1, (2004)..

  • “The Body Politic” in Poetry and Art, Number 27-28, August-September (1996)..

  • Forms of Activism, Co Curated with Artist Vivan Sundaram, Lalit Kala Akademi Galleries, New Delhi, (2014)..

  • Excerpts from Diary Pages. The Talwar Gallery, New York, (2009)..

  • Ranjani Shettar: Zones of Contact. Biennale of Sydney – International Festival of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, (2006)..

  • “Creative Perceptions: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary” in Unfixed Being: Sculpture by A. Balasubramaniam. Katherine and Tom Belk Visual Arts Center, Davidson College, Davidson, NC, (2005)..

  • “Ranjani Shettar” in Transition and Transformation. University Gallery – Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, (2005)..

  • “Gujarat” in Change and Continuity: Folk and Tribal Art of India. Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, (2004)..

  • Engendering: Images of Women. The Guild – Art Gallery, Mumbai, India, (2001)..

  • Erotica. The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India, (2001)..

  • Excerpts from My Diary Pages. The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India, (2000)..

  • Early Works. The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India, (2000)..

  • Memoirs of the Past, Images of the Present & Picturing the Future. The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India, (2000)..

  • The Tale of Six Cities. Lakeeren – The Contemporary Art Gallery, Mumbai, India, (1999)..

  • Legatee – Sir J.J. School of Art. The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India, (1999)..

  • Arunanshu Chowdhury/ Suresh Jayaram. The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai, India, (1999)..

  • Portraits and Faces / Faces and Portraits – ALTAF. Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India, (1999)..

  • Experiments in Small Format – ALTAF. Jehangir Art Gallery / Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India, (1996)..

  • International Art Critics Seminar: Unpacking Multiple Identities Within Gender Based Art through Critical Writing, AICA Int. Sri Lanka, (2013)..

  • The Art of Rummana Hussain . Lecture presented at the Goethe Institute, Max Mueller for the Mohile Parekh Centre for the Arts, Mumbai, (2013)..

  • In conversation with Artist Vasudha Thozhur on Art and Trauma at the National Gallery of Modern Art for the Mohile Parekh Centre for the Arts, Mumbai, (2013)..

  • Re-Reading Curatorship in an Indian Context. Lecture presented to the Lowe Art Museum Docent Guild, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL,(2007)..

  • Indian Art: A Survey from the Ancient to the Modern. Lecture presented to the Department of Education, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, (2006)..

  • The Significance of Museum Studies in Relation to Indian Art. Lecture presented at the Lowe Art Museum, The Docent Guild, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL,(2006)..

  • Indian Gods and Goddesses. Lecture presented at the Lowe Art Museum in conjunction with the exhibition Change and Continuity: Folk and Tribal Art of India, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, (2005)..

  • Gallery tours at the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL in conjunction with the exhibition Change and Continuity: Folk and Tribal Art of India, (2005)..

  • Early Buddhist Art and the Art of the Mughal Empire. Lecture presented at the Department of Art and Art History, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, (2002)..

  • “Women as Images and Creators of Images in Indian Art” for Living as a Woman: An Introduction to Women in Indian History and Culture. Lecture presented at the Sparrow-Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women Summer Workshop, Pune and Baroda, India, (2001)..

  • Expression as Empowerment: In Celebration of International Women’s Day. Paper presented at the Majlis and Max Mueller Bhavan Symposium, Mumbai, India, (2001)..

  • Where Lies the Fame? Session coordinated with artists Navjot and Hema Upadhyay at the Majlis and Max Mueller Bhavan Symposium, Mumbai, India, (2001)..

  • Representation of Women in Art. Lecture for an Inter-disciplinary Refresher Course in Women’s Studies at the S.N.D.T Women’s University, Mumbai, India,(2001)..

  • Women’s Interventions in Art History. Lecture presented at The Fine Art Company, Mumbai, India, (1999).

  • Inscriptions in the Feminine. Paper presented at KHOJ – International Artists Association, New Delhi, India, (1999)..

  • Gender Perceptions: Feminism in the Indian Contemporary Context. Panel discussion at the Jindal Arts Creative Interaction Center, NCPA, Mumbai, India, (1999)..

  • Graduate Fellowship, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL (2002).

  • Commonwealth Scholarship, United Kingdom (2001).

  • Tetley and Lupton scholarship for Overseas Students; University of Leeds, United Kingdom (1997-1998).

  • Gift Scholarship for Post-Graduate Studies, The Lotus Trust, Mumbai, India (1997).

  • Tata Scholarship given by the Tatachem Golden Jubilee Foundation, Mumbai , India (1997).

  • Fluent in English, Hindi and Marathi..

  • Reading knowledge of Gujarati and Sanskrit.