Curio’s Founder Shalini Misra has announced the second Shakti Design Residency open call and mentoring jury. The programme welcomes submissions from global designers who are actively engaged with material exploration and sustainable practices, and demonstrate a keen interest in exploring the relationship between heritage crafts and contemporary design.
The month-long programme will take place in India from 1 to 30 November 2025. From the international open call, five designers will be selected to take part in a fully supported residency where they will collaborate with master artisans across the country and develop new work rooted in traditional Indian craftsmanship.
Image by @suryansaurabh
Selected designers will be mentored by an international jury of influential voices spanning design, curation, education and entrepreneurship. The 2025 jury includes:
- Shalini Misra: Founder of Shalini Misra Design and Curio.Space (London–New York)
- Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte: International Curator and Co-founder of NOMAD (Milan)
- Professor Daniel Charny MBE: Designer and Educator, Co-founder of Forth (London)
- Valentina Ciuffi: Curator, Art Director, Founder of Studio Vedèt and Co-founder of Alcova (Milan)
- Tarini Jindal Handa: Founder of æquō and Creative Director of Hampi Art Labs (Mumbai)
- Oliver Jahn: CEO and Chief Creative Officer of House of Manus (Switzerland)
- Jen Roberts: CEO of Design Miami (Paris)
- Kulapat Yantrasast: Founder and Creative Director of WHY (New York)
In India, successful residents will each be paired with a leading atelier to produce new work inspired by their experiences and shaped for a global audience. Selected designs will be considered for inclusion in major international exhibitions in 2026 and beyond.
Participants will be fully immersed in India’s living craft traditions. Through studio visits, hands-on collaborations and cultural research, the programme encourages a meaningful and experimental engagement between designers and artisans.
Applications are open until 30 June 2025 at shaktidesignresidency.com
2025 Jury
Shalini Misra – Founder of Shakti Design Residency, Shalini Misra Design & Curio.Space
Shalini Misra is an internationally recognised interior designer, eCommerce entrepreneur and philanthropist with studios in London, New York and Dubai. Known for creating elegant, finely crafted interiors for both private and commercial clients, her work reflects a refined sensibility rooted in wellbeing, craftsmanship and cultural storytelling.
Image by @suryansaurabh
With a sharp eye for bespoke detail and a longstanding passion for art and design, Shalini is also an experienced collector and curator of museum-quality pieces. In 2022, she founded Curio.Space, a global eCommerce platform dedicated to finely crafted furniture, lighting and design for the home, offering unique works by artists and makers from around the world.
A committed advocate for artisanship, she launched the Shakti Design Residency to foster meaningful cross-cultural collaborations between global designers and Indian craftspeople, creating a new platform for innovation grounded in heritage techniques.
Shalini Misra comments:
“Shakti’s second call for entries comes shortly after our Milan Design Week exhibition draws to a close. The success of the work created by our first cohort underlines the excitement we feel in announcing our next residency and demonstrates the diverse, forward-looking outcomes that can be achieved when fine Indian craftsmanship meets contemporary global design.
Again this year, we are supported by a jury comprising some of the most significant and influential voices in design and education. The galvanising of this global community is important, timely and so valued.
For year two, we invite designers from anywhere in the world, practising any design discipline, with a particular interest in material innovation and sustainability. Our Indian ateliers remain among the most respected, and our craftspeople represent some of the most skilled in the country.”
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte – Co-founder of NOMAD & Curator
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte has spent the past 15 years working at the intersection of contemporary design, art and craftsmanship. His curatorial research focuses on the global south, with a particular emphasis on how traditional craft and cultural heritage can be reinterpreted through contemporary design practices.
Through projects and collaborations across Africa and the Middle East, he has established himself as a bridge between emerging creative talent and the global collectible design market. He is the co-founder of NOMAD, the travelling showcase for collectible design and contemporary art, and continues to work with leading institutions, galleries and designers worldwide.
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte comments:
“India holds one of the most fascinating and layered heritages in the world. The dialogue between craft, history and contemporary creativity here is incredibly rich. I am deeply excited to explore India as an emerging design destination, a place with the potential to become a major player on the global stage.”
Professor Daniel Charny MBE – Designer and Educator, Co-founder of Forth
Daniel is recognised for culturally significant projects from the Power of Making exhibition and The Aram Gallery to the Maker Library Network and the Fixperts learning programme. He is the co-founder of Forth, a creative studio and community interest company (CIC) focused on developing new models, formats and programmes for engagement and learning in a changing world.
He advocates internationally for design, creativity and making as essential tools to unlock a better future. Daniel is Professor of Design at Kingston University and an expert member of The Design Museum’s Curatorial Committee. His work has been recognised with the London Design Innovation Medal and the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education.
Professor Daniel Charny comments:
“If we want designing for manufacturing to truly respond to the climate crisis and today’s social challenges, we must move beyond extractive models. We need designers who can be part of sustainable, circular, regenerative ways of making, like those embodied by artisans and intrinsic to production in traditional crafts.
At the core is a mindset of continuity, where deep, living knowledge is protected, shared, adapted and reimagined for the future. For this to happen we need policies, platforms, programmes and learning spaces that support transformation. The Shakti Design Residency is exactly this type of initiative, a collaborative space where knowledge, making and learning meet with the goal of creating exciting new outcomes and maybe even sustainable alternatives to business-as-usual. I’m delighted to join this year’s jury and can’t wait to meet the inspiring group of artisans, designers and mentors.”
Tarini Jindal Handa – Founder of æquō and Creative Director of Hampi Art Labs
A third-generation patron, Tarini Jindal Handa grew up in an environment shaped by collecting, supporting craft clusters and commissioning artisans. Her family is noted for its commitment to architectural preservation.
After studying fashion marketing in London, she returned to Mumbai to open the country’s first multi-brand fashion store, Muse. The boutique became known for introducing international labels as well as incubating local talent.
Tarini later joined the family business, JSW, expanding its portfolio with the addition of residential developer JSW Realty. In 2022, she founded æquō, bringing together her interests in design, craftsmanship and patronage.
Valentina Ciuffi – Curator, Art Director, Founder of Studio Vedèt and Co-founder of Alcova
Valentina Ciuffi is a creative director, curator and design consultant. She began her career in journalism, including a position on the editorial team of Abitare and contributions to several leading publications.
She later founded Studio Vedèt, a Milan-based practice working across branding, creative direction, graphic design and digital projects. Valentina is also the co-founder of Alcova, an international platform for contemporary design.
In addition to her work with Vedèt and Alcova, she advises galleries and companies within the design field. With a background in semiotics, she brings a distinctive perspective to her ongoing research and talent-scouting within the global design community.
Oliver Jahn – CEO and Chief Creative Officer of House of Manus
Oliver Jahn has served as CEO and Chief Creative Officer of House of Manus since 2024. The Swiss-based company is investing globally in the future of craftsmanship across multiple areas, including equity, consulting and education.
He built his reputation as a thought-leading design and culture journalist, consultant and curator. From 2007 to 2023, Oliver held various positions at Architectural Digest, serving as Editor-in-Chief from 2011 to 2020. Most recently, he co-led the brand internationally as Deputy Global Editorial Director.
He studied linguistics, literature and philosophy.
Oliver Jahn comments:
“There are few things I find as fascinating as what the human hand is capable of creating. For two decades now, my work has taken me around the world and I have also been able to familiarise myself with India’s outstanding craft heritage. I am delighted to deepen this through the Shakti Design Residency locally and to meet exciting makers and designers.”
Jen Roberts – CEO of Design Miami
As CEO of Design Miami, Jen Roberts oversees the strategic expansion of the brand, including its exhibition programme, digital presence, design commissions and collaborations.
Since her appointment in 2015, she has introduced new verticals such as Design Miami Curatorial Lab, a consultancy supporting businesses in building cultural capital, and Podium, a touring event format with international reach.
Jen previously served as Co-Executive Director of Salon Art + Design and was the founding publisher of MODERN magazine. She is a member of the Meridian Center for Cultural Diplomacy. Until recently, she was also a member of the City of Miami Beach’s Mayors Panel for Ocean Drive and the Arts & Entertainment District, and a Managing Member of Woodstock Ventures.
Jen Roberts comments:
“It is an honour to serve on the Shakti Residency jury as it plays a vital role in safeguarding India’s rich artisanal heritage. The programme is not just about design, but about preservation of craft and maker communities. The residency creates an opportunity to put India’s material culture on the world stage.”
Kulapat Yantrasast – Founder and Creative Director of WHY
Kulapat Yantrasast is widely regarded as one of the art world’s most visionary architects. Originally from Bangkok, he earned both his Master’s and Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Tokyo under a prestigious Japanese Government Scholarship.
He worked closely with Tadao Ando for many years, contributing to transformative museum and cultural projects before founding his own practice, WHY, two decades ago.
WHY has since become a leader in designing spaces that integrate art, culture and community. Kulapat’s work reimagines how architecture can shape human experience, placing art at the centre of inspiration and elevation. Notable projects include the Rockefeller Wing at the Metropolitan Museum and the ongoing transformation at the Louvre Museum.
Kulapat Yantrasast comments:
“Art and crafts connect our global design community, and the opportunities to research and engage provided by the Shakti Design Residency would bring new solutions to integrate crafts into 21st century design processes.”
Applications for the 2025 Shakti Design Residency are open now at: shaktidesignresidency.com. Submissions close on 30 June 2025.
