Rajeev Sethi on Searching for Alternate Philosophies
Rajeev Sethi discusses creativity and the importance of promoting art and culture in contemporary societies, at the 2015 Arts & Museum Summit.
Sethi, the founder of the Asian Heritage Foundation, has had a career of more than forty-five-years, spanning multiple creative disciplines. In 2002, he was the scenographer and production partner for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, “The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust.” He designed participatory installations for the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona (2004) and the Basic Needs Pavilion at the Hanover World EXPO (2000). His film and theater credits include art directing Joan Littlewood’s Bijou, art advising Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, and directing Ariane Mnouchkine’s L’Inde de père en fils, de mere en fille. He was the curator for installations at the Jaya He! GVK New Museum in the Mumbai International Airport, and conceived JIYO, a World Bank program to improve the livelihoods of rural Indian artisans. In 1985, Sethi worked on three Smithsonian Institution exhibitions, India: Mela!, Aditi: A Celebration of Life, and The Golden Eye: An International Tribute to the Artisans of India. Sethi received the first INTACH Indira Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award for Conservation of Cultural Heritage (2010), the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany (2001), and the National Order of the Padma Bhushan from the President of India (1985).