FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 28 July 2025, Perth, Western Australia
Indian Ocean Craft Triennial Announces New Curatorial Appointments
The Indian Ocean Craft Triennial (IOTA) is delighted to announce the formation of a new international curatorium for IOTA27 – a dynamic and diverse panel of curators and cultural advisors from the Indian Ocean region, including representation from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, who will collaborate with the Australian team.
- Kallol Datta, India
- Shaleen Wadhwana, India
- Ignatia Nilu, Indonesia
- Catriona Maddocks, Malaysia
- Nim Niyomsin, Thailand
- Miranda Johnson Australia
- Zali Morgan, Australia
As part of this curatorial expansion, four curators—two from India and two from Australia—have been appointed to undertake reciprocal research residencies in 2025 and 2026: Kallol Datta and Shaleen Wadhwana (India), and Miranda Johnson and Zali Morgan (Western Australia). Scroll down for details.
Together, they will identify artists, co-develop exhibitions, and shape programs for IOTA27. These appointments form part of The Maitri Project, supported by the Centre for Australia-India Relations, the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the IOTA Ambassadors program.
Centre for Australia India Relations Chair, Swati Dave: “I congratulate all 34 recipients of the 2024-2025 Maitri Grants, Scholarships and Fellowships program. Their work will help deepen engagement between Australia and India across business, arts, culture, and community.”
Thanks to further support from DFAT’s ASEAN–Australia Centre, an additional three curators from Southeast Asia will undertake residencies in Western Australia in late 2025, contributing to a growing web of regional dialogue and collaboration: Ignatia Nilu (Indonesia), Catriona Maddocks (Malaysia), and Nim Niomsyn (Thailand). Scroll down for details.
The Curatorium will play a key role in artist selection, curatorial dialogue, and the development of new frameworks for cultural presentation. A representative from Southern and Eastern Africa will also be appointed to further broaden the panel’s international scope.
The group will converge in Perth in late October / early November for a focused program of research and discussion: with each other, IOTA’s major partner institutions, and artists. The visit will culminate in a Craft Co-Lab on 5 November.
Carola Akindele-Obe, IOTA Executive Director says: “This shift to an expanded curatorial model marks a significant milestone in IOTA’s evolution; it is an exciting moment for IOTA and our partners, as we extend international networks and give voice to wider craft and curatorial approaches from the region.”
Jude van der Merwe, IOTA Curatorial Chair, adds: “The curators bring deep expertise, cultural perspectives, and a shared commitment to international dialogue through craft.”
Thank you to our India Advisors who helped select the MAITRI project curators: Ami Shroff, Hema Singh Rance, Manjari Nirula, Roopa Mehta, Sundeep Bhandari, and Uthra Rajgopal.
Enquiries, please contact: Carola Akindele-Obe, media@indianoceancrafttriennial.com
About the Curators
KALLOL DATA (Kolkata, India)
Kallol Datta is an artist-curator and researcher based in Kolkata. A cornerstone of their work is extensive creative research in clothing practices, native to SWANA, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Their practice reflects upon reconstructing and restructuring memory, episodic events, and history, to negotiate larger questions of ideas revolving around research as production. Their artistic and curatorial projects are driven by community, acts of resistance against structural inequalities, shared processes of healing, and radical ways of knowledge building. Kallol was the curator of the inaugural edition of Kolkata Queer Arts Month 2023 and was a member of the curatorial team at the State of Fashion (STOF) Biennale 2024, Arnhem, Netherlands. They are currently on the Creative Advisory Council for the STOF Biennale, 2026.
MIRANDA JOHNSON (Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia)
Miranda Johnson is a curator, writer and arts manager. She is currently Public Programs & Studio Manager at PICA and Curator for SPACED. She has a background in developing socially engaged projects across institutions and artist-run spaces. She was previously Chair and founding member of Cool Change (2018-21), and director of Moana Project Space (2017-19), both artist-run initiatives. Miranda graduated from Goldsmiths University, London with a Masters with Distinction in Contemporary Art Theory in 2015.
Read Miranda’s CV. Photo: Rebecca Mansell
ZALI MORGAN (Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia)
Zali Morgan is a Noongar woman with ancestral connections to Whadjuk, Balladong, and Wilman Boodjar. She was born and raised near Wooditchup on Wardandi Boodjar and is now based near Boorloo. Zali has a passion for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and artists. With a keen interest in decolonising practices, she has worked closely with private and institutional collections. She is the Noongar Residency Curator at Goolugatup Heathcote and is the 2025 Revealed Curator at PICA.
Read Zali’s CV. Photo: Matty Loucas
SHALEEN WADHWANA (New Delhi, India)
Shaleen Wadhwana is an independent arts educator, researcher, and curator bringing audiences closer to South Asian history, art, heritage, and culture. Her academic research for The Unfiltered History Tour at The British Museum London won 12 awards at the Cannes Lions Festival, France – a first for India. Her curatorial practice focuses on contemporary art addressing intersectional social differences of, and in, South Asia. In 2023, she curated the 60th-anniversary exhibition of Chemould Prescott Road featuring 35+ artists and deep research of 15,000+ archival items. She curates public programs for India Art Fair, is the South Asia Advisor for KADIST and is the co-creator of the IMMERSE artist and curator residency.
NIM NIYOMSIN (Bangkok, Thailand)
Nim Niyomsin is an independent curator based in Bangkok. She received a Master of History of Art from Birkbeck and enrolled in a curatorial course at the Central Saint Martins, London. She specialises in contemporary Southeast Asian art and ceramics. She has been working as a curator for many arts institutions in Thailand, Singapore, and UK. She recently co-authored a monograph book, Wasinburee: An Exploration into Ceramic Possibilities.
Read Nim’s CV. Photo: L Officiel
IGNATIA NILU (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
Nilu is a curator, researcher, and cultural producer specialising in the intersections of craft, contemporary art, and material culture. Their work explores the contradictions between past and future, indigenous and modern, craftsmanship and automation—emphasising how art remains deeply tied to community craftsmanship. A curator for ARTJOG since 2015, Nilu engages in traditional knowledge with contemporary innovation, advocating for craft’s revitalisation in the Indian Ocean region and beyond.
CATRIONA MADDOCKS (Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia)
Catriona is an artist, curator and researcher, originally from the U.K. and based in Sarawak, Malaysia for over fifteen years. Engaged in an array of diverse projects, her work focuses on the exploration of identity, community narratives and cultural heritage within a contemporary context. With a cross-disciplinary and collaborative approach she seeks to encourage dialogue and questioning of assumed narratives.
Read Catriona’s CV. Photo: Kit Chan