Students of the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology (SMI) brought imagination, inquiry, and experimentation to the forefront through a four-day exhibition held from December 18 to 21, 2025. Spread across two prominent city venues, the exhibition showcased how emerging artists and designers are using creative practice to respond to contemporary challenges and imagine future worlds.
The exhibitions unfolded at the Bangalore International Centre and the Venkatappa Art Gallery, drawing visitors into immersive experiences that crossed boundaries between art, design, technology, and social inquiry. Together, the showcases reflected SMI’s emphasis on transdisciplinary learning and future-focused thinking.
‘Practices of Attunement’ Opens the Dialogue
The exhibition opened on December 18 and 19 at the Bangalore International Centre with Practices of Attunement, a postgraduate showcase featuring works by students from the MDes and MA programmes. Around 70 to 80 students presented projects that explored themes such as community engagement, climate action, urban systems, histories, and contemporary narratives.
Curated by SMI faculty members Jatin Gulati and Karthika Sakthivel, the exhibition was organised around three thematic clusters that emerged as a collective chorus of voices. These works layered design, art, and technology to create research-led responses to present-day realities.
Commenting on the exhibition, Dr. Priya Joseph, Professor at SMI, said the show reflected the institute’s distinctive approach to postgraduate education. She noted that students were encouraged to work across disciplines and use creative practice to make meaningful arguments about society, cities, and climate.
Undergraduates ‘Make New Worlds’
The exhibition continued on December 20 and 21 at the historic Venkatappa Art Gallery with Prologue: Make New Worlds, a public showcase of final-year undergraduate work. Projects by over 300 seventh-semester students from all 11 courses under SMI’s Undergraduate Professional Programme were displayed.
The gallery featured a wide range of works including short films, animations, product designs, publications, digital platforms, and system-based solutions. These projects addressed diverse areas such as healthcare, education, sustainability, urban development, and social systems.
For many students, the exhibition marked a pivotal stage in their four-year academic journey. After three years of studios, workshops, and short-term learning modules, students spent an entire semester deeply engaging with contexts of their choice, experimenting with tools, media, and methods ahead of their final term.
Art and Design at the Centre of Change
Dr. Arindam Das, Director of SMI, said creativity today extends far beyond aesthetics. He emphasised that art and design now shape systems, services, and processes that influence everyday life, cities, and economies.
Echoing this sentiment, Ramesh Kalkur, Associate Director (Academics), SMI, said education at the institute is focused not only on careers but on enabling students to shape the future. He added that the future is something to be actively created through ideas that strengthen communities and build deeper connections with the world.
Across all four days, visitors engaged directly with students, gaining insight into the depth of experimentation and inquiry that defines SMI’s pedagogy. The exhibitions stood as a reflection of diverse voices, thoughtful research, and a creative practice that begins with personal inquiry and extends outward to society at large.
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