Megha Ralapati is an independent curator, writer and arts leader based in Chicago, who amplifies artists’ practice through cultural exchange and transnational dialogue. She has specialized in designing artist-centered, cross-cultural research projects between the US and internationally through recent work with Asia Contemporary Art Forum (New York) and for over a decade at Hyde Park Art Center (Chicago), initiating dynamic collaborations with community-based platforms like Project Row Houses (Houston) and Center for Contemporary Art Lagos, among other formal and less formalized arts platforms. She currently leads Chicago grantmaking strategy for Terra Foundation for American Art with an eye toward nurturing global networks of practice through attention to hyperlocal concerns.
As a researcher and writer, Megha seeks to articulate the often intangible philosophical and spiritual foundations of artistic practice, recently publishing texts on artists Faheem Majeed, Kaveri Raina, Pooja Pittie, Sanjeev Shankar, and others. Her writing has been included in various catalogues and publications, including for Documenta 14, Brooklyn Museum, Sharjah Art Foundation, and the Devi Art Foundation, among others. She is currently pursuing a degree in religious study at University of Chicago's Divinity School exploring the intersection of artistic and spiritual practice.
Megha enjoys engaging and presenting to artists of all levels, including at the School of the Art Institute, NYU, Universität der Künste in Berlin, and Àsìkò, an experimental pan-African summer intensive for artists initiated by Bisi Silva. Megha currently serves on the board for Artist Communities Alliance and channels most of her curatorial work as a member of SpaceShift, an interdisciplinary art collective based in Chicago.
