Mr Kynsai Manik Wankhar with his wife Roselda Margaret Makdoh, Cults of The Kla, (c) Avner Pariat

Avner Pariat is a curator and writer based in Shillong, Meghalaya. He writes in Khasi and English. His literary works have been published in Economic and Political Weekly and Scroll. He was awarded an India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) grant and was a Literature Across Frontiers (LAF) artist-in-residence in 2017.  He contributes regularly to a number of Shillong-based publications and is currently working on an exclusively Khasi poetry collection to be released later this year. His latest collaborative collection with Welsh poet, Rhys Trimble is titled “Open Me, My Shadow”.

Through this research trip, Avner says he hopes “to conceptualize and curate a new exhibition back home in Shillong, arising out of the ideas and concepts attained while in Switzerland and in particular Basel.” He would also like to take the time to acquire certain skills with regards to conservation and preservation of materials and artifacts.