Episode 202: Mixing Paint with Giant Cricket Bats — with Sirish Rao

About Our Guest

Sirish Rao

A trained Himalayan mountain guide, Sirish spent a decade as Director of Tara Books, growing it from a startup into one of India’s most awarded publishing houses. He has worked with a wide range of international cultural institutions including the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), The Frankfurt Book Fair, Kunsthal (Rotterdam), The Museum of London and the Jaipur Literature Festival. 

Sirish moved to Vancouver in 2010, and co-founded the Indian Summer Festival with his partner Laura Byspalko, leading its growth to become Canada’s preeminent presenter of South Asian art and thought. In his role as Artistic Director, Sirish has presented more than a thousand artists on the stages of the festival, in a roster that features Nobel, Booker, Grammy and Oscar Award-winning artists. He is now Director of Public Engagement and Learning at the Vancouver Art Gallery