Miami welcomed South Asian House for the first time ever during this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach 2023. Created in partnership with Facet, Epicenter, Foumberg, Juneja, Rocher & Co., Rossi P.C. and Shatter Fund. The ‘Better Together’ themed South Asian House took place on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at Klaw Restaurant & Rooftop Bar, located on the waterfront in the historic Women’s Club of Miami, a stunning renaissance revival-themed building from 1925. Featured speakers for the initiative included diverse and esteemed industry professionals from various sectors such as art, business, tech, funding, film, TV, music, and law. The afternoon event provided a networking mixer, light bites, DJ, female tabla artist, henna artist, industry panel, and a special Art Basel artists discussion and activation.
Says Monika Samtani, co-founder of South Asian House and producer and curator of the event, “I am thrilled to have brought the first-ever South Asian House to Miami during Art Basel, one of the most prestigious art fairs in the world. It was so exciting to bring this inaugural event to this vibrant city, and to create a space for founders and leaders from diverse creative industries to share ideas and promote the growth of our community…because we are better together.”
South Asian House programming included two noteworthy panels. The first was: ‘Creator Economy 2.0: The Next Wave of Innovation’ with Shruti Joshi (President & Chief Operating Officer at Facet, a consumer fintech subscription company and the presenting sponsor of the panel); Shelly Kapoor Collins (Founding General Partner at Shatter Fund & Partner at Sway Ventures); Bing Chen (Executive Chairman and Founder of AU Holdings; and Executive Chairman, CEO, and Co-founder of Gold House); Brianna Schwartz (Founding Partner of music and entertainment law firm Schwartz & Schreiber); and Jessica Doyle (Two Creeks Strategies, Executive Level PR, Former Vice President Global Communications at Etsy). The panel shared their perspectives about the future of the industry and the power of the creator economy, and was moderated by Miami-based lawyer and entrepreneur Vivek Jayaram.
“Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of collaboration. This event is not just a gathering; it’s a celebration of the unique blend of voices influencing our creative landscape. Facet takes great pride in collaborating with South Asian House – together, we can shape a narrative of unity, innovation and endless possibilities for the future.” stated Shruti Joshi of Facet.
The second panel discussed ‘Origin Stories’. In this panel artists shared the life experiences that shaped their practice and even why the decision to be an artist was an inevitable path, and talked about the sequence of events that lead to finding their calling as an artist. Presented by Epicenter, a community journalism multiplatform company, the panel welcomed featured Art Basel artists Nitin Mukul, Suchitra Mattai, Halim Flowers, and Maya Varadaraj, and was moderated by Art Basel’s gallery and project manager Neha Jambhekar. The artists exhibited examples of their work during the panel.
“Art is woven into Epicenter’s DNA, which is why we are thrilled to bring together important voices during Art Basel Miami and support the debut of the South Asian House. All of our institutions believe in the power and necessity of art in storytelling, and the very real need to support creators along their journey,” said S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder and publisher of Epicenter.
South Asian House attendees were welcomed with remarks by Nitin Motwani, Managing Partner of Miami Worldcenter Associates and Managing Partner of Merrimac Ventures. Said Motwani, “It is essential to gather the top minds in the business and creative industries as Miami evolves into a culturally rich international destination to live, work, and play. South Asian House’s inaugural gathering in Miami was perfectly timed to coincide with Art Basel, which shines an international spotlight on our diverse community.”
The networking industry mixer with light bites and open bar was made possible by Foumberg, Juneja, Rocher & Co., Rossi, P.C., and Shatter Foundation.
“The Shatter Foundation was excited to partner with South Asian House and Monika Samtani to provide women entrepreneurs with the tools to access, and efficiently navigate, the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the US so that women can become 100% participants in the Innovation Economy.”, said Shelly Kapoor Collins, Founding General Partner.
Attendees were entertained by The Tabla Queen, Navya Nataraj; greeted by celebrity host, actress Aneesha Joshi; received gifts and raffle prizes from partners including Orangetheory, and woman-owned companies Envio skincare brand, Cookies by Shar, and Modi Toys; and photos by media partners Miami Eats and Blackwell Sessions. A welcome cocktail was provided by E11even Vodka, music by DJ Hugh Anthony Miles, and henna by Farah’s Mehndi Florida.
