Aria Maish Nichani
About
Aria is dedicated to making art experiences more accessible rather than exclusive by connecting artworks to social and cultural contexts in ways that invite personal engagement.
Through an interdisciplinary approach to the arts, she became drawn to how exhibitions shape meaning as a whole, developing her interest in curation. She is particularly interested in how art is positioned within a broader ecosystem of artists, spaces, themes and audiences.
Aria has consistently engaged with visual arts in her academic practice, exploring exhibition-making in relation to audience interpretation and participation within contemporary art. She has immersed herself in different positions within the arts ecosystem through projects, in both local and international art contexts. She has also curated exhibitions and contributed to community-driven initiatives that foster more sustained forms of engagement.
These experiences have strengthened her interest in how curatorial practice can activate dialogue and situate art within broader social and cultural conversations.
Space to Place: Independent art spaces as third places in Singapore
This thesis explores how independent art spaces in Singapore can function as 'third places' through their curatorial, community engagement and operational strategies.
Grounded in Ray Oldenburg’s framework, it examines how exhibitions can foster inclusivity, dialogue and a sense of everyday belonging within the context of increasing social isolation and cultural precarity.
Focusing on independent art spaces in Singapore, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with founders, along with an analysis of curatorial texts and programmes. It finds that interdisciplinary and personal approaches to curation, along with participatory forms of engagement, enable these spaces to take on characteristics of third places, while also revealing ongoing tensions between sustainability and overall accessibility.
These findings offer insights into strengthening the social relevance and resilience of independent art spaces in Singapore.
Professional practice
Aria’s professional practice is shaped by curatorial research and community-oriented work.
During her time with OH! Open House, she contributed to projects such as OH! Moonstone and the Punggol neighbourhood storybook, where she was involved in research and writing of the accompanying collaterals. Working on site-responsive and heritage-based projects, she engaged with local histories and community perspectives, developing an understanding of how curatorial approaches are shaped through place, participation and lived experience.
Alongside this, she has actively immersed herself in international art contexts through cultural exchanges at Osaka, Sibiu and Yogyakarta, to observe how different cultural and institutional frameworks shape audience engagement and curatorial strategies. Additionally, Ariana was the student curator of Slabs, Sheets, Shards, a ceramics exhibition exploring the materiality of clay through ceramic works. The exhibition was attended by over 50 visitors, including industry professionals. Through these varied roles, she has gained insight into both the conceptual and operational dimensions of exhibition-making.
These experiences inform her research interests in independent art spaces, curatorial mediation and the social role of exhibitions. She is particularly interested in how curatorial practices can foster accessibility, sustain engagement and forms of belonging, drawing from both community-based work and comparative insights across different art contexts.
Trans/Mission Seminar 2026
Aria was invited as one of 32 BA (Hons) students to present her dissertation, 'Space to Place: Independent Art Spaces as Third Places in Singapore', at the Trans/Mission seminar.
As part of the ecologies panel, she shared her preliminary research alongside other cross-disciplinary projects addressing social ecologies and broader societal concerns. The academic seminar brings together student researchers to exchange ideas across disciplines, creating space for dialogue and critical feedback.
Critical Ecologies (Shared Campus)
Aria travelled to Yogyakarta on a cultural exchange with Bachelor’s and Master’s students from Taipei, Zurich and Singapore, immersing herself in the city’s arts landscape.
She engaged with local practitioners and observed how their relationship with the land shapes artistic practice through a connection between spirituality, science and art.
This experience expanded her understanding of the potential of art spaces and collectives. She translated these reflections into a video presented in From Earth to Anima Ecologica: Groundwork for Conviviality at Project Space, LASALLE College of the Arts.
Osaka World Expo 2025
Aria was invited to take part in a cultural exchange at Expo 2025 Osaka, where she shared her experiences of the arts landscape in Singapore while learning from their perspectives. The exchange extended beyond the trip, as she returned to Singapore to present her reflections and insights.
Being in this setting, she observed how national pavilions and immersive installations shaped audience experience through spatial design and interaction, highlighting how curatorial strategies at scale can bring together cultural narratives and participation to engage diverse audiences.
Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) Sibiu 2025
Aria was invited to participate in the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) in Sibiu, Romania. This experience gave her insights into large-scale international arts production and audience engagement. As one of the world’s largest performing arts festivals, FITS transforms the city into a cultural space, with performances extending beyond traditional venues into public and everyday environments.
Being in this setting allowed her to observe how diverse audiences encounter and engage with art across formal and informal contexts, highlighting how programming and spatial strategies shape accessibility and integrate art into public life.
Lionel Fong
Ruth Au
Muhammad Syahrul Syadzwan Bin Mohammad Nazli
Jermaine Chong
Sanjana Sairaj
Choo Jing Wen
