About

Rhea Gupte is a storycrafter, worldbuilder and co-founder at imissmyfriends.studio, a two person, indie game studio where she writes, designs and directs. The first title from the studio, Fishbowl, is currently in development, having already received love from the gaming community as part of the official selection at events like BitSummit Japan, Gamescom Cologne, London Games Festival, PAX Australia and SXSW Sydney. It has also been featured in international publications such as Kotaku, Rock Paper Shotgun, The Escapist, Destructoid, Eurogamer and IGN. Fishbowl won the SXSW x WINGS award at SXSW Sydney in 2024 and won Upcoming Game of the Year runner’s up at India Game Developers Conference in 2023. Rhea is also a multi-disciplinary artist whose body of work spans across art, photography, graphic design, creative direction and writing. Thought provoking, her work has been exhibited across the world and is often featured in major publications talking about sustainability and social change. She is based in Goa, India. 

“I grew up in a utopian version of Mumbai surrounded by greenery, birds and many dogs. Since I was a kid, I loved storytelling more than anything else. My world has been writing poetry, dreaming up imaginary universes, analysing stories and characters of every anime, film, story I watched, read, laughed and cried with. 

I began expressing myself with words on paper as a child, through poems and stories, with 2D and 3D computer softwares as a teenager, followed by the photographic medium, digital art, graphic design and moving images as an adult, discovering more and more of myself through each medium. 

For over a decade I have been living in Goa. I enjoy the process of creation and the experience of learning new skills. I am intrigued by colour, mixing and combining it in unexpected ways. I am inspired by fluid forms appearing in nature and I see beauty in all that is transient and mundane. I like to create from waste, with minimal resources and in ways which cause minimum negative impact to our planet. My work delves into sustainability, climate justice, intersectional feminism, social change and aligning my art with the things I care about while learning and questioning existing systems of oppression. I am represented by Bleur Art in London.

I work with clients to envision and execute campaigns, aligning them with causes to deliver social impact, while celebrating storytelling and championing inclusivity. I volunteer with non profit and grassroots organisations to conceive digital strategies and visual storytelling towards benefiting underrepresented communities in India. I have had the honour of exhibiting my art and words in different parts of the world and in publications which I look up to. I am invested in mentoring young people pursuing creative disciplines, through industry insight encouraging personal growth to inspire reimagination and to reject the notion of this is how things are.

I held two part-time, long term positions at two sustainable fashion e-commerce companies alongside freelancing and making art. I worked as a Creative Consultant and then Creative Director at 400 Things from January 2018 to April 2019 and as Creative Director at IKKIVI from December 2017 to November 2022.

My art practice follows a disciplined structure with daily routines which benefit my mental health. My art and writing practice is rooted in my love for the earth, self care, growth, community, and the importance of pause, reframing and reimagining as a form of resistance. Annie Dillard wrote, how we spend our days is how we spend our life. This deeply resonates with me, in the way I live and in everything I create.

In 2020, after years of planning and learning, I started living my childhood dream of storytelling and worldbuilding, by creating an indie game studio with my partner, imissmyfriends.studio. Our first title, Fishbowl, has been in development, since April 2021.”


SELECTED FEATURES & COMMISSIONS

Head to imissmyfriends.studio for all Fishbowl related press, features and showcases.

VOGUE INDIA interviews Rhea for their article “Female gamers in India are no longer playing in a man’s world. Their creating their own” featuring her work on Fishbowl
march 2024
HIDESIGN features Rhea in their Future of Design series
february 2023
BHAANE ZINE features Rhea’s Cultures in Curd artworks
january 2023
YAVI commissions Rhea to conceptualise and create their campaign and interviews her about the same
december 2022
THE TELEGRAPH interviews Rhea Gupte about her process of designing the book covers for Karuna Ezara Parikh’s books ‘where stories gather’ and ‘The Heart Asks Pleasure First’
july 2022
PAN MACMILLAN commissions Rhea to photograph and design the paperback book cover for The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Karuna Ezara Parikh
april 2022
VOGUE INDIA commissions Rhea’s Ethical Threads series to honour Indian designer Anita Dongre’s work in sustainable fashion
march 2022
THE DIRTY MAGAZINE features Rhea as part of a fresh wave of photographers escaping rigidity in the industry, creating a unique aesthetic and lending a new eye to the interpretation of culture.
march 2022
BLEUR ART represents Rhea Gupte in London and sells selected limited edition prints of her work
january 2022
ATMOS features Rhea’s Compost series for World Food Day
october 2021
AMPM features Rhea in their series spotlighting artists from India
september 2021
RE:GENERATE by Kiss The Ground commissions an artwork from Rhea’s Compost series
june 2021
HARPER COLLINS India commissions Rhea to photograph and design the hardback book cover for Where Stories Gather by Karuna Ezara Parikh
april 2021
ELLE India Artist of The Month: Rhea Gupte
may 2021
FOOD& Magazine Vol: FOOD& GRAVITY features Rhea’s Compost series
march 2021
DOCU MAGAZINE Vol 1. Issue 4. features Rhea’s work with the Smokeless Cookstove Foundation
november 2020
RADICAL on artistic liberty, the pitfalls of consumerism and giving a canvas to thought
october 2020
DESIGN INDIA on her mindful art practice
september 2020
Murze Magazine Vol. 13 Re-Wilding features Rhea’s Compost series and words on climate change
august 2020
RUYA MAPS emerging artists class of 2020 finalist
july 2020
FLEA CIRCUS Magazine Vol 1. features Rhea’s Compost series
june 2020
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION PROJECT on Rhea’s ongoing Compost series
may 2020
VICE Rhea documents young female football players defying gender expectations
january 2020
THE LISSOME on her Ethical Threads campaign for IKKIVI
december 2018
GRAZIA INDIA “6 fashion innovators to break the rules and rewrite them” list
september 2018
UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND one of 40 female photographers worldwide invited by United Nations Population Fund
International Women’s Day Project, 2017
COSMOPOLITAN INDIA “20 women achievers in their 20’s” list
november 2016
VERVE’S best dressed list
october 2016
VOGUE INDIA features Rhea’s blog and personal style
july 2015


SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

A LINE IN THE SAND: An artistic response in support of humanitarian efforts in Gaza with BLEUR, 100% proceeds from auction donated to Gaza Sunbirds providing frontline initiative on the ground
december 2023
VIENNA DESIDN WEEK Urban Food & Design Symposium with the theme “The City as A Resource” by KOMPOST & Vienna Business Agency
september 2023
INDERNET group exhibition by Masala Movement in Cologne, Germany
june 2022
THE CROSSOVER PROJECT group exhibition tacking waste in the creative industries in London, UK
june 2022
INDERNET group exhibition of short films by Masala Movement in Cologne, Germany
june 2021
FACADE group exhibition by The Holy Art, London, UK
april 2021
TELEPHONE online group interactive exhibition by Telephone Community
april 2021
THE DREAMER group exhibition by Loosen Art in Rome, Italy
march 2021
LOCUS VI online group exhibition by Locus Gallery in Chicago, USA
february 2021
INDERNET online group exhibition by Masala Movement based in Cologne, Germany
june 2020
SHELTER DOMESTICS online group exhibition by Gallery Lane Cove in Sydney, Australia
june 2020
CAN YOU HEAR ME online group exhibition by Markaj Art based in Ankara, Turkey
may 2020
ABOUT FUTURE group exhibition by Loosen Art in Rome, Italy
december 2019
PEACHES series showcased in a group exhibition at Siilk Gallery in Athens, Greece
october 2019
INTERIORS group exhibition by Photographic Exploration Project in Berlin, Germany
august 2019
CONCEPT group exhibition by the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art in Gimpo, South Korea
june 2019
INDERNET group exhibition by Masala Movement in Cologne, Germany
june, 2019
SKINNED series showcased in a group exhibition at Lakme Fashion Week x Floating Canvas Company in Mumbai, India
january 2019
STILL “LIFE” group exhibition by Mars Gallery in Tel Aviv, Israel
august, 2018
INDERNET group exhibition by Masala Movement in Cologne, Germany
june, 2018
MM MUSE solo exhibition commissioned & hosted by Mountain & Moon in Perth, Australia
april, 2018
GENDER IDENTITY group exhibition in Mumbai, India
february, 2018

SPEAKING

Poetry reading at G5A Foundation’s Opening Night for their festival Should Art
november 2023
Xbox Women in Games Panel at India Game Developers Conference
october 2023
ANIMELA panel discussion about taking a homegrown project to the world (Fishbowl) at Soho House
august 2023
THE MERAKI PROJECT LOCKER ROOM panel discussion on how women in business can be mindful and intentional about their boundaries while living in a patriarchal society
january 2022
LET ME BREATHE x Twitter India moderated a panel discussion on sustainability in fashion and what it means
january 2022
THE IKKIVI PODCAST to keep ourselves accountable in a healthy way, stop chasing productivity, have free flowing routines, find creative ways to solve our problems and build systems that are useful and self caring
december 2021
PECHAKUCHA GOA speaker ‘Art & Beyond’
december 2021
TEDx TIET panel discussion on the general notions of hard work and success where we discussed privilege, building a conscious art practice and being a mindful creative
december 2020
BOUND on freelance writing
december 2020
ISTITUTO MARANGONI on her photography and art practice and advice for students starting out
august 2020
THE CALLING on starting her journey as a photographer and her creative process
june 2020
CAKE PODCAST on keeping creativity alive in lockdown, how to be inspired and tips on starting your photography journey
may 2020


LECTURES & MENTORSHIP

THE STORYTELLERS RESIDENCY by The Impact Society teaching an artist cohort to Tenderly Tend to our Creative Practice as well as evaluating, giving feedback and gently nudging to build kind systems for a consistent practice
2023
ISTITUTO MARANGONI online masterclass on Still Life and it’s language with cultural contexts
2022
RADICAL MAGAZINE a mentorship program to fundraise for the COVID19 crisis in India, providing a 40 minute consultation, review and ‘ask me anything’ to donating participants, to further their creative journeys
2021
ISTITUTO MARANGONI online masterclass on photographing and styling a remote photoshoot in a fulfilling way
2021
SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF DESIGN online lecture about nurturing our creative practice
2020
NMIMS online guest lecture about my journey as a photographer and multidisciplinary artist, a deep dive into selected works and thought processes, tips on freelancing and routine-building
2020
FAD INTERNATIONAL series of three guest lectures about building a digital presence in the creative space
2016


PUBLISHED WRITINGS

Ghosts of Things | Imprint Volume 2, by G5A Foundation
Also published in print in G5A’s Imprint Edition 1
Brown | Papeachu Review Volume 2, by Seattle based Papeachu Press
Ours or Theirs | Word of Mouth
We Breed Mediocrity | Soft Within Zine by Soft Within Gallery in Berlin


WORKSHOPS

Portals from Boundaries, hosted at G5A Foundation’s festival Should Art 2023
A workshop to encourage curiosity behind our creativity, what limits us, how we limit ourselves and how we can possibly transform creative obstacles with exploratory questions into portals for a sustainable creative practice.


CONTACT

gupte.rhea@gmail.com


FIND ME ELSEWHERE

I document my work, thoughts and process on Instagram and mostly fangirl over anime and games on Twitter. I wrote a set of monthly personal essays for a year in 2022, you can read all twelve of them by subscribing to my newsletter!



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