“Sirish is a formidable thinker with an original imagination. A window into his world is truly exhilarating.” — Deepa Mehta

Photo: Kristine Cofsky

Biography

Sirish Rao is an arts leader, writer, and cultural innovator with deep connections to the international arts world. A trained Himalayan mountain guide, Sirish seeks adventure, embraces risk, and holds a deep respect for the natural world in all the work he does. He delights in creating brave spaces for dialogue that simultaneously nurture and provoke, and believes that art is a healing and transformative force. In 2023, Sirish was appointed Director of Public Engagement and Learning at the Vancouver Art Gallery, a position he currently holds.

Sirish was born and raised in Bangalore, India and spent a decade as Director of Tara Books, growing it from a startup into one of India’s most awarded publishing houses. Sirish is also a published writer, whose books have been translated into twenty languages and have won several international awards. In the course of his career, Sirish has collaborated 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 Founding Artistic Director, Sirish 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 alongside exciting emerging talent.

Sirish has received an Extraordinary Achievement Award (Darpan), been named “One of 20 Most Influential South Asians in Vancouver” (Urban Asian), and received a Lifetime Achievement Award (Hari Sharma Foundation) for his contributions to social and economic justice through the arts. Sirish contributes to his community by serving on the boards and advisory councils of several not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions, including the Vancouver Foundation, Simon Fraser University, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC, and Vancouver International Film Festival.

Boards and Affiliations

  • Board of Directors (2022 - )

    Serving as a Director on the board of Vancouver Foundation, which harnesses the gifts of ideas, money, time and energy to build a lasting legacy: healthy, vibrant, livable communities. As Canada’s largest community foundation, it has granted in excess of $1 billion to thousands of charities and projects in British Columbia.

  • Co-Chair, SFU India Advisory Council (2022 - )

    Co-Chair (with SFU President Joy Johnson) of a council advising and supporting the university’s academic, research and community engagement initiatives with India and the local South Asian diaspora. The IAC is comprised of academic, business, government and community leaders.

  • Board of Directors (2022 - )

    Serving on the Board of VIFF, among the five largest film festivals in North America. The festival encourages the understanding of the world’s cultures through the art of cinema, facilitates the meeting of cinema professionals from around the world, and stimulates the motion picture industry in British Columbia.

  • Advisory Board Member (2021 - )

    Member of an inaugural council providing advice to the Director and Curators. The Chan Centre has earned an international reputation for its striking design, stellar acoustics and exceptional programming, winning it a place among North America’s premier performing arts centres.

  • Advisory Board Member (2017 - )

    Member of an international advisory board for a news organization that pairs leading scholars, journalists and organizations to cover neglected stories around the world. GRC produces pathbreaking journalism in a world besieged by disinformation.

  • Advisory Board Member (2018- )

    Advisor to Solid State, an organization building a solidarity economy. Developed by racialized communities in Surrey, BC, Solid State is a cooperative of cooperatives, bound by a commitment to mutual aid.