The discussion was moderated by Sonal Mithal, introduced by Saman Quraishi, with discussants Shubhra Raje, Fernando Velho, and Lester Silveira. The conversation reflected on how to work with archives that often contain gaps and fragments, and how such materials can be used to build archives and offer new ways of understanding multiple modernities across regions.
The first iteration of the exhibition was held in Goa, and it has now travelled to Ahmedabad, bringing together archival material from the CEPT Archives collection alongside contemporary perspectives on Souza’s work.
A pioneering Goan architect and modernist with a global footprint, Bruno Dias Souza’s career spanned Portuguese Goa and post-independence India. Educated at Columbia and Harvard in the 1950s, he collaborated with leading modern practices such as Kanvinde & Rai and Master, Sathe & Kothari, and later served as Director of the School of Planning and Architecture in the 1980s. His work also extended internationally through roles with ICOMOS, UNESCO, and the World Bank.
Through Souza’s work, the exhibition explores how regional modern identities were shaped through climate, culture, and political context, challenging the idea of a singular narrative of modernism.
The exhibition brings together materials from the CEPT Archives collection and the Goa Collective’s work on Souza, inviting visitors to explore the many contexts that shaped his life and practice.
