Interview: Mallika Chandaria of The 98

Artistic Director of The 98 Mallika Chandaria (Photo by Joey Mercado)

Originally from Toronto, Mallika Chandaria (she/her) is a 23-year-old multidisciplinary artist and freelance director based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the founder and artistic director of The 98. She graduated from Boston University with a BFA in Theatre Arts. Mallika uses her background in movement direction to inform the curation of striking immersive galleries and enjoys working with artists from around the world to facilitate collaboration on every level of process. She has worked with institutions such as 59 Rivoli, Aures London, and Public Records NYC.

What is The 98 Art Collective? What motivated you to start this community?

The 98 is an immersive content production company that works with artists from the emerging generation. We specialize in video, photography, installation, and event curation to produce bold and unforgettable artistic experiences that use movement and modern thinking. 

I founded The 98 in 2017 while I was still in school with the goal of providing a platform for emerging artists to experiment with interdisciplinary art and explore themes that were relevant to their experiences. After realizing that there was an interest from the community to be a part of that process, I wanted to see how different kinds of communities would respond to this model. I went on to curate and produce seven immersive pop-up shows around the world (Boston, Oakland, Paris, London, and New York). Over the last four years, we have worked hard to expand our network of artists, build our audience, increase our scope of services, and refine our creative and collaborative process.

Wherever we produce content, our central mission remains to create a sense of community in accessible spaces. We aim to answer questions from the perspective of the emerging generation by creating art.

Behind the scenes for “3.0 The Waltz” (Photo by Mallika Chandaria)

Congratulations on your latest project “At Odds with the Air”! Tell us all about it. 

Thank you so much! At Odds With The Air is a visual movement album (or a collection of dance shorts) broken up into seven parts. The series tells the story of our protagonist “Culture” (they/them) as they navigate through a monumental shift in identity. We see their evolution from rebirth to conflict, change, and acceptance following the events of this past year. 

I wanted to call it a visual movement album because the project is a marriage of many disciplines. Movement is expressed in the cinematography, the landscapes, score, costumes, and set design in addition to the physical choreography. It is a language that transcends all minds and mediums to help us process the significant cultural changes we face as a society! 

Trailer | At Odds With The Air (2021)

We have just released our third part of the series titled “The Waltz” which you can find on our Instagram IGTV @98artcollective. The piece was directed by the incredible Sophia Conger! What makes At Odds With The Air so special is that we have been able to work with new cinematographers, directors, composers, production assistants, and brand sponsors for each installment. The idea is to make the project a platform for emerging creatives from around the world to connect and collaborate in a difficult time. We are able to maintain a cohesive aesthetic due to the tireless effort of our core team (Movement Director/Choreographer Dana DePirri, Technical Director TJ Butzke, and Dramaturg Charlotte Weinman), with who I have had the pleasure of working over many Zoom calls during the past seven months. 

We have been releasing each part on Instagram (@98artcollective) but will be premiering them around fall in New York upon completion with the entire immersive component (utilizing 360 video, spatial sound, light, and olfactory/smell) in addition to the 2D version. 

The 98 is known for offering immersive art experiences worldwide– how has the transition been for you and your team going virtual? 

It is strange to look back and admit that the transition was a blessing in disguise. Working remotely wasn’t too much of an adjustment since most of our shows were planned with artists working in different cities, but creating a space where they could all come together proved to be a trickier task. Working with my dear friend TJ Butzke was an absolute gift. He opened me up to the possibilities of virtual spaces, 360 video and helped me redefine my idea of accessibility. We were able to collaborate together on a virtual show at the peak of the pandemic and continued to create immersive/accessible content. 

Even before the pandemic, our pop-up shows were always produced with scalability in mind, so we were really able to showcase our strength of adaptability without hesitation over the past year.

As a multidisciplinary artist who’s done it all– performing, directing, photography, curation, and film– are there any other art forms you look forward to experimenting with?

I would love to keep learning about virtual reality, 360 video, and 3D modeling. TJ and I have had many conversations about the possibilities of these mediums and the exciting role they play in the contemporary moment. Outside of The 98, I have been playing a lot of piano and learning how to skateboard! No matter how frustrating my day is, I can commit my body and mind to work together and get a little better at both of these things. Piano and skateboarding kind of shake hands in my brain every day; whatever that means. 

Behind the scenes for “3.0 The Waltz” (Photo by Mallika Chandaria)

When did your curiosity or love for the arts start?

I think my love for art comes from my love for magic. When I look at the world, I see an infinite amount that can’t always be explained but can always be explored. There are a few key figures (family and friends) in my life that have always encouraged me to live in a world that feels magical. I am so grateful to have had the encouragement of these people. 

The idea of people tapping into their passions is what motivates me to create. Passion creates explosive energy. It is an absolute privilege to witness this kind of creativity and total joy, which is what I strive to create for the people that work with The 98. I want to witness people doing what they were born to do, and being really good at it. 

I have been deeply inspired by Antonin Artaud, a French theatre theorist who was prominent in the 1920s. He was a tragic figure, known for his raw, surreal, and transgressive work. His manifesto “Theatre and Its Double” opened my mind up to the concept of metaphysics (the space between words) and taking a darker approach to direction.

Es Devlin is another artist and designer that I have looked up to for most of my artistic career. The immersive experiences that she has created from theatre to installations and concerts are ahead of our time in every regard. 

Finally, how can readers get involved with, or support, The 98?

The 98 is truly open to all artists who are a part of the emerging generation who want to collaborate. You can reach out via email using our website, or send us a DM on Instagram! 

If you feel compelled to support our work through donating, that would also be really appreciated. Feel free to get in touch! 

You can also support us by following us on Instagram and sharing our work if it speaks to you! We are trying to work with small brands, so if you are interested in partnering with us and connecting with emerging artists, please send us an email, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

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You can find more of Mallika and The 98 on Instagram @98artcollective, or visit their website at 98artcollective.com.  

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