Dr Sushma Jansari is a cultural change-maker and South Asia Curator at the British Museum. She was the first person of South Asian heritage to curate a major exhibition at the Museum – Ancient India: living traditions, which inspired the theme of the inaugural Pink Ball. She also serves as Vice Chair of Trustees at the Roald Dahl Museum.
Previously, she led the co-curation of the South Asia Gallery at Manchester Museum and was involved in the reimagining and curation of the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery of China and South Asia at the British Museum. A strong advocate for inclusivity in the arts, she founded The Wonder House podcast and regularly writes on art, history and popular culture, making these subjects accessible to wider audiences.
Sushma said her interest in the arts and heritage sector began at a young age, with regular visits to free museums in Leicester. “When I was a child, my mum would often take me to local museums. It was educational, which, as any Indian parent would say, is important, but I also simply loved being in those spaces,” she said.
Over time, her connection to museums deepened. “For me now, it’s about enriching people’s lives. Study after study shows that engaging with culture has a real impact on health and wellbeing, for both adults and children. It’s also about building genuine, meaningful partnerships where decision-making is shared. That’s vital if we want more people to engage with culture widely and deeply.”
She believes museums play a vital role in making national collections more accessible and relevant. “These are our collections collectively,” she said, stressing the need for diverse interpretations and a sense of shared ownership. Reflecting on her exhibition, she added, “It’s about bringing society together and sharing knowledge about different faiths and cultures, not to homogenise differences, but to reflect how we live alongside one another.”
Speaking about traditionally exclusive institutions, Sushma acknowledged the challenge of having her understanding of her own faith and culture questioned. She pointed to ongoing “gatekeeping,” with some acting as “the arbiters of what is correct,” making it harder to introduce lived perspectives. At the same time, she highlighted the power of collaboration. “It’s not just me saying something, it’s other people completely backing it up,” she said, noting that initiatives like South Asian Heritage Month have created greater visibility, even if the journey is “certainly not easy.”
Reflecting on the theme “Give to Gain,” Sushma emphasised humility and openness, particularly among women entering the sector. “Don’t assume you know everything,” she said, warning that the moment anyone believes they have nothing left to learn, “you shut off knowledge, you shut off innovation, and you shut off collaboration.”
She also highlighted a significant generational shift among South Asian curators in the UK. “Even one generation back, you’d be hard-pressed to find many women,” she noted, whereas today women form the majority in the field, with more continuing to come through. As communities have become more established, more women feel empowered to pursue the arts as meaningful careers rather than just hobbies. However, she cautioned that financial insecurity remains a challenge. Above all, she stressed the importance of solidarity: “That time for gatekeeping… is gone,” she said, emphasising that when women champion and support one another, the entire sector benefits.
