2_The Identity Potluck with Reva Bhatt
Identity Potluck is a recurring series that aims to understand how creatives of multicultural heritage navigate their identity. The series spotlights their understanding of representation through food. The imagery created features elements native to the creative, and how these elements impact the way in which they have reclaimed their nuanced sense of self.
The second edition of Identity Potluck focuses on Reva Bhatt. Reva is an Indian-American Creative Director based in New York. She is also the Founder & Creative Director of ROOTED. In this round, Reva highlights her lack of an ethnic identity crisis, creating with intention, and how to give nuance to representation.
Name: Reva Bhatt
Name Alternatives: Hybrid Hues
Personal Pronouns: She/Her
Current Occupation: Creative Director
Perpetual Interest: ROOTED; a creative agency I founded to uplift and create opportunity for the South Asian community, by telling stories with intention.
The place I currently call home: Brooklyn, New York
My home away from home: Bay Area, California
What my home(s) represents to me: I’ve grown up with a profound sense of community because I was raised in a predominantly Asian neighbourhood and grew up with a lot of Brown kids. So from a young age, I felt very proud of my culture with a clear sense of belonging. I've carried that sense of community with me to all the places I've had the privilege to call home(s). I'm extremely lucky to have loved ones all over the world so to me, home is where I can share a hot meal and chai with my chosen family.
A memory I associate with my home: I have a lot of fond memories of my brother and I playing games, whether it was hide and seek at the park or riding around our four wheeled bikes. It was some of my favourite times, moments I looked forward to. My parents instilled a strong sense of commitment, belonging, and responsibility for each other.
What other people often generalise about me without an understanding of where I come from: I think creatives, especially South Asian creatives, are often misunderstood. Within the American diaspora, a lot of creatives are forging new paths for themselves which is so beautiful to see but can be challenging to fully grasp for older generations. I felt deeply misunderstood by my own community for the longest time as I was navigating how to pursue a creative career. Additionally, South Asians are also having a global renaissance and emergence into mainstream consciousness so a large part of my work is to disrupt these monolithic narratives people have at large about our incredibly diverse communities.
What these generalisations are ignoring: I don't think people fully realise how diverse the South Asian community is. We have Indo-Carribbeans across Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, etc who aren't represented enough. India alone has 19,500 dialects and 121 languages. Then there's the difference of cultures and subcultures between the diasporas and motherlands. And even within a country and its people, there are so many nuanced stories, cultures, foods, socio-economic factors and histories. South Asians are far from a monolith.
How did I create a space for myself within the spaces I was in without losing my identity: I honestly believe my unapologetic sense of pride in my culture is accredited to my upbringing and growing up not being the token Brown girl. I've never shied away or been embarrassed of my identity so as I navigated school, work and personal spaces - I was able to show up authentically as myself.
The elements of my roots that I use in my creative process: My identity is deeply interwoven into my creative process. As a storyteller, I weave culture, community and creativity into the fibre of my work. If nature and nurture are what inform an individual, their cultural roots are a critical part of that identity.
How I have consciously created: In the last decade, I have brought culturally driven ideas to life through collaboration and community. They have taken many forms from fashion campaigns to costume designing to experiential events, but the throughline has always been community, culture and creativity. This led to me founding my collective and agency, ROOTED - where we create bespoke campaigns and innovative experiences to disrupt monolithic narratives of the Global South.
How and why food is important to my process of building a community: Food has been at the centre of every community gathering since I was a kid. I believe that's pretty traditional for a lot of immigrant homes. My family is big on hosting people, and I grew up watching my mom cook the most abundant feasts for family and friends, who would rotate in and out of our home. Almost all of my relationships have been built over food or coffee dates throughout the years. To me, food and community are one and the same.
My favourite meal and why: It's the entire Asian food category for me. Malaysian laksa, Punjabi chole bhatureh, Pakistani seekh kebabs, Iranian koobideh, Bangladeshi fuchka, Nepali momos – I could go on forever.
The table features elements that highlight Reva’s identity as an intersectional South-Asian woman. The eye-catching bright red colour of the tablecloth, inspired by her creative agency Rooted, showcases how loudly and proudly Reva embraced her culture while growing up. The patchwork of varied printed fabrics signifies the power of intersectionality and diversity that has contributed to her way of seeing the world. The food placed on the table hails from various cuisines of marginalised communities within the global south. Notable elements include olives to represent the Free Palestine movement and nettle powder to bring visibility to Reva’s Garhwali culture. Arranged in a circular manner to mimic a thali, the placement of food in utensils commonly prevalent in every South Asian household emphasises the communal aspect of the culture, where eating and sharing spaces are inherent traditions. This philosophy is the backbone of Reva’s approach to creating with abundance.
Concept, Creative direction and table art : Akshita Garud, Two Odd
Muse : Reva Bhatt
Words by : Reva Bhatt and Malaika Naik
Production Assisted by : Yashvi Sheth and Preet Kaur
MUA : Aya Tariq
Photography by : Michelle Malek and Akshita