Growing up between Uganda, India, and the Netherlands, Manan Gadhia (23) became familiar with the feeling of moving between worlds. Born into an Indian family, he spent the first fifteen years of his life in Uganda before moving to India for five years and eventually settling in Rotterdam. That multicultural journey now sits at the heart of his graduation project.
"It's quite personal," he says. "A lot of it comes from questions around fitting in, conforming, queerness, and trying to understand how to relate to people. Why do we become who we are? Why do we sometimes feel like we have to become something else?"
Those questions have led him to create a graduation project that explores the relationship between people's internal and external selves. Through installation, sculpture, and participation, he wants visitors to reflect on their own identities and the ways they present themselves to the world. "My goal is for people to question their identity in some way," he explains. "Toengage in a moment of self-inquiry."
Building an External Self
At the center of Manan's current project is the idea of an exoskeleton: a structure that people can physically step into and customize. "I want to create a system that externalizes what's happening inside," he says. "Something that allows people to become something else, or maybe reveal something that's already there." The project is still evolving, but the concept revolves around creating wearable structures and accessories that act as extensions of the body. Rather than clothing as a simple form of self-expression, Manan imagines objects that make identity visible in a more direct and physical way. "Clothes already communicate something about who we are," he says. "I'm interested in pushing that idea further. What happens if you can literally build an external version of yourself?" The installation will be interactive, inviting visitors to participate rather than simply observe. For Manan, the audience is an essential part of the work. "It takes two to make an artwork," he says. "You need the artist, but you also need the audience. I want people to physically experience the work and feel like they're part of it."
From Wooden Bags to Body Extensions
The project did not begin with exoskeletons. Initially, Manan wanted to explore his existing visual language through functional objects. Known for working with scrap wood, he started experimenting with the idea of creating personalized wooden bags."I wanted to see if I could make something functional instead of purely sculptural," he explains. As the project developed, however, the scale expanded. "It shifted from accessories to the whole body," he says. "Instead of asking how an object can express someone, I started asking how an entire structure could do that." That evolution mirrors much of his creative process: beginning with a material or visual fascination and gradually uncovering the larger questionsunderneath. "The project keeps growing and changing," he says. "Sometimes from small to big, and maybe it will become small again."
Looking for Identity in Unlikely Places
Much of Manan's research draws from a wide range of influences. Alongside philosophical texts about identity, belonging, and conformity, he spends time studying fashion, sports equipment, cartoons, anime, and transformation narratives. "I'm a very visual person," he says. "I look at fashion shows because they're exploring absurd ideas through garments. I look at cartoons because they're playful and transformative. Even sports equipment interests me because it's about the relationship between an idea and the physical tools needed to perform it."Across all these references, a common theme emerges: how external objects shape our experience of ourselves. The challenge has been narrowing everything down. "I've been stuck in the 'a lot'," he laughs. "There's so much information and so many possibilities. It feels necessary, but it can also become overwhelming." For now, much of his time is spent sorting through those ideas and determining which threads truly belong in the final work. "It's about figuring out what's necessaryand what isn't," he says. "And finding ways to connect all those loose threads."
Learning to Take Up Space
The graduation project also builds on themes that have appeared throughout Manan's studies. Over the years, he has increasingly gravitated toward installations, sculptures, and spatial experiences that physically occupy a room. One recent example was an exhibition at Red Floor Gallery, where he created furniture from scrap wood and transformed the space into aninteractive environment. "I had a lot of fun with it," he says. "I like making things that take up space." That idea of taking up space feels significant. "Why be loud?" he asks. "Because you can. Because you have the space." The graduation show, in many ways, represents the largest platform he has had so far. "It feels important," he says. "It feels like this big moment. I want to use that platform and do something special."
Beyond Illustration
Although he is graduating from the Illustration department, Manan's practice increasingly stretches beyond traditional definitions of the discipline. "Illustration isn't illustration," he says with a smile. What continues to connect his work to the field is not a specific medium, but the act of visualizing ideas. "I still relate to illustration because it's about storytelling andvisualization," he explains. "The question is: what are all the different ways I can tell a story?" Over the years, the academy encouraged him to keep asking exactly that question. "They really force you to keep searching," he says. "To keep exploring the boundaries." That openness has allowed him to move between drawing, sculpture, installation, furniture, and participation without feeling tied to a single discipline.
Looking Ahead
As graduation approaches, Manan finds himself reflecting on both the past and the future. "It feels nostalgic," he says. "Maybe because it feels like the last time I'll be a student." At the same time, there is uncertainty. Alongside finishing his graduation project, he is also thinking about what comes next. "I still feel young," he says. "I'm constantly asking myself: what's right? What's wrong? What should I do next?" Several paths appeal to him. He enjoys teaching and helping others develop creative ideas. He loves working with his hands and building physical objects. He could imagine working in a woodshop. But ultimately, there is one ambition that keeps returning. "My goal is to become an autonomous artist," he says. "To have the freedom to keep exploring, researching, andmaking."
For now, that exploration continues through a growing collection of wooden structures, wearable experiments, and questions about identity. Questions that began with his own experiences of belonging and continue to expand outward toward the people who will eventually encounter the work. After all, as Manan sees it, identity is never something fixed. It is something we build, wear, question, and continuously remake.
