WHO: Haema Sivanesan, 36, executive director of the South Asian Visual Arts Centre and curator of Nuit Blanche’s “Multiple Selves — Strange Destinations” exhibition in Zone C.
WHAT: One-bedroom apartment at College and Dufferin.
HOW LONG: Nearly two years.
FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR PLACE: “I love that my apartment has a sense of space, even though it’s not very big,” Sivanesan says. When she moved here from Sydney, Australia in 2006, she arrived with just two suitcases and five boxes of books. “I hate having lots of stuff, which may be ironic given that I’m a curator, but I’m really choosy about the things I do have,” she says.
Sivanesan’s apartment is decorated with treasured items from around the world, including rugs from Pakistan, an embroidered shawl from Afghanistan given to her by Canadian artist Jayce
Salloum and Indonesian ikats from her mother. The walls are dotted with work by Australian artists, many of whom are friends. “It’s like being surrounded by the people you love when you’re really far from home,” Sivanesan says.