London-based designer Nipa Doshi, co-founder of the acclaimed studio Doshi Levien, has been named the recipient of the 2025 MECCA x NGV Women in Design Commission.
The annual commission, which seeks to expand the National Gallery of Victoria’s Collection of Contemporary Design and Architecture with works by women, has previously honoured Tatiana Bilbao, Bethan Laura Wood and Christien Meindertsma.
For this year’s commission, Doshi has created A Room of My Own, a multidimensional work making its international debut in Melbourne. The piece features a handcrafted cabinet and a newly developed font—marking Doshi’s first venture into typography. Both elements intertwine functional design with personal history, memory and ritual.
The cabinet, inspired by portable Indian shrines known as Kavad, functions as both a dressing table and a shrine. It pays tribute to the multigenerational women who have shaped Doshi’s life and career.
Inside its doors and across the gallery walls, abstract portraits represent women from different walks of life: a pioneering 1970s Indian actress, an elderly neighbourhood matriarch, and a nurse who cared for Doshi during a vulnerable period.
This commission is also the first time Doshi has incorporated her own illustrations into her design practice, offering a deeply personal exploration of memory, influence and identity.
The exhibition runs from 25 September 2025 to 1 April 2026 at the NGV. Entry is free. Click here for details
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