This year’s 30 Under 30 Asia: The Arts list showcases Gen-Z talents across disciplines from fashion to classical music and the culinary world.

When Bhavitha Mandava boarded the subway in Brooklyn one day in mid-2024, she had no inkling that it would end up being a life-changing ride. The Hyderabad-born Mandava, then a New York University grad student majoring in design and media, caught the eye of a modeling agent. His pitch that walking the ramp could help pay off her student debt was compelling. Within a fortnight, Mandava was in Milan, making her catwalk debut for Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta.

Since then, she’s blazed a trail to become the first Indian model to open Chanel’s Métiers d’Art collection in December as the muse of Matthieu Blazy, the celebrated artistic director of the French fashion house. The collection was shown at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan where Mandava’s casual sweater-and-blue jeans ensemble was a nod to the outfit she was wearing when she was discovered.

That full circle moment for the 25-year-old instantly garnered attention, and overnight, she became the fashion world’s most-talked about new face–for all the right reasons. Mandava is one of the 30 entries on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: The Arts list, representing a new generation of individuals influencing culture, style, art and the culinary world and whose stories resonate with millions in the region.

I think about brown girls who might feel... that something has shifted in what they believe is possible for them. I know that feeling, because I’ve been that girl too.

Following her instant success, in March, she was appointed a Chanel house ambassador and made a splash by featuring solo on the cover of British Vogue. She made her first appearance at the Met Gala in New York in May in a haute couture version by Chanel of her signature attire. Mandava, who hails from a middle class family and graduated last year, says she’s aware that her success is seen as a defining moment for South Asian women on the global fashion stage. “I think about brown girls who might feel...that something has shifted in what they believe is possible for them. I know that feeling, because I’ve been that girl too,” she says.

Classical Music Appeal

Talents from Asia are also making waves in the classical music world, injecting a youthful energy into the centuries-old tradition and redefining what a modern maestro looks like.

In 2024, Tarmo Peltokoski was named incoming music director for the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the youngest person to ever hold that title. Upon completing the current season as music director designate, Peltokoski will take on the role in the 2026/27 season and serve a four-year term. He is music director of Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, principal guest conductor of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest and conductor laureate of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Peltokoski picked up conducting at the age of 14, was trained at the Sibelius Academy in Finland and went on to win the 2023 OPUS Klassik Young Talent of the Year award.

Also in Hong Kong, Aristo Sham became the first musician from the territory to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition when he took first prize in 2025. The pianist has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, among others. Sham graduated from a dual-degree program with a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University and a master of music degree from the New England Conservatory, before studying at Sweden's Ingesund School of Music and Juilliard.

Born in Sumatra, Indonesian composer and pianist Eunike Tanzil moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. She later earned a full scholarship to the Juilliard School, where she studied under Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano. Her works have been performed by major orchestras worldwide, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2024, she became the first Asian female composer to sign with Deutsche Grammophon and in the same year collaborated with Grammy-winning singer Laufey. Tanzil also contributed to Hollywood films such as “The Addams Family 2” and DreamWorks’ “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie.”

In Japan, starting violin at the age of 3 and admitted to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at 10, Himari made her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 2025, becoming the youngest Asian soloist ever to appear with it. She won some 40 top prizes in global competitions, including the Lipinski & Wieniawski International Violin Competition and Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition, and inked an exclusive contract with the Decca Classics label in 2025.

Food: From Passion To Business

This year’s list also highlights up-and-coming culinary entrepreneurs from the region, who are turning their passion for cooking into fledging businesses.

Regine Sum founded Singapore-based Nasty Cookie, known for its thick, chewy cookies, in 2018 after starting out as a home baker. The former fitness trainer and bodybuilder has since grown the brand to six locations in Singapore, including Orchard Gateway mall and Changi Airport. Nasty Cookie offers 11 flavors, from dark chocolate to raspberry lemonade, as well as limited editions such as kaya cheese. Sum says Nasty Cookie sells about 2,500 cookies a day through its retail stores while taking online orders with worldwide shipping. In 2024, Sum launched Nasty Bakehouse, a separate cafe serving baked goods.

Similarly, Hong Kong-based baker Ankrish Gidwani launched his Baking Maniac blog at the age of 12 and developed it into a small baking business while still in school. In 2017, after graduating from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor's degree in hotel and tourism management, Gidwani pursued baking full-time. Baking Maniac operates an online store for custom cakes and other confections. The Instagram-friendly brand has more than 150 corporate clients including private equity firm Blackstone and fashion brand Dior. Gidwani cites his mother as an early baking inspiration.

Now based in Australia, New Zealand-born Elise Hilliam, a graduate of the University of Otago's human nutrition department, aims to make prepping healthy meals easier for busy folks through Appetise, a business she launched with her husband Toby (over 30).

Through Appetise's mobile app, users can pick from more than 3,500 recipes and instantly receive a list of ingredients, which they can click to purchase directly from a local supermarket. In February, it raised A$7 million ($4.9 million) in a Series A funding round led by Icehouse Ventures, with the participation of existing investors OIF Ventures, Brand Fund, NZVC and K1W1. Appetise says it has more than 110,000 active users and works with over 150 FMCG brands.

Jason Tan founded Melbourne-based Kumo Desserts, which specializes in Instagram-friendly fluffy soufflé pancakes. (Kumo means cloud in Japanese.) Kumo's dishes incorporate elements of Asian cuisine, such as its Boba Brûlée Bomb, a combination of brown sugar pancakes with boba pearls. Tan led Kumo's expansion into beverages under the separate brand Kumo Brewhouse. Tan originally opened a series of pop-up restaurants called Kumo Kumo with his brother Jin (over 30) before opening their first dine-in restaurant in 2023.

Artists On The Rise

A total of 14 Artists and photographers feature on this year's list. Their work addresses a range of topics across the spectrum. They include India’s Moumita Basak, an interdisciplinary artist and self-described eco-feminist, who incorporates discarded cloths and other materials into tapestries that depict women's bodies, often alongside symbols of nature and domestic life.

Also from India, Raajadharshini K K is a photographer whose work blends fashion, documentary, and portraiture to explore themes of identity and community. Her recent 'Sisters of the Sea' project documents the lives and labor of female seaweed farmers in a coastal town in South India.

Based in Australia, South African-born Werner Bronkhorst is a painter best known for his works that juxtapose small, hyper-realistic human figures against large, abstract landscapes. Bronkhorst was a furniture designer before developing his signature style in 2022, shortly after the birth of his daughter, and he's since grown his audience to 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 870,000 followers on TikTok.

Read our complete The Arts list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 coverage here.

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