Lisa Ray is a cross cultural pioneering creative; an award-winning actor, accomplished author and writer, philanthropist, art collector and aficionado, international keynote speaker, and co-founder of TheUpsideSpace

In parallel to her career in the creative arts, Lisa has nurtured a passion for contemporary artistic expression in India and across Asia. In the roles of both patron and enthusiast, she has cultivated a relationship with the visual arts realm over a span of three decades. Shortly after relocating to the UAE, Lisa began engaging with the philosophy underpinning Web3, understanding how decentralisation returns autonomy to artists and the promise it holds for artists, curators, and collectors. Currently based in Dubai, she is working on her next book while focusing on building TheUpsideSpace into an inclusive art ecosystem that combines tech with contemporary cultural heritage to break barriers associated with the traditional art ecosystem.

On 23 June 2009, Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells known as plasma cells, which produce antibodies. It is a rare disease. In April 2010, she announced that she was cancer-free, after an autologous stem cell transplant using her own stem cells. As multiple myeloma is an incurable disease, Ray is not completely cured of the disease.