Ethical & Efficacious LLC

Ashok Pai “Shoky”

Cultural Connector • Honky-Tonk Humanist • Builder of Experiential Community

Welcome — and thanks for stopping by.

My work lives at the intersection of art, movement, and human connection. After years spent moving through New York’s cultural, creative, and civic worlds — from Shanghai nights to Park Avenue Armory openings to Brooklyn dance floors — I’ve become interested in something much simpler and far more meaningful:

Spaces where people genuinely feel connected.

Today, I focus on building environments where rhythm, design, and community meet. Places where people rediscover presence, music becomes conversation, and the room itself feels alive.

Ethical & Efficacious LLC

Creative Projects • Cultural Consultancy • Experiential Design

Founded originally as a media and cultural strategy studio, Ethical & Efficacious LLC has evolved into the umbrella for all of my creative and community-building work. It now sits at the crossroads of:

• culture

• movement

• design

• community

• human-scale experience

E&E is where the projects I care about live — projects rooted in authenticity, artistic curiosity, and social connection.

Current Focus

I’m working on bringing a modern form of honky-tonk culture to New York City:

a space where live music, dance, design, and community blend into something immediate, warm, and surprisingly grounding.

This evolving work includes:

• experiential dance nights

• pop-up cultural gatherings

• live-music events

• cross-disciplinary collaborations

• projects exploring connection, rhythm, and communal energy

Somewhere between an art opening and a dance floor — that’s where I feel most at home.

Past Cultural Work

These recent and past projects continue to inform the world I’m building today:

• Art Basel Miami Beach — facilitated a spontaneous, late-night pop-up installation at the Faena, blending light art, DJs, and improvised community

• Shanghai immersion, exploring creative subcultures, nightlife, and emerging trends in one of Asia’s most dynamic cultural cities

• Bennett Media Studio — supported international creative initiatives led by the former CEO of VH1/MTV Networks

• ROX Gallery (NYC) — contributed to atmosphere, social flow, and cultural programming during a formative era for Lower East Side art spaces

• Writing and civic engagement, including reflections on justice, community, and culture

These experiences form the foundation for my present work in creating human-scale environments where community can breathe.

Contact

For collaborations, cultural projects, or conversations, you can reach me at:

ashokpai@ethicalandefficaciousllc.com‍ ‍

Instagram: @shokypai

(A window into honky-tonk community, dance, and creative work.)