The Colloquium on Modern and Contemporary Art from the Middle East and South Asia offers a platform from which to explore modern and contemporary art and the visual cultures from the Middle East and South Asia. Art historical scholarship on art from these regions is in a state of flux. Rather than propose definitions, the colloquium aims to support a long-term dialogue with a cumulative impact on critical writing and the study of modern and contemporary art histories of these regions.

The diversity in the professional backgrounds of this colloquium’s participants reflects the nature of a field in which the traditional roles of artist, curator, critic, and art historian are being rewritten to accommodate and support rapid transformations in regional cultural infrastructure and the international visibility of artists from the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, and South Asia. Likewise, a variety of presentation formats lend speakers and audiences flexibility in exploring and engaging with key issues related to how art histories of these regions are being written. Participants are invited to take an active role in structuring their own events and the colloquium is designed to encourage intellectual and artistic risk-taking capable of furthering its goals of promoting dialogue among scholars regarding emerging conditions of art historical practice and encouraging students to engage with relevant topics across geopolitical and disciplinary boundaries.

Student coordinators for the Colloquium on Modern and Contemporary Art from the Middle East and South Asia are Claire Brandon (crb356@nyu.edu), Clare Davies (cpd255@nyu.edu), and Alexis Lowry (ael373@nyu.edu).

IFA Faculty Inaugural Lecture