Fatal Love: Where Are We Now?

Presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Hosted by Asia Society and the Queens Museum of Art. Cosponsored by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU.

Fatal Love: Where Are We Now? is a three-day convening of established and mid-career South Asian American artists, academics, and curators in conjunction with Lucid Dreams and Distant Visions: South Asian Art in the Diaspora.

This symposium examines contemporary art production by artists, academics, and curators in the South Asian American diaspora. Although South Asian Americans have had a strong presence in the New York art world for the last two decades, they have yet to engage in a nationwide dialogue. A lack of institutional support and scarcity of full-time South Asian contemporary art curators employed in any local museums have prevented generations of artists from forming networks that go beyond the local to a national scale.

Panels in the symposium are not just organized by discipline—they are also designed to further the dialogue that is inherent in the work of the artists, allowing for a deeper discussion based upon similar formal concerns. Other panels delve into larger issues confronting the community since the election, including the rise of hate crimes against South Asians.

REGISTRATION

For further information, please contact Jaishri Abichandani.

Symposium Schedule:

Friday, June 30 at Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue

4pm – 6pm: Exhibition Walk-through

6:30pm – 6:45pm: Introductions
Featuring Lisa Sasaki, Boon Hui Tan, Lawrence-Minh Bùi Davis, Prerana Reddy, and Jaishri Abichandani.

6:45pm – 7:45pm: Double Duty: Agency and Cultural Production
Examining strategies to address the invisibility of South Asian artists through cultural production. Featuring Jaishri Abichandani, Swati Khurana, Jaret Vadera, Asha Ganpat, Allan DeSouza, and Naeem Mohaiemen. Moderator: Anuradha Vikram

6pm – 9pm: Public Reception

Saturday, July 1 at Queens Museum, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, Queens

10am – 11am: Creating Visual Patios
Extending regional forms to conceptual ones. Featuring Ambreen Butt, Mahwish Chishty, Shahzia Sikander, and Khalil Chishtee. Moderator: Dr. Alpesh Kantilal Patel

11:15am – 12:15pm: Curators Panel
Featuring Anuradha Vikram, Jasmine Wahi, Leeza Ahmady, Jaishri Abichandani, and Namita Gupta Wiggers. Moderator: Sheetal Prajapati

12:30pm – 1:30pm: Concerning Sculpture
Featuring Rina Banerjee, Avantika Bawa, Romy Scheroder, Ruby Chishti, and Palden Weinreb. Moderator: Dr. Sunanda Sanyal

1:30pm – 2:30 pm: Lunch (served on site). Performance by Baseera Khan

2:45pm – 3:45pm: Photography Document and Archive
Featuring Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Neil Chowdhury, Gautam Nikolai Kansara, Asma Kazmi, and Leena Jayaswal. Moderator: Santhi Kavuri Bauer

4pm – 5pm: Installation 2 Public and Academic Address
Featuring Rit Premnath, Mariam Ghani, Chitra Ganesh, Hasan Elahi, Brendan Fernandes, and Vandana Jain. Moderator: Aruna D’Souza

5pm – 5:15pm: Coffee Break

5:15pm – 6:15pm: Academics Panel
Featuring Dr. Rakhee Balaram, Santhi Kavuri Bauer, Dr. Sunanda K Sanyal, Vanita Reddy, and Dr. Asma Naeem. Moderator: Dr. Rashmi Vishwanathan

Sunday, July 2 at Queens Museum, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, Queens

10am – 11am: Projects in the Public Sphere
Featuring Kanishka Raja, Shagun Singh, Shahzia Sikander, Chitra Ganesh, Diya Vij, and Tom Finkelpearl. Moderator: Prerana Reddy

11:15am – 12:15pm: Painting Panel: Metaphor and Allusion
Featuring Shahzia Sikander, Kanishka Raja, Sandeep Mukherjee, Mequitta Ahuja, and Tara Sabharwal. Moderator: Aruna D’Souza

12:30pm – 1:30pm: Photography: Conceptual Horizons
Featuring Yamini Nayar, Allan DeSouza, Fariba Salma Alam, Pradeep Dalal, Priyanka Dasgupta, and Hasan Elahi. Moderator: Bakirathi Mani

1:30pm – 2:30pm: Lunch

2:30pm – 3:30pm: Graphic Artists Panel
Pardon My Hindi, Meera Sethi, Ayqa Khan, Mojuicy, and Atif Toor. Moderator: Dr. Ronak Kapadia

3:45pm – 4:45pm: The (Faith)ful Triangle
Featuring Naeem Mohaiemen, Baseera Khan, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Vivek Bald, and Ambreen Butt.

5pm – 6pm: Queer Theorists Panel
Featuring Dr. Alpesh Patel, Natasha Bissonauth, Dr. Ronak Kapadia, and Allan DeSouza. Moderator: Kareem Khubchandani

6pm – 6:30pm: Performances
Kareem Khubchandani
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (sponsored by 12 Gates Gallery)

6pm – 7pm: Open Forum for feedback and strategy

Image: Allan deSouza. Rumpty-Tumpty #6, 1997-2017, 20″ x 30″, digital print from film. Courtesy of the artist and Talwar Gallery, NY and New Delhi.