Cecilia Alemani, Kamini Sawhney
Cecilia Alemani is the Artistic Director of the upcoming Venice Biennale (2022) and will be its first female, Italian director. She is also the Director and Chief Curator of the High Line in New York, an unusual public art space that she describes as a “museum without a ceiling”.
Built on a historic, elevated railway line it offers visitors a walk through beautiful vegetation, spectacular art installations, performances, delicious food and a chance to connect with friends – all while enjoying a unique perspective of New York City. In this conversation, Cecilia will talk about what it means to bring together horticulture, architecture and art in a multilayered experience for visitors.
The Directors’ Cut series, hosted by MAP Director Kamini Sawhney, offers a glimpse into how the institution of the museum is being reimagined and reinvented today, and presents a unique opportunity to hear from reputed practitioners in museums around the world.
Bookings are closed for this event.
Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art
Cecilia Alemani is an Italian curator based in New York. Currently, she is the Artistic Director of the upcoming Venice Biennale (2022). Since 2011, she has been the Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, the public art programme presented by the High Line in New York. In 2018, Alemani served as Artistic Director of the inaugural edition of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires. In 2017, she curated the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
Director, MAP, Bengaluru
As the Museum of Art & Photography’s (MAP) first Director, Kamini Sawhney has brought together a young, inspired team that is focused on creating a new museum experience for audiences in India. In leading this founding team, Sawhney has helped shape a vision for MAP that seeks to inspire people to interact with art in ways that encourage humanity, empathy and a deeper understanding of the world we live in. She has been a vocal ambassador for MAP presenting the institution’s plans and aspirations at various fora including the India Art Fair, at workshops at the CSMVS, Mumbai (Museums and the City), the Bangalore Literary Festival and the Bangalore International Centre.
In her earlier role, Kamini was the head of the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation – one of the premier private collections of Modern Indian Art, at the CSMVS, Mumbai, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum. Bringing institutions together in collaborative projects has been one of her special skills enabling audiences in India the opportunity to enjoy several exhibitions in collaboration with Tate, London, Foam, Amsterdam, the Duke University, Durham, the KNMA, New Delhi and more. Sawhney was selected as one of the first candidates for the Brooks fellowship at Tate Modern, London in 2014 in collaboration with the Delfina Foundation. In a previous avatar as journalist and television anchor, Kamini was the Bureau Chief of NDTV, Mumbai one of India’s leading news channels where she reported on her whole range of events both political and cultural.
Ways of Remembering: Engaging with Studio Photography & the Archive February 10, 2021
Unseeing Empire: Photography, Representation, South Asian America February 13, 2021
How the Horse Shaped India February 26, 2021
Blurring the Lines: Fact, Fiction & Everything In-between February 27, 2021
Conservation: Now and the Future February 16, 2021
Mediating the Gaze in a Lens-based Culture March 10, 2021
