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Virtual | Book Talk: Politics of Visual Arts in a Changing World with Dr. Vishakha N. Desai
October 28 | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Join us for a virtual book talk on October 28 with Dr. Vishakha Desai.
About the Book: Over the past decade, social and political movements transformed the arts. From the streets of Chile and Iran to museums in Europe and the United States, and from questions of representation and repatriation to demands for equity and justice, protest and activism affected the creation, presentation, and interpretation of visual arts around the world.
Bringing together artists, scholars, activists, and museum professionals from varied fields and backgrounds, this book explores the intersections between visual art and social movements during the last tumultuous decade. Spanning themes of protest art, museum ethics, restitution, and institutional transformation, the collection considers how visual arts have both responded to and shaped politics and society. Contributors highlight the role of artists as catalysts for change and delve into how institutions grapple with their colonial pasts.
Dr. Vishakha N. Desai is an internationally recognized scholar, educator, and museum leader. She is President Emerita of the Asia Society, where she previously served as President and CEO. At Columbia University, she is a Senior Fellow and past Chair of the Committee on Global Thought, and she served as Senior Advisor for Global Affairs to President Lee Bollinger and Senior Advisor to Columbia Global. In addition to her scholarly publications and exhibition catalogues, Dr. Desai is the author of an award-winning memoir, World as Family: A Journey of Multi-Rooted Belongings (Columbia University Press, 2021) and editor of Politics of Visual Arts in a Changing World, 2014-2024 (Columbia University Press, 2026).
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