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This event will be held in English.
Organized by the Columbia Global Paris Center and the Committee on Global Thought.
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How have artists, museums, and cultural institutions responded to a decade marked by political upheaval, social movements, and renewed debates over representation, restitution, and justice? What role can visual art play in shaping public discourse during periods of profound global change?
Join internationally renowned scholar Vishakha N. Desai for a conversation celebrating the publication of Politics of Visual Arts in a Changing World (2014–2024) (Columbia University Press). Bringing together perspectives from artists, scholars, activists, and museum professionals, the volume, conceived and edited by Dr. Desai, examines how the visual arts have both reflected and influenced the defining political and cultural transformations of the past decade.
The discussion will explore topics including protest art, museum ethics, decolonization, restitution, institutional accountability, and the evolving responsibilities of cultural organizations in an increasingly interconnected world. Together, these themes invite a broader reflection on the power of art to preserve memory, challenge dominant narratives, and foster civic engagement.
At a moment when cultural institutions face unprecedented questions about their purpose and public role, this conversation offers a timely opportunity to consider how the visual arts continue to shape—and be shaped by—the social and political forces of our time.
Panelists
Vishakha N. Desai is an internationally recognized scholar, educator, and museum leader. She has been a senior advisor to President Lee C. Bollinger and chair of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University, and she is the past president and CEO of Asia Society. In addition to scholarly publications,she has also published a memoir, World as Family: A Journey of Multi-Rooted Belongings (Columbia, 2021).
Irina Bokova is a two-term Director-general of Unesco ( 2009-2017). She was responsible for the passing of the landmark resolution 2347 by the UN Security council, for the first time declaring the link between peace, security and the protection of cultural heritage. She continues to play a leadership role in the field of cultural heritage through teaching ( at SciencesPo), lecturing at international conferences, and advising numerous non-profit organizations in the field of cultural heritage and diplomacy around the world. She is a contributor to the anthology.
Lotte Arndt, a writer, curator and a scholar is assistant professor at the Research Center for Cultural and Social History of Art (HiCSA) at the University of Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne. Her research focuses on issues of post-coloniality and on toxic collections in the “ethnographic and natural history museums. For the last five years she has been working on an international research project, “Reconnecting Objects" as part of Benedicte Savoy’s team at the technical University of Berlin. She is a contributor to the anthology.
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Reid Hall, the Columbia Global Paris Center, is not responsible for the views and opinions expressed by their speakers and guests.
