The Power Plant

This program, part of the Urban Field Speakers Series, is co-presented by Prefix ICA and The Power Plant.

Together, Eszter Szakács and Naeem Mohaiemen edited the anthology Solidarity Must Be Defended, a trifold publication that brings together essays and projects on misalignments within the visual arts arc(s) of transnational solidarity during the Cold War. The book looks at both grand initiatives and tragic misfires from an entangled, decolonizing world. The Hungarian curator will be in conversation with the Bangladeshi artist within the context of the screening of his work Two Meetings and a Funeral at The Power Plant,and their forthcoming publication.

Eszter Szakács is a researcher and curator with a background in Art History and American Studies. Her main fields of interest include curatorial histories, curatorial discourse and politics in art. From 2008 to 2010, she was an assistant curator at Mucsarnok Kunsthalle (Budapest). At tranzit.hu since 2011, she curated “The Pseudo Race Group Liberagility,” among other projects. Currently, she is one of a group of six working on an open, online dictionary on curatorial discourse. She lives and works in Budapest.

Naeem Mohaiemen, born 1969 in London, is a visual artist, filmmaker and writer. His work has recently been exhibited at Salt Beyoglu (Istanbul), Vasas Federation of Metalworkers' Union (Budapest) and Documenta 14 (Athens/Kassel). In Canada, he has previously shown at Hot Docs (Toronto), Gallery TPW/Images Festival (Toronto) and Vox, Centre de l'image contemporaine (Montréal). He co-edited “System Error: War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning” with Lorenzo Fusi and “Solidarity Must Be Defended” with Eszter Szakács. A Guggenheim Fellow, he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize. He lives in New York.

About the Urban Field Speakers Series
The Urban Field Speakers Series centres on the role of art in transforming the experience of the city. Through lectures, audio-visual presentations and discussions, it explores how creative practices can help improve the quality of urban life and planning in Toronto and around the world. This series of monthly events brings together an array of international and local participants, including artists, architects, curators, designers and scholars, who are working at the intersections of technology, communications and aesthetics. Reflecting a broad range of perspectives and practices, the events build upon each other to inspire dialogue on the role of the city in art, and art in the city. The Urban Field Speakers Series is programmed by Scott McLeod and Gerald McMaster.