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Night of Ideas-Closing the Distance: Masks, from Paleolithic Times to Covid-19
The Institut Français, Paris, and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US invite you to virtually attend “Masks, from Paleolithic Times to Covid-19,” part of their Night of Ideas marathon. In this event, Lauren Tate Baeza, Curator of African Art at the High Museum, and Professor Robert Barsky discuss the value of art as an engine for social change
Both speakers will engage in a wide-ranging conversation about the value of art as an engine for social change and a medium for a rich and textured understanding of history. The theme of masks was explored through a fascinating discussion about the production and consumption of African masks which, as Baeza made clear, are often far from the exoticized and ‘authentic’ constituents of African performances or rituals, and closer to material commodities produced to satisfy the expectations and mistaken preconceptions of the colonizer.
Speakers:
Lauren Tate Baeza, the Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art at the High Museum
Lauren Tate Baeza joined the High Museum of Art in November 2020 as the Fred and Rita Richman Curator of African Art. Previously, she served as director of exhibitions at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Robert Barsky’s multidisciplinary research combines social justice, human rights, border and refugee studies with literary and artistic insights into the plight of vulnerable migrants. He has published widely, and his books on undocumented migrants, refugees, and the milieus of Noam Chomsky and Zellig Harris have been translated into 14 languages. He has also been actively involved in several national and international research projects, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the governments of Canada, Québec, Belgium, France, and the Dutch Royal Academy.
Night of ideas is a 24-hour virtual marathon event featuring philosophical debate and artistic performances produced in 75 countries around the world. It is coordinated by the Institut Français, Paris, and co-produced by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US.
