This lecture will bring forward issues around the idea of the city that are relevant to both Cambodia and the South Asian continent. The lecture will use questions and insights brought forward by Srun Rida in “Influence” as a vantage point - questions such as the (im)possibility of preserving the old while creating the new in urban spaces, the corrosive effect of cities on traditional identities, or the phenomenon of urbanization as individual alienation. It will give an introduction to the profile and practice of a selection of artists from India and Bangladesh who utilize and react to similar issues in their works and will examine the solutions that some of them envision.

About Curator

Hadrien Diez (b. 1981) is a curator specializing in contemporary art from South Asia. He has curated various group exhibitions in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal and was the artistic director of Bengal Art Lounge, an art gallery in Dhaka (2013-2016). His practice often attempts to put accepted narratives in perspective through informal histories and individual memories. He has published various articles with a focus on the practice of artists and collectives from the “global south”. Hadrien earned a master’s in Philosophy from the University of Brussels and one in International Politics from Sciences Po Paris.