With Gabriela Palmieri, Dana Farouk, Komal Shah, and Jasmine Wahi

Centering access, equity, and knowledge-building, the conversation explores how those with power in the art world can meaningfully support artists working across borders while challenging exclusionary systems, and not just one time but as a sustained practice. Bringing together, collectors, curators, and cultural leaders, our panelists will discuss the infrastructures in place and those needed in order to build and sustain ongoing practices of collecting work from the Global Majority, particularly in a time of increasing political restriction and global inequality. 

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Bios

‍Dana Farouki is a cultural strategist, curator and patron, specializing in contemporary art from the Middle East. Farouki was the first member of the Guggenheim Museum Abu Dhabi curatorial staff.  Until 2018, she oversaw the largest commissioning based prize for artists from the MENASA in collaboration with Art Dubai.  She serves as an advisor to the Diriyah Biennale. She is currently a Trustee of MoMA PS1, Bidoun Projects and  Creative Time. She is the founding Chair of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s Middle East Circle.  In 2023, she received the Anderson Ranch Art Center Service to the Arts Award.

Originally from Ahmedabad, India, Komal Shah migrated to the US in 1991 to study computer science in California. After completing her Masters at Stanford, she earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at Berkeley, eventually holding positions in the executive suites of Oracle, Netscape, and Yahoo. In 2008, Shah left the tech industry to focus on philanthropic pursuits. She then began developing the Shah Garg Collection with her husband and tech entrepreneur Gaurav Garg, solidifying a vision for the collection’s emphasis on women artists in 2014. Today, they are focused on amplifying the voices of women artists through the Making Their Mark Foundation.

‍Jasmine Wahi is a curator and cultural leader known for her intersectional approach to art and social justice. She is the Founder and Co-Director of Project for Empty Space, an organization committed to creating inclusive, equity-driven cultural spaces. Formerly the Holly Block Social Justice Curator at the Bronx Museum, Wahi’s curatorial work centers on amplifying marginalized voices and challenging institutional inequities. Her projects have been featured nationally, and she is a recipient of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Civic Leadership Award, recognizing her transformative impact in the arts and community engagement.

Gabriela Palmieri
forthcoming

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