Private Tour of Seydou Keita led by Curator Pauline Vermare at the Brooklyn Museum
May 1, 2026
Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
Encounter an artist who changed the face of portrait photography. Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens is the most expansive North American exhibition of the legendary Malian photographer’s work to date. More than 280 works include iconic prints, never-before-seen portraits, textiles, and Keïta’s personal artifacts, all brought to life with unique insights from his family.
Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, the exhibition brings us to Bamako from the late 1940s to early 1960s, an era of profound political and social transformation. Collaborating closely with his sitters, Keïta recorded Mali’s evolution through their choices of backdrops, accessories, and apparel, from traditional finery to European suits. These bold yet sensitive photographs began to circulate in West Africa nearly 80 years ago. In the early 1990s, they reached Western viewers, rocking the art world and cementing Keïta as the premier studio photographer of 20th-century Africa—a peer of August Sander, Irving Penn, and Richard Avedon.
Witness the power of photography through these richly layered images, which reveal not only Malians’ emotional landscapes but also the textures of life in a rapidly changing country.
The tour will be led by Pauline Vermare Curator of Photography at the Brooklyn Museum
(Image credit: Seydou Keïta. Untitled, 1949–51, printed ca. 1994–2001. Gelatin silver print. Courtesy of the Musée national du Mali. © SKPEAC/Seydou Keïta, courtesy The Jean Pigozzi Collection of African Art and Danziger Gallery, NY)
More VIP Programs
Lido Pimienta Performance
Grand Hall
Apr 29, 2026 6:00 PM
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9:00 pm
Lido Pimienta will contribute a special musical performance for CONDUCTOR’s VIP Opening Night. Presented here in a rare a cappella performance, Pimienta strips her work to its most essential element: the voice.
May We Meet in the Silence of Our Souls - Book Launch and Q&A with Vuslat and Eric Shiner
The Loft
May 2, 2026 5:00 PM
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6:00 pm
The book launch of a new artist monograph by Vuslat, published by Distanz, centered on the concept of Emanet—a layered notion of trust, care, guardianship, and entrusted memory knowledge. Vuslat will be in conversation with Eric Shiner, President of Powerhouse Arts, for an evening exploring the ideas and processes behind the publication.
What makes a place? Art, Architecture + Materiality in the Representation or Subversion of Territory
The Loft
May 3, 2026 2:00 PM
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3:00 pm
Bringing together Khaled Jarrar, Sana Frini, Jean Shin, moderated by Emanuel Admassu, the conversation explores how territory is shaped, contested, and reimagined through diverse practices. How can artists and architects think both practically and aesthetically in the quest to remake space, identity, and belonging?
MoMA PS1: Private Viewing of Greater New York 2026 with a Curatorial Introduction
MoMA PS1 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens
Apr 30, 2026 11:00 AM
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Apr 30, 2026 12:00 PM
You are invited to join MoMA PS1 for a private view with a curatorial introduction of Greater New York 2026, a signature survey of artists living and working in the New York City area.
May We Meet in the Silence of Our Souls Book Launch Celebration at DUMBO House
DUMBO House, 55 Water St, Brooklyn
May 2, 2026 7:00 PM
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May 2, 2026 9:00 PM
Celebrate the launch of May We Meet in the Silence of Our Souls, an artist monograph of Vuslat bringing together 3 years of her artistic research on the ancient notion of Emanet, her work and exhibitions. May We Meet In The Silence Of Our Souls is published by Distanz.
MoMA Curator-led Walkthrough of Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa: Lugar de Consuelo (Place of Solace)
The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York
Apr 29, 2026 12:00 PM
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Apr 29, 2026 1:00 PM
CONDUCTOR VIPs are invited to a walkthrough of Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa: Lugar de Consuelo (Place of Solace), led by Inés Katzenstein, Curator of Latin American Art and Director of the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Research Institute for the Study of Art from Latin America.
