Episode Summary:

In this genuine conversation with the curator and director of Foundation Art Divvy Zahra Khan, we discuss the rise of contemporary art scene in Pakistan, the significance of women’s artistic creations in the region, political and social manifestations in the work of the local artists and how foundations such as Art Divvy and Lahore Biennale breath a new life into the Pakistan’s vibrant art universe.

The Speaker:

Zahra Khan is a curator based between the United Kingdom and Pakistan who focuses on contemporary South Asian art. In her role as Creative Director and Curator of Foundation Art Divvy, she works to promote contemporary artists from Pakistan and build the organisation’s presence on the international art scene. Her latest venture with the Foundation has been to curate the inaugural Pavilion of Pakistan, Manora Field Notes, a solo exhibition by Naiza Khan, at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.

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Hosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye

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Episode Summary:

In line with the new partial lockdown in Italy, in collaboration with MdA Design Agency, in this episode we meet Marco Minoja, the Cultural Director of Comune di Milano - the Municipality of Milan. We will discuss how Milan and its cultural scene are dealing with the pandemic and what are the new ways for re-thinking the museum system in a critical moment of a transparent diagnosis of its fragile parts. Marco speaks to us about the need of cultural mosaic and the importance of multiculturalism.

Is Cultural Mosaic an Utopia?

How Milan and its cultural scene is dealing with the pandemic?

How can the museum system be restructured?

The Speaker:

Marco Minoja is the Cultural Director of Comune di Milano. Since 2018 he is taking care of the cultural heritage of the city; over 20 civic museums, 35 libraries, historic buildings, exhibitions and entertainment activities. Previously he directed the regional offices of MiBACT in Lombardy and Sardinia. Before joining MiBACT he worked as a museum curator and an independent professional, conducting archaeological excavations and research studies.

In collaboration with MdA Design Agency, this episode is dedicated to the dilemma of multiculturalism in relation to the current global isolation.

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova

Co-host: Maddalena D’Alfonso, MdA Design Agency

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Episode Summary:

In this episode we meet Francesca Molteni - an Italian film director and design curator. We discuss the essence of design, its anti-crisis purposes and the collective work that can help us in overcoming difficult times. Analyzing the thin line between ethics and aesthetics, Francesca stresses on the capacity of creation to find new strategies for re-building the future of her beloved city of Milan.

How can we re-build the future through design?

The Speaker:

Francesca Molteni is an Italian curator and film director. In 2019 she founded MUSE Factory of Projects, developing editorial and multimedia projects, videos, video installations and websites with the aim of linking creativity, culture and business.

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Hosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye

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Episode Summary:

Released within the framework of Zeitgeist19’s participation at ASviS, Festival For Sustainable Development, this episode, co-led with the founder of Milan based studio MdA Design Agency Maddalena D’Alfonso, hosts the CEO of ToornendPartners, architect and special advisor for the ICOM working group on Sustainability, Jean Hilgersom. We meet him to talk about how the conversation about the 17SDGs has shifted over the past 5 years since they have been set by United Nations General Assembly, and what are the main principles of a sustainable museum.

About the Speaker: Jean Hilgersom, a CEO of ToornendPartners in Haarlem, has trained as an architect in the Netherlands and Switzerland. He is also a member of the ICOM working Group on International Committees and Special Advisor for the ICOM working group on Sustainability.

ToornendPartners is a consultancy firm with the focus on Project Management of cultural buildings, including museums and theatres. Jean has managed the projects for the large museum institutions in the Netherlands such as the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, RijksMuseum and Kröller-Müller Museum. Since 2011 member of the board of ICAMT, and from 2013 until 2019 the chair of ICAMT.

*In collaboration with MdA Design Agency, this episode is dedicated to the dilemma of multiculturalism in relation to the current global isolation.

Host: Farah Piriye

Co-host: Maddalena D’Alfonso & Kiana Talebpour, MdA Design Agency

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Episode Summary:

In this episode we meet Talimka Yordanova, the CEO of the Global Citizen Forum, who speaks with us about the concept of interconnectedness, the consequences of interrupted travelling access and the radical idea of a Global Governance. Talimka shares with us how she envisions the notion of progress by changing the way dialogues are taking place and by building on the conversation through action, subtly pushing the social criterion towards an evolution of the global mind, in order to gradually shape an indestructible homogeneous world.

To what degree can a community mature?

How vast is that space between the 'world of borders' and the 'borderless world'? Where do we locate ourselves within the 'local' environment?

And can one be truly a Global Citizen?

The Speaker:

Talimka Yordanova is the CEO of the Global Citizen Forum. She joined the organization shortly after its inception and has been instrumental in the process of its structuring, management and establishment as an active player in the international civil society. A firm believer in the power of dialogue as a catalyst for action, Tali has designed and implemented numerous initiatives in the space of irregular migration, refugee crises, gender equality, women empowerment, girls education and social entrepreneurship. Working alongside the late Kofi Annan, Tony Blair and Cherie Blair, Jose Manuel Barroso, Irina Bokova, various heads of states and government officials, Robert De Niro, Robin Sharma, Usher, Akon, Wyclef Jean and many more, she has contributed to the evolution of the concept of global citizenship as a cultural hub for cross-sector partnership built on the shared sense of responsibility for the future generations. Prior to her appointment as a CEO, she worked as Head of Development and Government Relations with Arton Capital where she advised a number of governments on the structuring and implementation of alternative foreign direct investment mechanism.Talimka holds a Masters Degree in Political Economy from the London School of Economics.

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About the GCF:

The Global Citizen Forum is a social action platform built on a community of leaders committed to improving the state of global citizenship for the generations to come. GCF runs a series of events, workshops, experiences and trainings where we focus on challenges and solutions within five adaptive pillars - governance, technology, mobility, sustainability and culture.

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Hosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye

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Episode Summary:

In this episode, together with our co-host Kiana Talebpour from Milan based MdA design agency we meet Hormoz Hematian founder of the Dastan - a multidimensional program focusing on Iranian contemporary and modern art, including Dastan's Basement, Dastan+2 and Dastan:Outside, as well as Teer Art Tehran, a private-sector initiative that runs Teer Art Fair and Teer Art Week. By means of this genuine and crucial conversation Hormoz takes us on a journey to Iran, where even though art is classified as “informational material”, meaning it is technically exempt from sanctions, the situation poses great obstacles for the country’s artists and galleries. Yet, Hormoz remains positive about Iran’s vibrant artistic environment and the region’s collecting patterns, as well as discusses with us the notion of Iranian artists gaining momentum on the international stage, both commercially and critically; the domestic art market that has been stymied by the state’s isolationism at the same time being a subject of high viewership; and what solutions the spaces are considering at the moment to maintain relevance and connection with their communities and the rest of the world.

What has triggered the Renaissance in Iranian art locally and internationally?

How strong is the exchange between Iranian art scene and that of overseas?

And how do you deal with the freedom of expression?

*In collaboration with MdA Design Agency, this episode is dedicated to the dilemma of multiculturalism in relation to the current global isolation.

The Speaker:

Hormoz Hematian founded the gallery Dastan’s Basement in 2012 in Tehran to showcase emerging and experimental Iranian art, later Dastan+2, dedicated to established artists and, most recently, Dastan: Outside, a program of curated pop-up exhibitions across Tehran. Together, the three initiatives cover the full spectrum of Iranian contemporary and modern art practices. In addition to an extensive local program of shows, pop-ups and eclectic collaborations, the Dastan group of galleries can be regularly sighted at established international venues such as Frieze New York, Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Dubai and Contemporary Istanbul. Aside from his work at Dastan, Hormoz Hematian is the founder of Teer Art Tehran (est. 2018). Teer Art Tehran is a private-sector initiative to promote modern and contemporary Iranian art through two sister events: Teer Art Fair and Teer Art Week. Once a year in June, Teer Art creates a space connecting local and international galleries, art collectors, industry professionals and visitors to engage in Teer Art Fair.

Follow Hormoz’s journey on Instagram

Host: Farah Piriye

Co-host: Kiana Talebpour, MdA Design Agency

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For sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at [email protected]

Episode Summary:

In this episode, co-hosted with MdA Design Agency, we meet architect, researcher and film producer Bahanur Nasya. She talks about how we can improve the conditions for people living in rural and coastal areas, meanwhile delving deeper into the notion of ’togetherness’ and suggesting new ways of being and feeling more connected. Bahanur grasps into what strengthens social freedom and cultural diversity, simultaneously stepping away from vicious old-world hierarchies.

*In collaboration with MdA Design Agency, this episode is dedicated to the dilemma of multiculturalism in relation to the current global isolation.

The Speaker:

Bahanur Nasya is an architect, researcher and film producer. She has studied in Vienna and Barcelona where she has specialised in sustainable architecture and future proof development concepts. Currently she is involved in a research project focusing on coastal and rural development targeting environmental and social impact. She has produced films, documentaries and fiction movies. She is the Chairwoman of the Association "xsentrikarts" and leads Wonderland – platform for European architecture.

Host: Elizabeth Zhivkova

Co-host: Maddalena d'Alfonso, MdA Design Agency

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Episode Summary:

Co-hosting this episode with MdA Agency, Milan based Design studio, as part of our series dedicated to cultural pluralism, we meet prof. Ingrid Paoletti, who shares her invaluable knowledge with us reflecting on multicultural memory and the contemporary notion of ‘habitus’, translating from latin as ‘Conditions suitable for an organism or population of organisms to live’. Questioning the current unsustainable environment we find ourselves in, Ingrid talks about the importance of society’s legacy and sensitive tangible values of local communities.

How do you believe technology can help us preserve our cultural heritage?

How can our society keep up with the demands of hanging international needs for cultural understanding and awareness?

How can technology play a role in a setting of multicultural co-existence?

*In collaboration with MdA Design Agency, this episode is dedicated to the dilemma of multiculturalism in relation to the current global isolation.

The Speaker:

Ingrid Paoletti, Associate Professor of Building Technology at the ABC, Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering Dept at Politecnico di Milano University. Ingrid is founder and coordinator of the research group MaterialBalance www.materialbalance.polimi.it at the forefront of experimental technologies and material systems innovation. Her works have been shown in fundamental exhibitions, papers and books internationally recognized.

Hosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye

Co-host: Kiana Taleb-Pour, MdA Design Agency

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Episode Summary:

In this episode we meet Wallpaper's China editor Yoko Choy, who speaks about the consequences of Covid-19 in the design industry and business, the most recent promising projects oriented towards social well-being and the importance of collaboration. In the multi-faceted reality in China, Yoko expresses her vision on contemporary design, still in flux but yet to be shaped in a more environmentally sustainable direction by the young creative generation. As a multicultural creative she tries to translate the knowledge and insides from both worlds into a common language, meanwhile raising awareness of the importance of cross-cultural exchange.

The Speaker:

Currently based in Amsterdam, Hong Kong-born Yoko Choy is an acclaimed design and lifestyle journalist and the China Editor for Wallpaper* magazine, as well as a writer for Chinese and international publications including Hong Kong Economic Journal and the online platform Dezeen. Yoko is also a co-founder of Collective Contemporist creative consultancy. She has worked for Art Basel on its launch in Hong Kong, curated exhibitions for Dover Street Market in Beijing, managed Beijing Design Week’s international communications activities and represented MARIOTESTINO+ in Asia.

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Hosts: Farah Piriye and Elizabeth Zhivkova

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For sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at [email protected]