Intersect 21: Programming

Intersect 21, a virtual exhibition featuring art, design, and photography from 21 galleries in Southern California, the Middle East, and North Africa announces its programming lineup, featuring online panel discussions, videos, and more.

Intersect 21 presents a focused, curated platform for cultural exchange. Galleries included will explore the notion of art and place, the creation of art in these specific regions, and the impact it has on their culture and society.

As part of the ongoing events on the Intersect2021.com website, Special Project Cultural Partner Art D’Egypte will present select artworks from the exhibition Technocrats as well as featured videos from past projects. Paula Crown Atelier will debut a new interactive installation, EMANARE (2021) on view through the windows of the new Crown studio space in downtown Palm Springs, and online through Intersect2021.com and AtelierPaulaCrown.com. The public is invited to submit positive messages that will be added to the piece and will appear online and in Palm Springs.

Daily Calendar of Events

For more information and to register for talks, visit the Intersect 21 events page at: https://www.intersect2021.com/tuesday-february-16

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 – Art, Culture, and Place

12pm Eastern: Opening Event featuring an introduction and overview by Intersect Art and Design’s CEO Tim von Gal, Managing Director Becca Hoffman, and curatorial advisor for Intersect 21 Rebecca Anne Proctor; followed by video highlights from exhibitors and cultural partners.

1pm Eastern: The Cultural Oxymoron, a panel discussion addressing spirituality and society and including Laura Gallon, Founder of Arte Laguna Prize Arsenal of Venice; Massimiliano Moro, an artist who creates new equilibriums between light and architecture through the practices of design and sculpture; Amirah Sackett, American Muslim hip-hop dancer and internationally established dancer; and moderated by Mohamed Benhadj, Founder & Curator of Al-Tiba9.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 – Art, Design, and Place

12pm Eastern: Desert Modern: Cross-Cultural Influences in Art and Design, a panel in which designers choose their favorite works across Intersect 21’s three regions, including Sarah A. Abdallah, designer, interior architect, and founder of Functional Creative Design; Steve Kadlec, architect and founder and principal of Kadlec Architecture + Design; Rasheed Kamel, art and design collector and owner of contemporary design gallery Le LAB; and moderated by Erika Heet, Editor-in-Chief, Interiors Magazine.

3pm Eastern: Exploring Morocco’s Cultural Heritage: A Discussion of Visual Art, Design, & Gnawa Music Practices in Essaouira with panelists Meriem Berrada, Artistic Director, The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), and the Head of Cultural Projects at Fondation Alliances; Abel Damoussi, music producer and cofounder of the Marrakech Biennale; Kenza Melehi, Designer; Hadia Temil, Director, Galerie SINIYA28; and moderated by Tina Barouti, PhD Candidate, Art Historian, & Curator.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 – Art, Identity, and Place

10am Eastern: Art as Survival: How A Middle Eastern Artist, Gallerist, and Collector Navigated the Pandemic, a discussion between Mohamed Afkhami, Collector and Founder and Managing Partner of Magenta Capital Services; Leila Heller, Founder and President of Leila Heller Gallery; Marwan Sahmarani, artist (Leila Heller Gallery); and moderated by Rebecca Anne Proctor, curatorial advisor for Intersect 21.

11:30am Eastern: The Cross-Cultural Female Gaze, a conversation with artists Lita Albuquerque (Peter Blake Gallery); Alia Ali (Galerie SINIYA28); Rania Mater (Galerie Tanit); and moderated by Manal Ataya, Director General of the Sharjah Museums Authority.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 – Art, Environment, and Place

11am Eastern: No Place Like Home: Iranian Subcultural Artmaking Today, including James Brett, founder, The Gallery of Everything; and Morteza Zahedi, artist & curator.

12pm Eastern: Against the Odds: Iranian Culture, Art, and a Positive Outlook for the Future with Ali Bakhtiari, curator; Golnaz Fathi, artist; Mandana Farahmand Pooya, Founder and Director, Khak Gallery in Tehran; Bahar Sabzevari, artist (Leila Heller Gallery); and moderated by Rebecca Anne Proctor, curatorial advisor for Intersect 21.

2pm Eastern: Non-specific Site-specific Art, a discussion with artists Laddie John Dill (Timothy Yarger Fine Art); Muhannad Shono (Athr Gallery); and moderated by critic and curator Paul Laster.

4pm Eastern: Hyperion Hope: Ruth Pastine and Mads Christensen on Light as the Source and Subject of Their Art, including artists Mads Christensen (Timothy Yarger Fine Art), and Ruth Pastine (Edward Cella Gallery); moderated by Hunter Drohojowska-Philip, journalist and art critic.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 – Art, Memory, and Place

2pm Eastern: Memory: The Passing of Time and Place and the Art of the Levant, a panel discussion with artists Chafa Ghaddar (Galerie Tanit); Hiba Kalache (Saleh Barakat Gallery); Afaf Zurayk (Saleh Barakat Gallery); and moderated by Saleh Barakat.

3:30pm Eastern: Telling Our Stories: Navigating Art and Culture in the U.S. and Middle East Speakers share their extensive experiences working in California and the Middle East: Ladan Akbarnia, Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, San Diego Museum of Art; Maneli Keykavoussi, curator, art collector and director, Farideh Lashai Foundation; Angella Nazarian, founder, Visionary Women and board member, Hammer Museum; Firooz Zahedi, photographer; and moderated by Leila Heller, Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai and New York.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 – Art, Architecture, and Place

11am Eastern: Architecture, Design, and Community Resiliency, a panel discussing how communities are preparing for the future by looking to their past, with panelists Abdulrahman Hisham Gazzaz – Bricklab; Turki Hisham Gazzaz – Bricklab; Nelson Scott Smith – Artichoke Design Company; Dr. Alamira Reem Al Hashimi, PHD – Urbanist, Architect, and Historian; and moderated by Val Zillig, AICP – MajliStan Urban Planning Group.

12:30pm Eastern: Can Artists Save the Salton Sea? A panel including artists Randy Polumbo (Imago Galleries) and Olivia Steele (Melissa Morgan Fine Art); moderated by one of the founders of the Bombay Beach Biennial, Tao Ruspoli; and Editor-in-Chief of Palm Springs Life, Steven Biller. The panel will discuss the history of the sea and the looming health and environmental crisis it creates in Southern California, and how artists discovered and rallied for the cause.

2pm Eastern: Hybridity and Fluidity, a conversation with artist Amir Zaki (Edward Cella) and Virginia Heckert, Curator of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 – Art, Pattern, and Place

9:30am Eastern: Art in Conflict Zones: Can Art Act as a Catalyst for Social Change? A panel including artists Benji Boyadgian (Zawyeh Gallery); Kendall Carter (Edward Cella Art & Architecture); Hady Sy (Saleh Barakat Gallery); along with Roger Michael, founder and director of the Institute for Digital Archaeology; and moderated by Rebecca Anne Proctor, curatorial advisor for Intersect 21.

11am Eastern: Shaping the World Around Us: Patterns and Motifs in Contemporary Art including artists Brad Miller (Edward Cella Art & Architecture); Lulwah Al Homoud (Diwaniya Art Gallery); Aref Montazeri (Leila Heller Gallery); art critic, curator, and writer Shana Nys Dambrot; and moderated by Liza Shapiro, CURA Art.

12:30pm Eastern: Middle Eastern Photography: A Window into Art and Documentation of Time and Place, a panel with Sama Alshaibi, Photographer and Professor of Photography at University of Arizona; Heba Farid and Zain Khalifa, founders of TINTERA; M’hammed Kilito, Photographer; Steve Sabella, Photographer; and moderated by Sueraya Shaheen, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Tribe Magazine.