The Legacy of Henry Corbin: Art of Central Asia - Washington DC, May 22, 2010

"...the Imagination (or love, or sympathy, or any other sentiment) induces knowledge, and knowledge of an 'object' which is proper to it..."

Henry Corbin (1903-1978) was a scholar, philosopher and theologian. He was a champion of the transformative power of the Imagination and of the transcendent reality of the individual in a world threatened by totalitarianisms of all kinds. One of the 20th century’s most prolific scholars of Islamic mysticism, Corbin was Professor of Islam & Islamic Philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Teheran. He was a major figure at the Eranos Conferences in Switzerland. He introduced the concept of the mundus imaginalis into contemporary thought. His work has provided a foundation for archetypal psychology as developed by James Hillman and influenced countless poets and artists worldwide. But Corbin’s central project was to provide a framework for understanding the unity of the religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His great work Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi is a classic initiatory text of visionary spirituality that transcends the tragic divisions among the three great monotheisms. Corbin’s life was devoted to the struggle to free the religious imagination from fundamentalisms of every kind. His work marks a watershed in our understanding of the religions of the West and makes a profound contribution to the study of the place of the imagination in human life.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Art of Central Asia - Washington DC, May 22, 2010

SPECIAL LECTURE

LEEZA AHMADY
THE TASTE OF OTHERS

CONTEMPORARY ART IN CENTRAL ASIA

Saturday, May 22, 2 PM. Meyer Auditorium

Free. Seating is on first-come, first-served basis.

After fifty years of isolation and two decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, Central Asian nations are re-connecting to the world and renegotiating relationships with one another through small but vibrant artistic communities. Leeza Ahmady, independent art curator and specialist in art from Central Asia, lectures on the struggles and successes of artists from Afghanistan and the former Soviet Republics of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan and based in New York, Ahmady has implemented innovative programs featuring a variety of art forms, notably as director of Asian Contemporary Art Week (ACAW), which is presented annually in museums and galleries throughout New York City. As part of an ongoing curatorial project, Ahmady has traveled widely in Central Asia, promoting the largely unknown artists of the region in various international art forums, including the Venice Biennale, Istanbul Biennale, and Asia Art Archive in Hong Kong.

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