Sabih Ahmed & Taus Makhacheva
Sabih Ahmed and Taus Makhacheva are in residence at KADIST Paris from April to June 2019 to develop a project on the historical and contemporary phenomenon of Superheroes. Their research will be presented in an exhibition at KADIST Paris in the fall 2019. Sabih Ahmed (b. 1984 Lucknow, India) is an independent researcher and curator. He was formerly a Researcher at Asia Art Archive where he led the organisation’s research initiatives pertaining to modern and contemporary art in India from 2009 to 2019. Ahmed’s recent curatorial projects include “In the Open or In Stealth” (2018-19) curated by Raqs Media Collective in MACBA, Barcelona, where he worked as a Curatorial Collegiate member, and ‘Solarised’ (2019) at the Chobi Mela-X in Dhaka where he served as Curatorial Advisor. In 2016, he worked as a member of the Curatorial Collegiate of the 11th Shanghai Biennale curated by Raqs Media Collective. Ahmed has served as a Visiting Faculty in Ambedkar University’s School of Culture and Creative Expression, Delhi, from 2014 to 2019. His recent writings have been published by Mousse Publications, The Whitworth, and Oncurating. Taus Makhacheva (b. 1983 Moscow, Russia) is known predominantly for her performance and video works that critically examine what happens when different cultures and traditions come into contact with one another. Having grown up in Moscow with cultural origins in the Caucasus region of Dagestan, her artistic practice is informed by this personal connection with the co-existing worlds of pre and post Sovietisation. Oftentimes humorous, her works attempt to test the resilience of images, objects and bodies in today’s world. Taus Makhacheva graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths (2007) and MFA from Royal College of Art (2013). Selected exhibitions: Manifesta 12 (2018), Liverpool Biennial (2018), Yinchuan Biennale (2018), Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (2018), Venice Biennial (2017), Garage Triennial of Russian Contemporary Art (Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, 2017), Museum ON/OFF (Centre Pompidou, 2016), Shanghai Biennial (2016), Kyiv Biennial (2015), Moscow Biennale (2015 and 2011), Sharjah Biennial (2013). Taus Makhacheva is represented by narrative projects, London. She will participate in the 2019 Lyon Biennial (France) on the occasion of her residency with SAM Art Projects.