Archiving the Present, Repairing the Past: When a Gallery Becomes a Micro-Institution
This conversation proposes to examine the role that certain galleries are taking on today by going beyond traditional commercial functions to become true micro-institutions. Engaged in the construction of a critical and decolonial discourse, these entities invest themselves in the work of repairing and rewriting parts of art history by mobilising rigorous processes of research, archival investigation, and artistic lineage.
| Dates | Sat 18 Oct 2025 |
| Times | 12.30–1.30pm |
| Space | Screening Room |
| Price | Free with purchase of a Fair ticket |
By making available the resources they have created and collected, they actively participate in the democratisation of knowledge and the revaluation of modern artists who have been marginalised, forgotten, or largely unknown to the art market. By forging connections between artistic modernity and contemporary production, they help restore dialogue and build bridges between generations in order to reconcile fragmented narratives for present and future audiences.
The discussion will address the meanings and challenges related to integrating these historical figures alongside contemporary representations, the limitations imposed by incomplete or inaccessible archives, as well as the curatorial and financial strategies developed in response and the cross dialogue and curatorial approaches between institutions vis-a-vis commercial galleries that also function as micro institutions. Indeed, it is no longer possible to think about contemporary art without understanding what preceded it and the contexts in which it is situated.
Moderator: TBC
Panelists: Océane Harati, Founder and Director of OH GALLERY, Sénégal and Awa Konaté, Assistant Curator, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
You must purchase a Fair ticket for the same day as your talk. This talk takes place in The Screening Room and will commence promptly at the scheduled time, so please arrive five minutes before the start to avoid disappointment.
Header image: Théodore Diouf, Poster for the exhibition Arts Sénégalais d'aujourd'hui in the Paris subway, 1974, Photography from Théodore Diouf archives. Courtesy OH Gallery.