Public Programs @ the Institute
Series: Great Hall Exhibitions
Acaye Kerunen, artist, Kessie Alexandre, Assistant Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at NY, and Serubiri Moses, curator and author
Coiling a New Cycle: A Conversation on Art and Ecology
Monday, November 17, 2025, 6:00pm
In-person RSVP for Coiling a New Cycle: A Conversation on Art and Ecology
On the occasion of the Fall 2025 exhibition, Acaye Kerunen: 1246 Days Around the Sun, the Great Hall Exhibition Program is pleased to present the panel discussion, “Coiling a New Cycle: A Conversation on Art and Ecology,” featuring Acaye Kerunen, Kessie Alexandre, and Serubiri Moses.
Kerunen’s sculptural works are composed of plants from the wetland ecosystems of Nalubaale (Lake Victoria) and the Great Lakes region of East Africa. Building on Kerunen’s body of work—on view from November 12, 2025 to May 22, 2026 at the Institute of Fine Arts—the three speakers will address the intersections of environmental and racial justice, the legacy of colonial extraction, as well as organizing resistance and building alternatives.
The event brings together IFA Great Hall Exhibition artist Acaye Kerunen, whose practice and exhibition anchors the roundtable; Kessie Alexandre, Assistant Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at NYU; and Serubiri Moses, a Ugandan curator and author based in New York City. This event is co-sponsored by NYU’s Center for the Study of Africa and the African Diaspora (CSAAD).
This exhibition was made possible through the generous support of Valeria NapoleoneXX.
We extend special thanks to the artist, Acaye Kerunen; Georgie Rees, Lily Wetherill, Alycia Gaunt, and Xin Wang of Pace Gallery; Dr. J Jong Lou, and Lori Salmon. IFA graduate students Lauren Berling, Sarah Diaz, Elena Evnin, Luis Guevara-Flores, Moe’Neyah Holland, Kaleha Kegode, Josie Lee, and Sacha Reid curated the exhibition. Thanks also to Joan Kee, Catherine Quan Damman, Prita Meier, Sarah Higby, Jason Dubs, Nadia Rivers, Lisa Conte, Matthew Hayes, Ariel Luna Anais, and many other IFA faculty and staff for their support. Jason Varone designed the website.
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