Jack Persekian speaks at The Curator’s Perspective, an itinerant public discussion series that features international curators who distill current happenings in contemporary art, including the artists they are excited by, exhibitions that have made them think, and their views on recent developments in the art world. Jack Persekian is a Jerusalem-based curator and producer. He is the founder and the director of Anadiel gallery, the Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem, and XEIN Productions. He was formerly the Head Curator of the Sharjah Biennial (2004–2007), Artistic Director of the Sharjah Biennial (2007–2011), and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation (2009–2011). His recent curated exhibitions include: “Disorientation II,“ Manaret Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi (2009); “Never-Part,” Bozar, Brussels (2008); “Dubai Next,” co-curated with Rem Koolhaas at Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany (2008); “The Jerusalem Show,” Al-Ma’mal Foundation, Jerusalem (2007 to date); “Reconsidering Palestinian Art,” Cuenca, Spain (2006); “Disorientation—Contemporary Arab Artists from the Middle East,” Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2003); “in weiter ferne, so nah, neue palastinensische kunst,” Ifa Galleries in Bonn, Stuttgart and Berlin (2002); Official Palestinian Representation to the XXIV Biennale de Sao Paulo (1998). His additional productions and artistic direction include The Palestinian Cultural Evening at the World Economic Forum in the Dead Sea, Jordan (2004), The Geneva Initiative, Public Commitment Event, Switzerland (2003), and the Millennium Celebrations in Bethlehem—Bethlehem 2000 (2000). Persekian has also directed and produced a series of short films and videos: Sharjah Biennial 9 (2009), Forgive and Forget (2008), and My Son (2005). About Independent Curators International Independent Curators International (ICI) produces exhibitions, events, publications, and training opportunities for diverse audiences around the world. In 35 years, ICI has organized 118 traveling exhibitions, profiling the work of more than 3,700 artists. The resulting networks include 621 museums, university art galleries, and art centers in 48 states and 29 countries. A catalyst for independent thinking, ICI connects emerging and established curators, artists, and institutions, to forge international networks and generate new forms of collaboration. Working across disciplines and historical precedents, the organization is a hub that provides access to the people, ideas, and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. curatorsintl.org