Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev is honorary guest professor at FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, a curator, and former museum director. She was the artistic director of Documenta (13) from 2009 to 2012. The event took place in Kassel, Germany; Kabul and Bamiyan, Afghanistan; Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt; and Banff, Canada. It included many artists from the Arab world. Grounded in her studies of Arte Povera during the 1980s, she developed a research practice focused on art’s relationship to ecology, politics, and knowledge systems. She has held leading positions at Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea and MoMA PS1. She has published extensively on contemporary art, especially Arte Povera and global practices. Her writings address history, embodiment, and the interrelation of art, science, and politics. Among her publications is a significant book on Wael Shawky, first published in 2016, reflecting her sustained interest in narrative, memory, and postcolonial historiography. She is currently researching artistic freedom, corporeality, and transcendence in aesthetics in the digital era. She lives and works in Turin and New York. Carolynchristov.com
