Join us in welcoming Ajay Kurian to The LP fam! Ajay recently joined our board —read our short Q&A to get to know him!
As a supporter of the arts, why does art matter?
It provides safe ways for us to explore the difficult, the strange, and the beautiful, and to encode our histories and stories into lasting testaments. Art gives people ways of rethinking the everyday so that tomorrow can feel even more filled with possibility. Art is our way of reassessing what is valuable to us as a culture – something that should be done routinely.
What attracted you to The LP and excited you most about joining the board?
The ways you’re thinking about advancing resources for artists and how to develop community through artistic and economic means felt exciting and necessary.
What is your neighborhood? What’s your favorite thing about it?
Bed-Stuy. My neighbors! I actually feel like they have my back. And I have theirs.
Can you tell us about a project/event/moment that was a particular highlight of your personal/professional work?
I was really happy to be able to bring my new sculptural work to 47 Canal this year. People I hadn’t seen in ages came out to see it and support me, and I had the gallery serve hot chocolate at the opening since it was February and freezing outside. It was a warm and generous evening.
What song gets you moving and going when work gets hard?
Jay Electronica’s Universal Soldier.
What’s your favorite home-cooked dish?
Dosa, sambar, and coconut chutney.
Ajay Kurian is an artist, educator, writer, and founder. Kurian employs a fluid, multimedia vocabulary that aims to articulate the social and environmental conditions that govern both our worldly and transcendental faiths. His work often tries to bridge the gap between the local and the cosmic. He has exhibited internationally at several institutions and galleries such as The Fridericianum in Kassel, The Whitney Museum, MoMA PS1, Antenna Space Shanghai, K11 Hong Kong, and more. He has written for several publications including Cultured Magazine, Artforum, frieze, and Artspace. He is the founder of NewCrits, a global platform for virtual studio mentorship for artists of all backgrounds and experience. Kurian lives in Brooklyn, New York. He holds a BA from Columbia University in Visual Arts and Art History. He previously served on the board of the Walters Art Museum.