On this episode of the Latitudes Podcast, Refiloe Mpakanyane is joined by Heba El Kayal. Heba is a curator, consultant, writer and researcher, originally from Cairo with networks in the Middle East, North Africa, The UK and the USA.

With a Master's degree in Art History from Columbia University in New York, Heba is the former Chief Curatorial Consultant at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town and recently joined Strauss & Co's Advisory Board in 2024. She has held advisory roles to collectors, auction houses and art institutions in Beirut, Dubai, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the USA.

In our conversation, we focus on how technological connectivity informs art writing and criticism; how identity can inform process and meaning-making. The conversation is underpinned by Heba's thoughtful account of her own journey into and through a dynamic African art landscape.

Highlights Include:

• Her journey into art writing and the challenges of lack of documentation
• Curating the 2019 exhibition “Speaking Across Mountains”
• Identity, art and making meaning: how they intertwine and inform each other

Referenced exhibitions & institutions:

• The New Art Exchange: “The Work of Ibrahim Ahmed” by Heba El Kayal
• Havana Biennal
•  “Interview with Kurdish Art Exhibition Curator, Hebel Kayal.” An episode of the Kurdistan In America podcast
• “Speaking Across Mountains: Kurdish Artists in Dialogue” exhibition curated by Heba El Kayal at The Middle East Institute
• The Painted Protest: How politics destroyed contemporary art by Dean Kissick on Harper’s Bazaar
• “A round up of the 12th Investec Cape Town Art Fair”, A review by Nkgopoleng Moloi on Artthrob

Chapter 3 (Art Criticism in the Age of the Algorithm) spans episodes 7-9 of Season 2 of the Latitudes Podcast. It brings together writers, critics, and art professionals to examine the evolving landscape of contemporary art criticism and its new means of communication. Art writers have long played a pivotal role in steering conversations within the art world, but as their platforms and methods of communication shift, so too does the depth and scope of their influence.

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Supported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)

Co-curated by Art School Africa

Hosted by Refiloe Mpakanyane