Lecture Exhibition

In Conversation: Materialities Artists and Curator

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Celebrate the closing week of A Tale of Today: Materialities with a conversation between the guest curator, Dr. Giovanni Aloi, and participating artists Rebecca Beachy, Laleh Motlagh and Edra Soto. The panel will advance the exhibition’s scholarly research and contextualize participating artists’ work within historical sources and contemporary practice.

A Tale of Today: Materialities is part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that highlights the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities. A Tale of Today: Materialities is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

About the Speakers

Dr. Giovanni Aloi is an author, curator, and educator specializing in the histories of art and the representation of nature in art. Aloi gained his PhD in natural history and contemporary art from Goldsmiths University of London and has worked as an educator at Whitechapel Art Gallery and Tate Galleries. His essays on art and nature and other subjects have appeared in The Guardian, Apollo, Esse, Flash Art, Whitehotmagazine, and many academic journals. He currently teaches modern and contemporary art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Sotheby’s Institute of Art New York and London.

Rebecca Beachy is a Chicago-based artist, writer, and educator whose practice explores the complex relationships we have with the natural world. She holds an MFA in Studio Arts and an MA in Art History from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and currently teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Laleh Motlagh, born and raised in Iran, is an interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago. In her practice, she delves into profound explorations of love and intimacy, resilience and care, religion and spirituality, while remaining deeply connected to her localities and surroundings. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Motlagh received her MFA from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Edra Soto is a Puerto Rican born interdisciplinary artist and co-director of the outdoor project space The Franklin. Her recent projects, which are motivated by civic and social actions, prompt viewers to reconsider cross-cultural dynamics, the legacy of colonialism, and personal responsibility.

Photographs by Bob. (Robert Salazar and Robert Heishman)