Mission
We believe contemporary artists make an important contribution to a progressive society, their work often addressing key issues of our time. KADIST, a non-profit organization dedicated to exhibiting the work of artists represented in its collection, encourages this engagement and affirms contemporary art’s relevance within social discourse. KADIST’s local hubs in Paris and San Francisco present exhibitions and events, and organize residencies and educational initiatives, as well as producing projects online and via social media. Concurrently, KADIST is actively establishing networks across five areas—North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Latin America—inviting new artists into the collection and initiating collaborative programs, especially exhibitions with museums of each region. Together, they aim at facilitating new connections across cultures and creating vibrant conversations about contemporary art and ideas.
Pour KADIST, l’art est moteur de transformation sociale, les artistes abordant souvent des questions clés de notre époque. Organisation à but non lucratif, KADIST soutient l’engagement des artistes représentés dans sa collection et se consacre à diffuser leurs oeuvres afin d’affirmer la place nécessaire de l’art contemporain au coeur des débats de société. Ses programmes sont le fruit de collaborations avec des artistes, des commissaires d’exposition et des institutions artistiques du monde entier, facilitant ainsi de nouveaux échanges entre les cultures. Ses expositions, résidences, évènements et programmes éducatifs développés localement dans les deux lieux permanents de KADIST à Paris et San Francisco, ainsi que ses programmes en ligne, favorisent de riches conversations sur l’art et la société.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
KADIST stands in solidarity with Black communities around the world as we collectively resist systemic racism. Pursuant to our mission, we are dedicated to presenting and amplifying the voices of artists who respond to urgent social and political issues of our time. We also acknowledge the responsibility of contemporary art organizations such as KADIST in the perpetuation of the structural conditions that enable bias, bigotry, and intolerance. With hubs in Paris and San Francisco, offices in Mexico and China, and programs across international contexts, we are committed to support systemic change alongside artists already engaged in the fight for equity and justice. Some steps we are taking include a series of anti-oppression trainings, diversifying our hiring, programming and collecting practices, expanding our international advisory network, and continuing to encourage internal discussions centered on anti-racism. We welcome any feedback or suggestions and can be reached at [email protected].
Last updated on June 30, 2020. A previous version of this statement was published on KADIST instagram on June 4, 2020.
ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS
GLOBAL NETWORKS
We support a decentralized field of contemporary art through nurturing connections between artists and curators from various nations and cultures. Through our collaborations across five continents, we’ve recognized that some of the most important artistic voices are to be found beyond our own US and European localities. We co-produce exhibitions in cities as diverse as Cairo, Bangkok or Mexico City, through curatorial collaborations in order to responsibly address the complexity of local cultures.
KEY ISSUES
KADIST programs often highlight a key issue, through presenting the voices of artists who respond to the urgent social and political forces of our time. We recognize artists as some of the most inventive and progressively committed thinkers—celebrating difference and personal expression. While some of the work presented at KADIST may have sensitive sexual, political or religious content, artists must have the freedom to address even the most controversial topics.
COLLECTION ARTISTS
The collection serves as a starting point and resource for our programs. Our collection artists are nominated by a world-wide network of advisors, and artworks are selected through a democratic process. This is also our primary means of discovering new artists, some of whom are without gallery representation, and the collection provides them initial support. With over 1,200 artworks representing over 800 artists (and growing by ~100 artworks each year), the collection serves as a research aid, identifying a transnational group of artists in the vast landscape of the contemporary artworld.
