Visiting Artist Colloquium
UW Humanities Building 455 N. Park St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
press release: Discover the latest developments in fine arts, craft, and design at our free public lectures by some of the most prominent artists, critics, and gallery and museum directors. The Visiting Artist Colloquium is held every Wednesday during the academic year, and is free and open to the public. FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
A quiet voice of change, Rajni Shah creates and curates visually engaging performances, interventions, and writings that open up spaces for conversation and meeting that gently but clearly across disciplines, countries, and thought structures.
Performing since 1999, Shah collaborated with a group of artists from 2005-2012 to create and tour a trilogy of works exploring moments of cultural identity and alienation: Mr Quiver (2005-2008), Dinner with America (2007-2009), and Glorious (2009-2012). Alongside these larger performance works, Shah and other members of Rajni Shah Projects created a series of public interventions exploring ideas of gift and conversation. Initially titled small gifts, this series culminated with two touring pieces made for public spaces: give what you can, take what you need which toured alongside Dinner with America, and Write a Letter to a Stranger which was at the core of Glorious. During her studies at Lancaster University working with Professor Gerry Harris, Shah completed a practice-based PhD and conducted research and produced two projects: Experiments in Listening and Lying Fallow.
Rajni Shah Projects formally closed In 2017 with One Final Act, however, Shah continues to produce, write, and perform, and most recently directed the Feminist Killjoys Reading Group (FKRG), a research and performance project in collaboration with the Western Sydney based theatre company Urban Theatre Projects. rajnishah.com