FREE
Burchfield Penny Arts Center (Get Directions) 

Head curator of the Burchfield Penny Arts Center, Nancy Weekly, has spent years developing and researching her theory that American painter Charles E. Burchfield (American, 1893–1967) experienced synesthesia, or a unique way of experiencing the world where senses overlap (i.e., sound might have a distinct taste, or sights might have a unique sound). Confirmed by art historians, synesthetes, and neuroscientists, her research has paved a new way to understand Burchfield's legacy as a painter.

Ali Banisadr was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1976 and grew up during the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War; he remembers the sounds of this turmoil. He began making art to make sense of this time in his life. As a synesthete, his practice continues to be informed by sound.

The paintings of Banisadr and Burchfield share a kinetic energy. Through their use of color and line, Banisadr and Burchfield create paintings with vibrations. For this conversation, Weekly and Banisadr will unpack how artists who experience synesthesia create.

Join the artist of Ali Banisadr: Temple of the Mind and scholar for a conversation that unpacks the artistic impulse to capture the world as they see and experience it.  

Following the talk, continue your night with the launch of Sonic Studio at the AKG, where Banisadr will spin a collection of vintage vinyl.