Critical Distance DIRECTORY Regatu Asefa

Regatu Asefa (she/her) is a curator and art historian based in Toronto and Oxford, where she is completing her MPhil in Islamic Art and Architecture. Her practice prioritizes non-visual sensory experiences and body engagement in the formations of place and identity, with a particular focus on arts of the Islamic world. She grounds her curatorial work in rigorous research, both academic and community-based knowledge, to explore how art creates social spheres. Her recent projects include Pleasant Smells and Warm Fellowships: Scent in Islamic Ceramics (Gardiner Museum); Behind the Curtain and My Body is Wherever it Has Something to Do (NAMARA | projects); Inviting the Conflict (Ottawa Art Gallery); 83 ‘Til Infinity: 40 Years of Hip-Hop in the Ottawa/Gatineau Region (Ottawa Art Gallery); and Where We Stand (Carleton University Art Gallery). She holds both an MA in Art and Architectural History and a Graduate Diploma in Curatorial Studies.