The Buffalo AKG Art Museum will present "Ali Banisadr: Temple of the Mind" from June 26 to November 8, 2026. The solo exhibition occupies the Hemicycle Gallery and, for the first time, the Wilmers Galleries, where Banisadr's work will be installed among the museum's permanent collection of Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist art. The show includes an artist-curated selection of works from the collection, studio materials, an audio guide voiced by Banisadr, a new etching made with Mirabo Press, and a documentary film in development.
This exhibition matters because it marks the first time an artist has been invited to intervene in the AKG's permanent collection galleries, signaling a shift toward more dialogic, artist-driven curatorial practices. By placing Banisadr's contemporary paintings in conversation with historical masters like Albert Pinkham Ryder, Andō Hiroshige, and Francisco de Goya, the show explores how perception, memory, and imagination transcend time and medium, offering visitors a contemplative space amid contemporary uncertainties.