18

18 brings together 18 emerging curators, 18 contemporary artists, and 18 distinct works in a collaborative exhibition presented by Sotheby’s Institute of Art and THE BLANC. This exhibition offers a bold and unconventional approach to curating and displaying contemporary art. Each curator–artist pairing presents a singular work, resulting in a dynamic and diverse collection that reflects new voices, experimental methods, and a reimagining of curatorial practice for a new generation.

Each of the 18 selected young curators has been matched with an artist and assigned the task ofcurating a piece of artwork that reflects the theme of 18. As a result, the exhibition showcases adynamic and diverse collection of 18 works, spanning video art, painting, and sculpture, thatchallenges conventional curatorial practices and offers this group of curators and artists aplatform to collaborate and experiment with inventive concepts and techniques. 

18 is the culmination of four stellar exhibitions, The Dreamers, Radical Roots: A GlobalConversation, Veiled Construction: Dark Perceptions of the Human Experience, and Beyond the Paint, which were curated by students at Sotheby's Institute of Art and received recognitionfrom notable figures such as the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, and Reverend AlSharpton. As such, "18" represents the pinnacle of the hard work and brilliance demonstrated bythese emerging curators. 

Artists

Nana Shimomura, Jarid Blue, Jaouad Bentama, Li Kang, Alchemyverse, Kiki Smith, Victoria Martínez, Clare Watt, Sia Fang, Maess Anand, Carlie Hoffer, Jarid Blue, Janet Jones, Ye Cheng, Heather Jones, Milly Skellington, Yinglun Dai, Valentina Bernot.

Curators

Shota Hachisako, Angelina Diamante, Lara Sleiman, Dongpeng Wang, Yu-chin Lin, William Tomita, Amanda Garcia, Zoe Weingarten, Xiaoqian Wang, Harit Jiaravongtrakul, Carlie Hoffer, Victoria Espinosa, Kinda Ghandour, Jialin Ma, Natalia Pakh, NJ Xiong, Yixuan Han, Carolina Audelo Mattern.