Ryan Cosbert in Conversation with Grace Aneiza Ali

On Saturday, October 11, Welancora Gallery will host an artist talk featuring Ryan Cosbert in conversation with Guyanese curator-scholar, Grace Aneiza Ali, in support of the current exhibition, The Waters Knew the Language of the Flames. The talk will take place from 3:30-4:30 pm.

The Waters Knew the Language of the Flames is Ryan Cosbert's first solo exhibition at Welancora. Her work approaches and focuses on her personal experiences, self-expression, political issues, and historical narratives. The exhibition is an exploration of the elemental forces: earth, water, fire, and air within the context of Caribbean history, migration, and resilience. Drawing from the deep roots of her Guyanese and Haitian heritage, her new body of work examines how these forces have shaped identity, movement, and transformation across generations. This exhibition is on view through November 6, 2025. Read the full press release and view the artworks that are on view here on our website.

Ryan Cosbert (b. 1999 Brooklyn, NY) is a first generation African-American (of Haitian & Guyanese descent) conceptual artist whose work approaches and focuses on her own humanistic experiences, self-expression, political issues and historical narratives. Cosbert aims to bring her viewers to see things from an internal / external perspective to explore and ignite conversations while encouraging higher consciousness. Cosbert rigorously researches the history and people of the African diaspora that she uses as inspiration for the subjects of her work. Cosbert is also interested in the consequences of subjugation and oppression along with their historical and generational impact on the Black community. Read more about her here on our website.

Grace Aneiza Ali is a Guyanese-born curator-scholar of contemporary art of the Global South, whose work explores the intersections of art and migration. She is currently the appointed Curator for the Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice (EADJ) at Vanderbilt University where she is organizing Somewhere We Are Human, a series of exhibitions and public programs looking at the city of Nashville and the American South through a lens of migration, exploring the ways immigrant communities have shaped the region’s history and envision its future through art and activism. Ali is an assistant professor in the Department of Art at Florida State University and is a 2024–25 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow at The Huntington. Her book, Liminal Spaces: Migration and Women of the Guyanese Diaspora, explores the art and migration narratives of women of Guyanese heritage. Ali serves as the editor-in-chief of the College Art Association’s Art Journal Open and is a member of the board of advisors for British Art Studies.

Ryan Cosbert

Land of Gold, 2025

Acrylic on canvas

36 x 36 inches

91.4 x 91.4 cm

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