Alpesh Kantilal Patel

Alpesh Kantilal Patel is an Associate Professor of Global Contemporary Art at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University. Their scholarship, curatorial work, and criticism adopt a queer, transcultural, and decolonial lens to analyze global contemporary art. Patel's recent work includes contributions to The Routledge Companion to Decolonizing Art History and Contemporary Art in a Global Framework (2023), and a peer-reviewed article on their transgender studies-art history course.

• PhD in Art History and Visual Studies, University of Manchester (2009)
• BA in History of Art, Yale University (1997)

Patel's research explores queer and transnational art histories, decolonial curatorial practices, and trans-subjectivity in visual culture. Their 2017 book Productive Failure: Writing Queer Transnational South Asian Art Histories introduced frameworks like 'affirmative criticality' and 'productive failure' to challenge traditional art historical methodologies. The forthcoming Multiple and One: Writing Global Queer Art Histories (supported by a Fulbright grant) expands these ideas through global case studies.

Recent curatorial projects include the 'Forever Becoming' series (2023-4) at UrbanGlass, Brooklyn, focusing on decolonization, materiality, and trans-subjectivity. Patel has co-edited publications such as the Okwui Enwezor Special Issue of Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art (2021) and the anthology Storytellers of Art Histories (2022), which documents intergenerational narratives in art historical praxis.

Awards and Grants:

• Fulbright Scholar (Poland)
• Headlands Center for the Arts Residency
• Loughborough University Institute of Advanced Studies Residency
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Grant
• British Arts Council Grant
• Cranbrook Academy of Art Critical Studies Fellowship

Patel combines queer theory, decolonial critique, and transnational frameworks to interrogate art's role in identity politics and knowledge production. Their projects often bridge academia with public art initiatives, such as spearheading Miami Beach Urban Studios' designation as a 'Cultural Anchor' (2012) and organizing social justice programming.