Abigail Lapin Dardashti, assistant professor of art history at UCI, is a recipient of a Getty Research Institute fellowship. Every year since 1985, the Research Institute has welcomed scholars, artists and other cultural figures from around the world to work in residence on projects that bear upon its annual research theme. While in residence, fellows pursue their projects, make use of Getty collections and participate in the intellectual life of the Getty Center and the Getty Villa.
The theme for 2022 is “art and migration,” a topic Dardashti explores in her first book manuscript. It examines the work of Afro-Brazilian modern visual artists and international exchange during Brazil’s military dictatorship, which took hold from the 1960s to the 1980s. She traces the artists' travels through the African continent, the Americas and Western Europe, understanding how their experiences abroad shaped their artmaking and ultimately shifted ideas of racial identity in Brazil.
“I feel honored and privileged to be joining an esteemed group of colleagues who work on migration and the visual arts,” she says. “I am thrilled to be completing my book manuscript around an archive and library containing unique and rare materials that will contextualize my research. Additionally, I am looking forward to exploring the Getty's collections of Latin American art and papers to integrate them in my future courses and research at UCI.”