UPCOMING EXHIBITION

Extended Constellations*

Twelve Gates Arts is thrilled to present Extended Constellations, a group exhibition curated by Zehra Zehra featuring Sama Alshaibi, Lali Khalid, and Carrie Mae Weems. Working across photography, video, and archival material, the three artists explore displacement, belonging, and the images that shape how we are seen.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Extended Constellations will be on view from October 30, 2026 to January 16, 2027 in Philadelphia at Twelve Gates Arts at 106 N 2nd St, Philadelphia.

The opening reception on October 30th will be from 6-8PM, with Lali Khalid signing her new monograph, Letters to Azan.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Programs and Events Calendar
THE POETS' STUDIO: October Writing Workshop
Oct 28
THE POETS' STUDIO: October Writing Workshop

We are excited to introduce October’s featured Poet of the Month: Serena Chopra!

Serena will give a reading and lead us through a generative writing workshop from 7PM-8:30PM on Wednesday, October 28th, 2026, at 12Gates, located at 106 N 2nd St.

Doors open at 6:30PM and close promptly at 7PM.

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The Landscape of Memory: Screening and Conversation
Oct 29
The Landscape of Memory: Screening and Conversation

Join Twelve Gates Arts at Public Trust for The Landscape of Memory, a screening and conversation on how images hold personal and collective memory. Moderated by Zehra Zehra, with Maori Karmael Holmes, Sama Alshaibi, and Lali Khalid.

Thursday, October 29, 6-8 PM, 4017 Walnut St, Philadelphia.

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Autobiography of a Cave System: Film Performance & Artist Talk
Nov 19
Autobiography of a Cave System: Film Performance & Artist Talk

Join us for Autobiography of a Cave System, a film performance and artist talk with Lohitha Kethu and Nureena Faruqi.

In the film, Kethu will prick their fingertips with a glucose meter and paint a cave system in their own blood, narrating prose-poetry as each cave takes shape. A conversation, Q&A, and a look at related work will follow.

Part of Filaments: A Disabled Creative Spotlight Series.

Thursday, November 19, 5-7 PM, 106 N 2nd St, Philadelphia.

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THE NEXT 17

"For seventeen years, this room has held exhibitions, arguments, openings, and encounters that don't quite leave. We're ready for seventeen more — with you."

— Aisha Zia Khan, Co-founder & Executive Director

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TALKS & PROGRAMS

Talks and Programs
AUDIO | Long Live Trans-Pakistan (trans-Pakistan Zindabad)
Sep 19
AUDIO | Long Live Trans-Pakistan (trans-Pakistan Zindabad)

Umber Majeed's lecture performance uses family archives to explore surveillance, capital & resistance in Pakistan's mega-developments. Stay for the Q&A after the lecture!

September 19, from 2-4 PM

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AUDIO | Book Salon: Decolonizing Afghanistan through Art
Sep 16
AUDIO | Book Salon: Decolonizing Afghanistan through Art

Join us for our Book Salon about Decolonizing Afghanistan through Art on September 16th, from 6 to 8PM at Twelve Gates Arts, 106 North 2nd St. Philadelphia, PA.

This event will feature contributors, artists, and curators, Tausif Noor, Laimah Osman, Wazhmah Osman, and Gazelle Samizay speaking on contemporary Afghan art, including photography, prints, multimedia works, and installation art, that engages with questions of borders, (im)mobility, diaspora, family, cultural traditions, colonialism, and war.

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AUDIO | Seasons of Migrations: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Legacies in Mohammad Omer Khalil's Work
Apr 18
AUDIO | Seasons of Migrations: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Legacies in Mohammad Omer Khalil's Work

Twelve Gates will host a public scholarly conversation that engages 12G's iteration of Common Ground, honoring Mohammed Omer Khalil's legacy.

The panel will explore Khalil's work on view and draw connections between his practice and South Asia. The conversation will feature scholar of Black Diasporic Art, Anna Arabindon-Kesson, Sudanese historian, Bayan Abubakr, and others, to be announced.

*Maximum of 2 tickets per person

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

What stories do you want to hear, and what kinds of gatherings do you see yourself in?

Please take a moment to fill out our short community survey.
Your voice will guide us, and your input ensures that 12Gates continues to be a place that reflects and responds to those it serves, all of you.

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