CURRENT EXHIBITION

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A Traveler Weeps, A River Laughs
Jun 5
A Traveler Weeps, A River Laughs

Twelve Gates Arts presents A Traveler Weeps, A River Laughs, opening June 5 at 6:30 pm as part of ArtPhilly 2026. Taking its title from the world of Mahmoud Darwish's journals, where a river laughs before it dies of thirst and laughter and loss are not opposites but the same record, the exhibition brings together artists Alexei Mansour, Mir Masud-Elias, sāgar kāmath, and Shehrezad Maher in work that holds more than one truth at once about place, myth, and what remains when official narratives run dry.

Spanning film, poetry, and mixed-media installation, and made in the context of America's 250th year, this is not a commemoration. Rather, it is a record of what was laughed at, of what was lost, of what is still being made.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Featured
Myths and Dreams of Red & Blue
Jun 12
Myths and Dreams of Red & Blue

Myths and Dreams of Red and Blue is a one-night-only performance by sāgar kāmath weaving together Kathak dance, painting, video, and sound in an exploration of diasporic identity, nostalgia, and the American Dream. Created in relation to his work in A Traveler Weeps, A River Laughs at Twelve Gates Arts.

Presented in partnership with ArtPhilly 2026 and the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design.

THE PHILADELPHIA RESIDENCY

The Philadelphia Residency (Residency) is a three-month career-building and creation module established by Twelve Gates Arts (12G) to provide early-career artists with the physical and communal space, resources, and industry knowledge to plant roots and flourish in Philadelphia.

This residency is designed for artists identifying as South Asian, South West Asian North African, (SA/SWANA), Black, Indigenous, Person of Color (BIPOC), and/or part of the Global South or Global Majority.

click to LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PHILADELPHIA RESIDENCY
A group of 4 people in a studio, sitting in a circle and having a discussion.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

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

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Your voice will guide us, and your input ensures that 12G continues to be a place that reflects and responds to those it serves, all of you.

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