Book Presentation: Roma Artist Ceija Stojka: What Should I Be Afraid of?

The event will provide an illustrated introduction to the life and work of Roma artist, activist, and Holocaust survivor Ceija Stojka (1933-2013), as discussed in her newly released first English monograph (Hirmer Publishers/Austrian Cultural Forum New York, 2024). Additionally, it will offer a discussion of important works currently displayed at the Wende Museum as part of the exhibition Ceija Stojka and Scenes of Roma Life.

Speakers:

Dr. Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger is an Austrian career diplomat and has been working in the field of multilateral and bilateral diplomacy for 30 years. Her previous assignments include positions in Vienna, Paris and New York. She is Director of the Austrian Cultural Forum New York. She also served as Deputy Director of the Vienna School for International Studies/Diplomatische Akademie Wien. She holds a PhD in Musicology, French language and literature from the University of Vienna and a diploma as a concert pianist from the Vienna Conservatory of Music. She is co-editor of Roma Artist Ceija Stojka: What Should I Be Afraid of? (Hirmer, 2024).

Dr. Stephanie Buhmann is Head of Visual Art, Architecture & Design at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York. She has published extensively on visual art and curated dozens of exhibitions, including “Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky: Pioneering Architect. Visionary Activist” (with Dr. Bernadette Reinhold, ACFNY, 2024); “Frederick Kiesler: Us, You, Me” (with Dr. Matthias Haldemann and Gerd Zillner, Kunsthaus Zug, Switzerland), and “What Should I be Afraid of: Roma Artist Ceija Stojka” (with Dr. Lorely French and Carina Kurta, ACFNY, 2023). She is a contributing author and co-editor of Roma Artist Ceija Stojka: What Should I Be Afraid of? (Hirmer, 2024).