Sarah K. Khan Exhibition Opening: What Is the Language of Taste?

New York City has always been a center for Americans on the move; a magnet for newcomers, who carry with them languages and flavors from home that take root anew. Kreplach and pierogi in the East Village. Xiao long bao in Flushing. Manti in Sheepshead Bay. Unsettled in the movement of peoples and cuisines is whose palate determines quality, and whose tongue sings history. How does taste evolve in a multicultural society? Can we keep native words and ways, even as we relish the language of the times? Who plays host, who guest, and who gets a seat at the table?

This program is inspired by (2025) by Pakistani American artist Sarah K. Khan. The piece, eight blue and white porcelain serving vessels featuring images of spices, delicate flowers, and incense as depicted in the 16th-century Sultanate period recipe book The Book of Delights, is commissioned by IAJS and will be on view at BRIC in Brooklyn from October 7 to December 23, 2025.

Join IAJS and Zócalo Public Square at BRIC to view the artwork and experience a performance by Khan. A panel of chefs, scholars, and local community members moderated by IAJS founding faculty co-director Brian Lowery will follow, exploring how what we eat, and where it’s from, shape our sense of identity.

We invite our in-person audience to continue the conversation with the artist, speakers, and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary drinks, small bites by street vendors from the Street Vendor Project and EatOffBeat, art-viewing, and music by Yalla! Party Project’s DJ Kofta.

SCHEDULE

6:30pm ET – Doors open

6:30-7:15pm ET – Check in and art viewing

7:15-8:05pm ET – Panel conversation (in-person & livestreamed)

8:10-8:30pm ET – Artist performance (in-person & livestreamed)

8:30-9:30pm ET – Reception

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Brian Lowery

Sarah K. Khan

Joan Nathan

Power Malu

Krishnendu Ray 

Co-presented by Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies (IAJS), Zócalo Public Square, and BRIC, with support from community media sponsor Epicenter NYC.

The event is a collaboration between the Stanford Institute for Advancing Just Societies (IAJS) and Zócalo Public Square, envisioning new perspectives on migration, America’s diverse communities, and how people come together across differences. The year-long series activates four regions of the United States and highlights newly commissioned works of art—visual, textile, and dance—to inspire a national conversation through exhibitions, public programs, and essays, and to work toward a better future.