When we say we are “tied up in knots” we use an idiom that functions as a gestural and formal metaphor for a thicket of experiential states. Drawing from current research interests, in this free, public lecture as part of the Fall 2022 IDS Lecture Series at The Cooper Union, Lanka Tattersall uses the idea of the knot both literally and figuratively to think through a few paths connecting Eva Hesse, Adrian Piper, and Diamond Stingily (among others), with a look towards contemporary notions of entanglement, and the intertwining of tension and freedom.

Lanka Tattersall is the Laurenz Foundation Curator in the department of drawings and prints at The Museum of Modern Art. Since joining the department in 2019 she has co-organized "Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You." (with Peter Eleey) as well as presentations by Derrick Adams and Caroline Kent for the Modern Window. Tattersall is also a part of the team organizing the Museum’s contemporary collection galleries. Previously, she was associate curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), where she organized the exhibitions "Cameron Rowland: D37" (2018), "Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin" (2018), and 'Lauren Halsey: we still here, there" (2018), among others. At MOCA, she spearheaded a number of commissions and performances, including works by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Rafa Esparza, Juliana Huxtable, and P. Staff. From 2010 to 2014, Tattersall was a curatorial assistant in the department of painting and sculpture at MoMA, where she was an integral part of the curatorial and editorial teams for the touring retrospective "Alibis: Sigmar Polke 1963–2010." 

Proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination and booster is required. The use of a face mask is encouraged while indoors. 

The IDS public lecture series is part of the Robert Lehman Visiting Artist Program at The Cooper Union. We are grateful for major funding from the Robert Lehman Foundation. The IDS public lecture series is also made possible by generous support from the Open Society Foundations.