Hans Ulrich Obrist (b. 1968, Zurich, Switzerland) is Co-director of the Serpentine Galleries, London. Prior to this, he was the Curator of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville, Paris. Since his first show “World Soup” (The Kitchen Show) in 1991 he has curated more than 250 shows. Obrist’s recent publications include A Brief History of Curating, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Curating But Were Afraid to Ask, Do It: The Compendium, Think Like Clouds, Ai Weiwei Speaks, Ways of Curating, along with new volumes of his Conversation Series.

Etel Adnan was born in Beirut in 1925.  She is a poet, essayist, and visual artist. In 2003, MELUS, the journal of the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, called Adnan “arguably the most celebrated and accomplished Arab-American author writing today.” She currently lives in Paris, France.  Her complete bio can be read on her website.