Tea Session with Brief Histories

Brief Histories, the New York–based artist-run initiative, is hosting an open conversation about how artist-led cultural spaces respond to community needs—and they're doing it over tea. The session takes the form of Çaj Mali, a Kosovar Albanian tradition centered around sharing mountain tea, a caffeine-free herbal infusion made from wild ironwort harvested in the Albanian Alps. It's a social gathering built for exchange, conversation, and collective reflection.

Brief Histories was developed in 2011 by artist Isak Berbic and curator and writer Fawz Kabra. The project has moved through many forms—apartment shows, tea ceremonies, performances, dinners, publishing, and gallery work—always exploring the entanglements of contemporary art and treating exhibitions as both artifacts and discursive formats shaped by research and exchange. From 2021–2025, they ran a gallery on the Bowery; most recently they've produced broadcasts with Radio Alhara in Bethlehem on transmission, translation, and coalition-building.

This program unfolds within the exhibition The Biography of a Building: Runik's House of Culture by Hajde! Foundation and Petrit Halilaj with Ars Atelie, on view through December 13. Expect a small gathering, herbal tea, and genuine conversation—no ticket required, just an RSVP.