In the midst of polarising geopolitical conflicts, many cultural practitioners today find themselves having to reassess personal and professional alignments. At the same time, the broad strokes of solidarity remain drawn along the modernist politics of non-alignment established early in the Cold War era.

What does this mean for art and artists staking a claim for themselves globally today? Our offerings this Friday suggest a vibrant discourse spanning exhibitions, practices, fairs, and reopenings from the UK, through India, to Sydney. Collectively, it can be read as an invitation to ask: how will our future histories align?

From Margate, Tabish Khan reports on a survey showing how women artists shaped global abstraction from 1950-1970; artist Halil Altindere shares insights about his diverse and provocative practice; at the 15th edition of India Art Fair, Mario D’Souza reflects upon its diversity of showcase and public appeal; in Sydney, Alexie Glass-Kantor, the Executive Director of Artspace, reveals her vision for the art centre’s continued relevance into the future.

If solidarity is a verb, artistic practices can offer a manifesto for our subsequent coexistence.