Dr. Sozita Goudouna is a distinguished professor and curator based in New York City, renowned for her significant contributions to contemporary art and her role in fostering cultural exchange between the United States and the global arts community. In recognition of her impactful work, she was honored with the British Council Culture and Creativity UK Study Award in 2022. 

With over two decades of experience in the arts, Dr. Goudouna has held influential positions, such as Director at Raymond Pettibon Studio in 2019, where she collaborated with leading galleries, including David Zwirner, Regen Projects, and Sadie Coles, to curate a production for the Performa Biennial at the New Museum. Her leadership also facilitated a pivotal partnership between Pettibon Studio and the Getty, culminating in the donation of the Pettibon archive to the Getty Conservation Institute’s Reference Collection and Getty Research Institute Special Collections.

Her career has been marked by prestigious appointments, including her selection by RoseLee Goldberg in 2015 as the inaugural Andrew W. Mellon Curator at the Performa Biennial and as a post-doctoral Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at New York University.  Dr. Goudouna has curated internationally acclaimed exhibitions, featuring prominent artists such as Arthur Jafa, John Akomfrah, Nan Goldin, Jake Chapman, Martin Creed, Lynda Benglis, Andres Serrano, Santiago Sierra, Christopher Knowles, Karen Finley, ORLAN, and Marina Abramović. Her curatorial projects have been presented at prestigious institutions, including Documenta 14, the Onassis Foundation New York, the French Consulate in NYC, EMST Contemporary Art Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

A prolific scholar, Dr. Goudouna is the author of Beckett’s Breath: Anti-theatricality and the Visual Arts (Edinburgh Critical Studies in Modernism/Oxford University Press) and the co-authored book Mourning the Ends: Collaborative Writing and Performance (Punctum Books). As a visiting professor at Goldsmiths, University of London, she pioneered the MA in Breath Studies, exploring the role of breath in the performing and visual arts. Her scholarly work extends to contributions in the Routledge Critical Studies on Breath and editorial roles for the Performance Research Journal, including the forthcoming issues “On Breath” and “On Iconologies,” as well as co-editing the issue “On The Mundane.” Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals such as The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, GPS Global Performance Studies, Theater Topics, and Seismopolite Art & Politics Journal, among others.  

Dr. Goudouna holds a PhD in American High Modernism from the University of London, an MA from King’s College London/Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and a BA in Philosophy and Theatre Studies from London Metropolitan University. She has taught art and theater history at esteemed institutions, including CUNY, NYU, The New School, SUNY, Roger Williams University, the University of the Peloponnese, and Pace University. Additionally, she has served in leadership roles as treasurer of AICA Hellas (International Art Critics Association) and as a board member of ITI (International Theatre Association UNESCO). In 2022 she founded the non-profit Opening Gallery in TriBeca in New York. Her curatorial and academic work has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The New York Times, Artforum, Washington Post, Vogue, Artnet, Vanity Fair, and The Art Newspaper, solidifying her reputation as a leading figure in contemporary art and cultural discourse.