Leeza Ahmady

Since 2006, Ahmady has directed Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW), which works in partnership with various international art institutions to further dialogue about Central Asian art. Field meeting has been a signature forum of ACAW since 2014, bringing together artists and curators to engage in dialogue together on provided topics. In 2015, Holland Cotter and Roberta Smith co-chief art critics for The New York Times voted the number 9 of the top 10 best art events of the year, "Sonic Blossom "by Lee Mingwei a performance series presented by Asia Contemporary Art Week and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

From 2005 to 2013, Ahmady had an ongoing curation project, "The Taste of Other: Contemporary Art in Central Asia", which presented artists of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in various exhibitions and talks.

She received her BA degree from St. John's University (1994) in international relations. In her junior year, she attended Budapest University as part of a study abroad program. She later studied art history at Hunter College (from 2001 to 2003) as a graduate level non-degree student. She received her MA degree from Pratt Institute (2005) in Arts and Cultural Management with her final thesis concentrating on the development and practice of contemporary art in Central Asia.

Leeza Ahmady (born 1972) is an Afghan-born American independent curator, author, arts administrator, dance instructor, and educator; she is known for her work within the genre of Central Asian art. She is the founder of AhmadyArts and Director of Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW) since 2006. Ahmady has organized large-scale festivals, exhibitions, artistic collaborations, and experimental forums revolving around contemporary art practices from across all regions of Asia. Ahmady is New York based and was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan.