A Study of Two Cities is an interdisciplinary research project examining rhythms and movements within the African diaspora, anchored in the architectural echoes shared by two sister cities: Seville, Spain, and Kansas City, Missouri. The connection between these cities goes back to 1922, with the construction of the Kansas City Plaza, which stylistically mirrors Sevillian architecture dating to the eighth century. Characterized by its complex intermingling of Muslim, Sephardic, and Christian traditions, the Sevillian architecture bears the aesthetic traces of Al-Andalus—a Muslim empire that ruled across much of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 until its collapse in 1492, which precipitated the displacement of Muslims and Jews from the peninsula, and coincided with the European occupation of the Americas. Placing Seville and Kansas City into conversation, this project critically examines the official and unofficial histories that gave rise to this trans-geographical connection, placing it within a broader narrative of African diasporic experiences.

Re'al Christian is a cultural writer, editor, and researcher based in Queens, New York. Her work explores material histories of diasporas, movement, spatial politics, and ecology. Her writing has appeared in BOMB, Art in America, Artforum, Brooklyn Rail, and ART PAPERS, where she is a Contributing Editor. She has written for catalogues and anthologies including Prospect.6: The Future Is Present, The Harbinger Is Home (Monacelli Press, 2025); And ever an edge (Studio Museum in Harlem, 2024); Track Changes: A Handbook for Art Criticism (Paper Monument, 2023); and On the Town: A Performa Compendium 2016–2021 (Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2022); among others. Christian is assistant director of editorial initiatives at the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School. She is the coeditor of the anthologies Breaking Protocol (Inventory Press/Vera List Center, 2023), As for Protocols (Amherst College Press/Vera List Center, 2025) and Acts of Art in Greenwich Village (Hirmer Verlag, 2025). She received her master’s of arts in art history from Hunter College. She holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University, where she double majored in art history and media, culture, and communication.