Lance Fung as curator
dal 2/1/2007 al 2/1/2007
Segnalato da
2/1/2007
Lance Fung as curator
SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe
Seventh International Biennial
Santa Fe, NM—SITE Santa Fe is pleased to announce the
appointment of Lance Fung as curator for its Seventh International Biennial exhibition scheduled to run from July of 2008 through early
January, 2009.
SITE Santa Fe’s director, Laura Steward Heon said, “SITE Santa Fe has
developed an incredible track record in its short history, and prides itself
on always setting a higher bar for each Biennial. With his remarkable experience in the public
sector and the non-profit world, both in this country and abroad, Lance is perhaps one of the
most risk-taking curators on the planet who can realize a major exhibition such as this one with
such outrageous creativity and commitment."
Marlene Nathan Meyerson, Chairman of the Board of SITE Santa Fe, whole-heartedly
supported Lance’s appointment as she remarked, “I saw what he could do with The Snow Show
in Lapland (2004) and in Torino (2006), and his curatorial vision, perseverance, and sheer
tenacity is unmatched by anyone I have ever met. We are extremely privileged to have Lance
on board for 2008."
In elucidating his initial concept for the exhibition, Fung explains:
"In my experience visiting Santa Fe and SITE’s Biennial specifically, I was so
impressed by the institution itself—the staff, the board, the supporters, and the visitors— it
made me want to be a part of it. Their passion and commitment challenged me to attempt to
create a different sort of biennial. Also, I recall how every one of SITE’s Biennials has been
such a personal statement by every curator, each one so different from the next. Since my
exhibitions are typically very personal, the connection to the people of Santa Fe gave me an
added sense of curatorial responsibility.
“As the curator for 2008, I want to do more than just another big group exhibition—
I want to redefine the paradigm of a biennial through collaboration, to offer an
alternative and new approach, one in keeping with the history of SITE’s own biennials. I
want to find other like-minded organizations that share the same energy, enthusiasm,
and commitment to mission as SITE does. Through collaborating with the right match of
global partner organizations—some perhaps well-known for idiosyncratic, specialized,
or strong programming, others more radical or grass-roots-oriented doing great work—it
is my goal to raise awareness of SITE’s own strengths, to showcase the distinctive
flavor of each collaborator, to inspire learning, and to bring people together to foster a
broad sea-change in visual arts presentation. Through the lens of sincere collaboration
and exchange, as well as by putting on a dynamic exhibition, I really want the world to
see what a special place Santa Fe is, as well as SITE Santa Fe and the community."
Fung, along with SITE staff, is currently researching a long list of possible collaborating
organizations from which he will identify the participants.
SITE Santa Fe
Since its opening in 1995, SITE‘s mission has been to bring the global contemporary art
dialogue to the Southwest region of the U.S. SITE’s Biennial, organized by a guest curator of
international reputation, always attempts a paradigm shift in the field of visual arts. More than
any other kind of exhibition, the Biennial has the flexibility and reach to affect fundamental
change in our perception of art. SITE’s Biennial is known worldwide for the innovation of its
curators, and for showcasing great curators ahead of the rest of the art world. In fact, three of
SITE’s six curators have subsequently served as Directors of the Venice Biennale, and a fourth
won a MacArthur “Genius" Award.
Previous curators of SITE Santa Fe Biennials include Bruce Ferguson (1995); Francesco
Bonami (1997); Rosa Martinez (1999), Dave Hickey (2001),Robert Storr (2004), and Klaus
Ottmann (2006).
Lance Fung Biography
With the encouragement of video /Fluxus artist Nam June Paik, Lance Fung left the directorship
of the Holly Solomon Gallery in 1996 to open his own gallery.
The Lance Fung Gallery became a leading contemporary gallery in New York, working with
many of the pioneering artists from the Fluxus, Minimal, and Conceptual periods including Nam
June Paik, Sol LeWitt, and Robert Barry. Other artists such as Shigeko Kubota, Peter
Hutchinson, and Robert Morris joined his unique gallery focusing on installation and the avant-
garde.
As an independent curator, Fung has created important exhibitions in this country and abroad:
Crossing Parallels, at the SSamzie Space in Seoul, Korea; Going Home, at the Edward Hopper
Historical Museum in Nyack, New York; Revisiting Gordon Matta-Clark, at the Venice
Architectural Biennale in 2002; and The Snow Show Preview at UNESCO’s Palazzo Zorzi for
the 2003 Venice Biennale.
One of his most exciting projects was The Snow Show exhibition, realized in 2004 in Lapland
and in 2006 in Torino, Italy for The Cultural Olympiad of the XX Olympic Winter Games. The
Snow Show presented the collaborative works of over 30 internationally recognized artists and
architects including Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Morphosis, Yoko Ono, and Kiki Smith.
The Snow Show exhibitions garnered significant international press, and their legacy has been
preserved by a Thames & Hudson exhibition catalogue as well as a BBC documentary. These
projects were unique in allowing participants to explore the collaborative process between art
and architecture and to create works by using snow and ice as materials. The Snow Show also
generated new technological knowledge about snow and ice building.
Currently, Fung is curating the first international large-scale exhibition of public
installations in Beijing, China in conjunction with the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Fung studied biology, art history and studio art at The University of California at Davis, and
received his B.A. in 1986. He received his Master’s of Fine Arts from The School of Visual Arts
(New York) in 1989.
SITE Santa Fe
1606 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico