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4/4/2005

Sharjah Biennial 7

Sharjah Expo Centre, Sharjah

BELONGING

The Sharjah Biennial 7 addresses the rapid developments marking the region, but also raises the question of intersecting artistic traditions, and of partaking in "Globalised" art events. The Biennial is hosting over
70 artists and inviting biennial glitterati, local citizens and the vast expatriate community to consider the now vaporous landscapes of our professional, cultural and sociopolitical habitats. The very choice of the theme "Belonging" raises the question of what it means to endorse
internationalised art practices outside the established, traditional centers of the arts. To which point must the event transcend local prerogatives, and in which way can it uphold its specificity without looking helpless or folkloric?

Venues
This year's Biennial will be held in the Sharjah Expo Centre and in the Sharjah Art Museum which is located in the Heritage Area. The museum houses a permanent art collection which is embedded in a local traditional style of architecture. Integrating parts of the Biennial within it is an attempt to engage with the structural parameters underlying the event. The Heritage Area around the museum is a network of small exhibition spaces, courtyards, alleyways and a souq. It mirrors a simple, unpretentious past, and the difficulties of reconstructing such a heritage within the
fast-paced changes marking the Emirates today.

Participants and visitors will have to position themselves within a kaleidoscopic fabric of archaeological assets, modern and postmodern architecture, a booming consumer culture, long-standing traditions, unprecedented immigration and other interfaces - including the biennial itself. Working with this setting implies awkward questions of voyeurism and collaboration, tourism and respect. The now standard issues of alterity and glocalisation could be tested to their limits, beyond the comfortable frame of a customary biennial.

Commissions
The Sharjah Biennial 7 has commissioned a large number of site-specific projects some of which will be installation pieces and some will be performative interventions offering yet another opportunity to contextualise without being quaint, to explore and highlight, rather than play down, the limits between the privileged discourse of the artworld and
the realm of the profane.

Symposia & Workshops
The Biennial will also include an international symposium, a rountable discussion with the writers of the Sharjah Biennial 7 Catalogue and artists and students workshops organised in collaboration with the American University of Sharjah, and the University of Sharjah's College of Fine Arts.

Sharjah Biennial Art Prizes
Three Sharjah Biennial Prizes will be awarded for Best Work, Runner Up and Best Site Specific Work. Members of the Jury are Artist and Writer Walid Sadek, Curators and Critics Okwui Enwezor and Rina Carvajal.

The Catalogue
Edited by painter and art researcher Kamal Boullata, the bilingual catalogue includes essays by a constellation of international curators, scholars, and art and cultural critics. In addressing the theme of the biennial, their contributions provide a multifaceted insight into
questions that challenge our inherited assumptions about home, identity, and belonging. Like the works of artists participating in the biennial, each essay broadens our perspective, allowing us to see across cultural
divisions and beyond regional differences. Contributors: Frederick N. Bohrer, Nicolas Bourriaud, Boris Brollo, Laymert Garcia dos Santos, Jean Fisher, Elias Khoury, Joseph Massad, Khaled Mattawa, Gerardo Mosquera, Achille Bonito Oliva and Nadia Tazi.

Biennial Team
Director: Hoor Al Qasimi
Head Curator: Jack Persekian
Associate Curators: Kenneth Lum and Tirdad Zolghadr
General Co-ordinator: Hisham Al Madhloum
Biennial Co-ordinator: Mahita El Bacha Urieta
Artists Co-ordinator: Maissa Alsuwaidi

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Sharjah Biennial 7, the only international contemporary art event of its kind in the GCC, announced the theme of “Belonging” for its 7th session, due to open to the public on 6 April.

Over the two months of April and May the Biennial will act as a platform for interaction with and reflection on the “Belonging” theme through the creative works of more than 70 artists from 36 countries who are participating in the event.

At a press conference held in the Sharjah Art Area, Hisham Al Madhloum, General Coordinator of Sharjah Biennial and Jack Persekian, Head Curator, announced further details around the “Belonging” theme and activity calendar for the event.

Hisham Madhloum says; “Over a period of 12 years Sharjah Biennial has built a strong reputation internationally, carving a niche for itself on the map of contemporary art. Since its inception, the Biennial has been held under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah.”

“Hosting an arts event of this significance has always been H. H Sheikh Sultan’s vision and his aim is to stimulate the arts and cultural scene not only in Sharjah but in the UAE and region. This is achieved by bringing together some of the best the contemporary art world has to offer, in one place, under a common platform. This in turn, provides the Arab community with an opportunity to express themselves through their own contemporary art forms and showcase these works to the world.”

“This year we have an exciting and dynamic selection of artists participating; a testament to the strength and growing presence of the Sharjah event on the world stage and unfailing support over 14 year of His Highness Sheikh Isam Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Head of Culture and Information Department of Sharjah through the Arts Division.” added Madhloum.

The Sharjah Biennial 7 team works under the Directorship of Her Highness Hoor Al Qasimi, who was also Director and Co-Curator of Sharjah Biennial 6. In July 2004 H. H Hoor Al Qasimi appointed Jack Persekian as Head Curator of the 7th session along with a team of international and local experts and coordinators. Born and brought up in Jerusalem, Persekian is Founder and Director of Anadiel Gallery, the Al Ma’mal Foundation of Contemporary Art in Jerusalem and XEIN Productions. He has played a key role in establishing and developing the contemporary art movement in Palestine and has contributed immensely in energizing the art and cultural landscape in the country and earning it an international reputation.

After his appointment, Persekian and his team spent several months carefully selecting and extending invitations to a range of artists and art practitioners from across the world to explore the theme of “Belonging” in a wide range of media.

“In selecting the theme of “Belonging” at this moment in time and place, the Biennial hopes to address itself to questions that explore how art may overlap with history and how artists may intervene in our space to allow us to think across cultural divisions and beyond our differences.”

“Within the political and economic environment that has been created in our daily life, and in light of the growth in media and communication, it is important to articulate our identity and where we belong. Issues associated with the contemporary experience of ‘belonging’ will be raised at this year’s Biennial, and hopefully cast new light on the interpretations of home and homelessness, of living in between places, of the realities of self and other, of borders and boundaries and how art may possibly surmount divisions.”

In exploring this theme for the Biennial, Persekian and his team gathered the creative impressions of a number of artists as well as producing site-specific projects, created especially for the context of the Biennial and in many cases, the backgrounds and experiences the participating artists have match the theme of the Biennial.

“Aside from the support from the patron and Director of the event, I am also working with a strong team of local coordinators and two Associate Curators – Kenneth Lum, a Chinese-Canadian and Tirdad Zolghadr, a Swiss of Iranian origin. With the backing and contribution of such a multicultural team, we greatly expand the vision and experience of the curatorial team by gaining perspectives on contemporary art from all directions,” continued Persekian.

The Sharjah Biennial 7 will this year continue to engage all levels of the community in the event which Persekian says promises to offer something for everyone. Whether an art enthusiast or someone who is just curious about contemporary art, this year’s theme of “Belonging” as reflected by some of the world’s cutting edge contemporary artists is sure to surprise and interest visitors of all ages and backgrounds. The Biennial is free to all visitors and for the first time is being held over two months from April 6 to June 6, across two venues; the Sharjah Art Museum and the Sharjah Expo Centre.

For the first time during the Biennial, visitors can participate in parallel events such as an international symposium held in co-operation with the American University in Sharjah titled “Biennialicity” which addresses the growing phenomenon of Biennials; a discussion and round table on the Biennial theme of “Belonging” which will engage writers of the Biennial catalogue, participating artists, international critics, media specialists and other interested parties; and a workshop by Iranian artist Hassan Khan from Egypt, in which local art students will also participate.

“This year’s Biennial will specifically engage youth in the community, with events uniquely designed for students of visual arts in the UAE. By working and interacting with participating artists, students will benefit from new perspectives on art practices and an enriched education experience.” concluded Persekian.The Sharjah Biennial 7 addresses the rapid developments marking the region, but also raises the question of intersecting artistic traditions, and of partaking in “Globalised” art events. The Biennial is hosting over 70 artists and inviting biennial glitterati, local citizens and the vast expatriate community to consider the now vaporous landscapes of our professional, cultural and sociopolitical habitats.

The very choice of the theme “Belonging” raises the question of what it means to endorse internationalised art practices outside the established, traditional centers of the arts. To which point must the event transcend local prerogatives, and in which way can it uphold its specificity without looking helpless or folkloric?

This year’s Biennial will be held in the Sharjah Art Museum and in the Heritage Area which is currently being restored. The two spaces are at walking distance from each other, thus integrating the Biennial in the heart of the city and decentralising its scenography. The Sharjah Art Museum houses a permanent art collection which is embedded in a local traditional style of architecture. Integrating parts of the Biennial within it is an attempt to engage with the structural parameters underlying the event. The Heritage Area, meanwhile, is a network of small exhibition spaces, courtyards, alleyways and a souq. It mirrors a simple, unpretentious past, and the difficulties of reconstructing such a heritage within the fast-paced changes marking the Emirates today.

Participants and visitors will have to position themselves within a kaleidoscopic fabric of archaeological assets, modern and postmodern architecture, a booming consumer culture, long-standing traditions, unprecedented immigration and other interfaces - including the biennial itself. Working with this setting implies awkward questions of voyeurism and collaboration, tourism and respect. The now standard issues of alterity and glocalisation could be tested to their limits, beyond the comfortable frame of a customary biennial.

The Sharjah Biennial 7 has produced a large number of site-specific projects some of which will be performative interventions offering yet another opportunity to contextualise without being quaint, to explore and highlight, rather than play down, the limits between the privileged discourse of the artworld and the realm of the profane.

History

Since 1993, the Department of Culture and Information of the Emirate of Sharjah has hosted the international Art Biennial in the city of that same name. The aim has been to encourage contacts between artists, and art institutions and organisations of the Arab countries and to promote exchange with art scenes in other parts of the world. This accounts for a high proportion of Arab artists in editions previous to 2003. The current declared goal of the organisers of the Biennial is to introduce a "new era for contemporary art in the Gulf".

Artists: Jumana E. Abboud - Ebtisam Abdul-Aziz – Tarek Al-Ghoussein - Nuha Asad - Terry Atkinson - Maja Bajevic - Mohamed El Baz - Ursula Biemann - Luchezar Boyadjiev - Sonia Boyce - Christoph Buchel & Giovanni Carmine - Miguel Calderón - Claude Closky - Phil Collins - Com & Com - Minerva Cuevas - Zeyad Dajani - Pio Diaz – Rineke Djikstra - Heri Dono - Solvej Dufour Andersen - Fouad Elkoury - Anne-Marie Filaire - Yang Fudong - Carlos Garaicoa – Ghazel - Rula Halawani - Karin Hanssen - Róza El-Hassan - Dirk Herzog - Yu Hong – IRWIN - Emily Jacir - Mohammed Kazem - San Keller - Chris Kienke - Anna Kleberg - Miodrag Krkobabic - Nestor Kruger - Marcia Kure - Tim Lee - Zoe Leonard - Nalini Malani - Tracey Moffatt - Leyla Al Mutannakker - Ingrid Mwangi - Moataz Nasr - Olaf Nicolai - Otobong Nkanga - Marcel Odenbach - Mark Pilkington - Marwan Rechmaoui - Mario Rizzi - Natascha Sadr Haghighian - Jayce Salloum - Allan Sekula - Shirana Shahbazi - Solmaz Shahbazi - Hassan Sharif - Suha Shoman - Santiago Sierra - Nedko Solakov - Peter Stoffel - Beat Streuli - Vivan Sundaram - Erik Van Lieshout - Kelley Walker - Nari Ward - Carey Young

Director and Curators

Director : Hoor Al Qasimi

Co-curator of ‘NEAR’ - 1998, with Derek Ogbourne and Peter Lewis and Co-curator of ‘Andy Warhol’ - 2002, with Brigitte Schenk from Brigitte Schenk Gallery, Cologne, both at Sharjah Art Museum. Director and Co-curator of ‘Sharjah Biennial 6’ with Peter Lewis - 2003. Director of ‘Sharjah Biennial 7’ - 2005. Tutor of Painting and Drawing at Sharjah Fine Art Centre - 1997. Studied Fine Art at Slade School of Fine Art in London.

Head Curator : Jack Persekian

Born and living in Jerusalem. Curator and Producer, Founding Director of Anadiel Gallery, the Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem and XEIN Productions. Recent curated exhibitions include: Disorientation – Contemporary Arab Artists from the Middle East, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2003); in weiter ferne, so nah, neue palastinensische kunst, Ifa Galleries in Bonn, Stuttgart and Berlin (2002); Official Palestinian Representation to the XXIV Biennale de Sao Paulo. Additional productions and directing include: The Palestinian Cultural Evening at the World Economic Forum in the Dead Sea, Jordan (2004), The Geneva Initiative, Public Commitment Event (2003), the Millennium Celebrations in Bethlehem- Bethlehem 2000 (2000). Short films and video works: ‘A Ball and a Coloring Box’, ‘my son’, ‘the last 5 short films of the millennium’ and ‘the first 4 short films of the millennium’ in collaboration with Palestinian filmmakers. Publications edited include: WORKBOOK, catalogue documenting the Al-Ma’mal youth art workshops, 2004; Xposure Jerusalem, book documenting the Al-Ma’mal photography series projects, Jerusalem (2002); What’s Up, series of publications highlighting artists’ projects in Palestine (1999-2003). Contributed to the initial establishment of the Palestinian Ministry of Culture. First, Director of the Department of Visual Arts, and later Deputy Director General of the Department of International Relations and Projects. Currently serving as advisor to the Minister of Culture (Palestinian Authority), Member of the Ministry of Culture’s Supervisory Council.

Associate Curator : Tirdad Zolghadr

Born 1973, Independent Critic / Curator based in Zurich, Switzerland. Recent projects include the exhibition "Ethnic Marketing: Art, Globalization and Intercultural Supply and Demand", Geneva Centre d'Art Contemporain, and the conference series "Framed": a "theoretical jamboree exploring western museum practices", Berlin House of World Cultures. As a member of the design collective "SHAHRZAD", he has participated in various exhibitions and is currently working on the publication "History and Visibility". In the field of documentary film, he collaborated as Director of the award winning "Tehran 1380", and is now working on "The Soft Opening", a video essay on postleninism in Shiraz.

Associate Curator : Ken Lum

Artist who has exhibited widely on the international stage, including Documenta, Sao Paolo Bienal, Shanghai Biennale, Carnegie International, Sydney Biennial and the Johannesburg Biennale. He is also a Pedagogue, heading the program in graduate studio art at the University of British Columbia in his natal city of Vancouver and having held Invited Professor postings with l'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts (Paris), Akademie der Bildenden Kunst (Munich), China Art Academy (Hangzhou) and l'Ecole d'Art Plastique de la Martinique (Fort de France). Founding Editor of the academic journal Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art. He is a Member of the Board of Arts Initiative Tokyo, Annie Wong Art Foundation (Hong Kong) and Centre A for Contemporary Asian Art (Vancouver). He was Co-curator of "Shanghai Modern: 1919 to 1945", an exhibition that surveyed the cultural production of Shanghai during the republican period and was a former Curator/Director of Vancouver's Or Gallery. His writings have appeared in Art & Text, NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art, Art Margins, Canadian Art, Londonart, Yishu, as well as various exhibition catalogues.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Sharjah Biennial 7 Opening Hours

Sharjah Art Museum: Weekdays 9 am - 9 pm Fridays 5 pm - 9 pm
Expo Centre Sharjah: Weekdays 9 am -9 pm Fridays 5 pm - 9 pm

6 April

10 am
Inauguration of Sharjah Biennial 7, Expo Centre Sharjah
7 pm
Inauguration of Sharjah Biennial 7, Sharjah Art Museum
7:15 pm
"Faces in One Feature", performance by artist Nuha Asad
8:30 pm
“A Different Position”, performance by artist Roza El-Hassan
8:40 pm
“MocMoc”, theatre performance for children, by artist duo Com & Com
9 pm
Inauguration of Sharjah Art Institute
9:15 pm
Inauguration of The H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi Collection

7 April

10 am - 2:30 pm
Symposium: "Biennalicity" Part 1, Expo Centre Sharjah, Conference Room. Lectures, screenings & artists' interventions
3 pm
“I Supply! You Demand? (Pearl Guided Tours)”, performance by artist Luchezar Boyadjiev, Sharjah Art Museum

8 April

4 am - 6:45 pm
"Biennalicity" Part 2
7 pm - 9 pm
Roundtable Discussion, Expo Centre Sharjah, Conference Room

10 - 22 April
Sharjah Heritage Days, public festivities at Heritage Area, Sharjah

16 - 20 April
5 day student workshops with artist Hassan Khan, College of Fine Arts – University of Sharjah

10 April - 11 May
Student workshops with artist-in-residence Naoko Takahashi, College of Fine Arts - University of Sharjah

13 April - 25 May
5pm (Wednesdays), workshops with artist-in-residence Naoko Takahashi, Sharjah Art Gallery

16 April - 5 June

10 am - 1 pm
& 5pm - 7pm
Open Studio sessions with artists-in-residence Naoko Takahashi and Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen, Sharjah Art Gallery

17 April
Lecture by Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen for students, College of Fine Arts - University of Sharjah

24 May - 24 June
Artists-in-residence exhibition, Naoko Takahashi & Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen, Emirates Fine Art Society, Exhibition Hall

6 June
Sharjah Biennial 7 closes

Notes:

Guided tours of the exhibition available throughout the Biennial (April 7 - June 6). Contact Education Curator, Ms. Zikrayat Matouk at 06-5688222

Children workshops at the 'Creativity Room', Sharjah Art Institute, weekdays 9 am-5 pm (closed weekends)

Open Studio sessions with Naoko Takahashi and Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen on: April 16 - 17 and every Saturday & Monday until 5 June

Workshops with resident artist Naoko Takahashi: Every Sunday & Tuesday 2 - 5 pm, Wednesdays 11.30 am - 1.30 pm

College of Fine Arts – University of Sharjah, T. 06-5585000

Expo Centre Sharjah, T. 06-5770000

Contact Details
T. + 971 6 5685050
F. + 971 6 5685800

Press Contact
Mahita El Bacha Urieta, Biennial Co-ordinator
M. + 971 504815545
E.mahita.elbacha-urieta@sharjahbiennial.org

Venues:

Sharjah Art Museum
T. +971 (6) 5688222
F. +971 (6) 5686229

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Sharjah Heritage Area
Heritage Directorate
T. +971 6 5693999
F. +971 6 5683288

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Sharjah Expo Center

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