Longitudes
Longitudes cuts across Latitudes’ projects and research with news, updates, and reportage.
SAVE THE DATE: Presentation of the publication 'Amikejo' with artist Fermín Jiménez Landa. Tuesday 22 May, 20h at Múltiplos, Barcelona
Tue, May 8 2012
All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org
Latitudes will present the publication together with 'Amikejo' artist Fermín Jiménez Landa, who will discuss the project presented together with Lee Welch for the final exhibition of the cycle. Jiménez Landa will discuss one of the works, 'Himno Nacional' (2011), in which a marching band was commissioned to compose and play a new national anthem. Composed in the most archaic tradition, markedly romantic, military and patriotic, the anthem enacted a parodic attempt to reach a futile objective: the conquering of a small island in the Aegean Sea through invasion-by-sound.
The publication accompanies the cycle of four exhibitions by Pennacchio Argentato (29 January–3 April 2011); Iratxe Jaio & Klaas van Gorkum (9 April–12 June 2011); Uqbar (Irene Kopelman & Mariana Castillo Deball) (25 June–11 September 2011); Fermín Jiménez Landa & Lee Welch (24 September 2011–15 January 2012) that took place at the Laboratorio 987, the project space of MUSAC, León, thoughout 2011. (+ info...)
Editor: Latitudes
Publisher & Distribution: Mousse Publishing
Format: 22.5 x 15.5cm, 216 pp, hardcover
Texts: Giorgio Agamben, Theo Beckers, Latitudes, Peter Osborne, Georges Pérec, Menno Schilthuizen, Ryszard Zelichowski
Language: English and Spanish
ISBN: 9788896501832
Price: 26 Euro
Price: 26 Euro
The publication will be available for purchase during the presentation.
Múltiplos is an independent bookshop that specialises in artists publications.
Múltiplos is an independent bookshop that specialises in artists publications.
Pennacchio Argentato's show "Conversion" at Wilkinson Gallery, London
Mon, May 7 2012
Below images of "Conversion" the recently opened solo show of Amikejo artists Pennacchio Argentato. The exhibition is on view in the Upper Gallery of Wilkinson gallery in London until 17 June 2012.
General view of the exhibition.
General view of the exhibition.
'Set in the Same Universe', 2012. Acrylic resin, print transfer (200 × 95 × 45 cm)
'West End', 2012. Aluminium, cord (Dimensions variable)
(Wall) 'Shield#0 – #00001', 2012. Acrylic resin, iron, print transfer, bike hooks (130 × 92 × 40 cm), (Right, free standing) 'Set in the Same Universe', 2012. Acrylic resin, print transfer (200 × 95 × 45 cm)
'FAQ', 2012. Plexiglas, digital projection (35×70 cm). All images: Courtesy the artists and Wilkinson Gallery, London
(Excerpts from the gallery press release):
"Conversion" presents sculptures as free standing agents, hanging off the wall and suspended from the ceiling. As if overcome by a crisis of aesthetic register, a stylistic battle takes place between the artworks’ broad formal references, ranging from minimalist tendencies and optical illusion, to gothic font text paired with “new age” video.
Cast in acrylic resin from the front glass of a car, the artists characterize the four shield-like sculptures Shield#0- #00001 as troops deployed in a row, prepared for battle. According to the artists’ selfdevised system, all matter, including the artists’ themselves, are convertible entities; this conversion is likewise reflected in our daily lives, whether it be in terms of converting file formats or currency.
FAQ operates as a sculpture illuminated by a video projection of mathematical fractals abstracted into an array of shifting lights, colors and forms. Acting as a visual anchor, it only but alludes to the presence of answers, instead manifesting as a form of light amusement or distraction. In formal contrast, sculptures such as Long Bones, placed at the entrance to the gallery, as well as West End, a ladder sculpture suspended from the ceiling, adopt a more tectonic composition.
The incandescent photographic flames that optically engulf the freestanding sculpture, Set in the same universe function as the fuel that formally unites the subsequent artworks in the exhibition. Taken from a larger image of civil riots found in recent news, the sculpture acts as a centripetal force within the exhibition by introducing an element of reality into the fictional discourse and diversit of styles that are otherwise present in the gallery.
50-58 Vyner Street
London E2 9DQ
Wednesday to Saturday: 11–18h
Sunday: 12–18h
Sunday: 12–18h
FAQ: Where can I find the publications edited by Latitudes?
Sun, Apr 22 2012
We often receive enquiries from folks interested in purchasing our publications. As editors (or contributors) we only hold a few copies, which over the years have been mostly entirely gifted to colleagues and donated to expand institutional archives.
MACBA’s Centre d'Estudis i Documentació (MACBA Study Centre) and The Banff Centre Library (Banff, Canada) hold reference copies of all of our publications – including the 2006 publication 'Land, Art: A Cultural Ecology Handbook' (out of print); exhibition catalogues such as Amikejo (2011), 'Greenwashing. Environment: perils, promises and perplexities' (2008) and The Last Newspaper (2010), the monograph 'Lara Almarcegui, Projects 1995–2010’ (2010) publications accompanying projects such as Ignasi Aballí's Nothing or Something (2009), Simon Fujiwara's Museum of Incest (2009), Mataró Chauffeur Service (2010), Campus (2011) or Portscapes' (2010) limited edition which includes Jan Dibbets' DVD with his commissioned film '6 hours tide object with correction of perspective' (1969–2009); exhibition booklets of the exhibition 'Exposition International...' at Meessen de Clercq in Brussels, and that dedicated to Lawrence Weiner 2008 exhibition at Fundació Suñol.
MACBA's library also holds two further references: a recording of the conversation we organised as part of our #OpenCurating research with Dia Art Foundation Curator, Yasmil Raymond in 2013, later published as the #7 in the download-free edition; and Charley Independents, the issue that appeared coinciding with our participation in the second iteration of the festival 'No Soul for Sale' launched at TATE Modern in 2010.
Below is a list of all our publications and links to the distributors from where you can purchase them:
'Amikejo' (Mousse Publishing, 2012)
Available via Mousse Publishing (Milan) and Motto (Berlin)
Available via Archive Books (Berlin)
+ photos
+ info on the publication
Available at the The Århus Art Building, Århus (Denmark)
+ photos
+ info on the exhibition
Available via Motto Distribution (Berlin) and La Central (stores in Barcelona & Madrid). Special edition (in the box) available via the New Museum store (New York)
Available via Motto Distribution (Berlin) and La Central (stores in Barcelona & Madrid)
+ photos
+ info on the commissioning series
Available via Archive Books (Berlin) and La Central (stores in Barcelona & Madrid)
Available via Motto Distribution (Berlin)
Three of our earlier publications are out of print:
Out of print. Available for consultation at MACBA's library.
+ photos
+ info on the publication
+ info on the publication
+ info on the exhibition
–
All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org (except when noted otherwise in the photo caption)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Casa Bloc (1932-39) arquitectura racionalista de la II República en el Barri de Sant Andreu, Barcelona
Sun, Apr 15 2012
Vista de uno de los bloques Casa Bloc en el Passeig Torras i Bages del barrio de Sant Andreu.
Construida entre 1932 y 1939 por los arquitectos Josep Lluís Sert, Josep Torres Clavé y Joan Baptista Subirana (integrantes del GATPAC, el Grupo de Arquitectos y Técnicos Catalanes para el Progreso de la Arquitectura Contemporánea), el grupo de viviendas obreras Casa Bloc es un ejemplo de la arquitectura racionalista catalana en el Districte de Sant Andreu, al este de Barcelona.
Jardines interiores de Casa Bloc
Construída durante la II República (1931-39) y promovida por el Comisariado de la Casa Obrera, organismo de la Generalitat de Catalunya, las más de 200 viviendas funcionales fueron planificadas para obreros de fábricas circundantes, aunque éstos nunca llegaron a mudarse pues en 1936 empezó la Guerra Civil y las viviendas aún no estaban acabadas. En su lugar, fueron ocupadas por familias de militares, y en 1948 se añadió un bloque más en uno de los patios (el Bloque fantasma), rompiendo completamente con el diseño original del edificio en forma de 'S' invertida, que aprovechaba la luz y la ventilación natural en todas las partes de la vivienda, evitando utilizar patios de luces como ocurre en las viviendas del Eixample barcelonés, por ejemplo. En este nuevo bloque vivieron militares, viudas de militares, y más adelante policías nacionales e incluso se construyeron dos caballerizas.
Jardines del GATPAC. En este terreno se construyó el Bloque Fantasma.
Desde finales de Marzo 2012, el Disseny Hub de Barcelona gestiona visitas a Casa Bloc (€3 Euros, hay que reservar plaza aquí. El tour dura 20 min. dentro de una de las viviendas y unos 40 min. afuera). La vivienda que se visita es la número 11, y está en el primer piso del bloque 2. Cuenta con una cocina, un lavabo, un lavadero con ducha (estos últimos con la tradicional volta catalana), el salón comedor, la terraza y dos dormitorios en la planta superior (otras viviendas llegan a tener 4) repartidos en 60m2. El bloque tiene ascensores y pasillos internos desde donde los inquilinos cuelgan la ropa o decoran sus entradas con plantas.
La guía muestra una imagen del Plan Macià de 1934 que pretendía construir un laberinto de viviendas que seguían el patron de Casa Bloc y que unirían el Eixample (izquierda) con la zona industrial al este de Barcelona.
Imagen de la planta de Casa Bloc en forma de 'S' que permitía que las viviendas tubiesen luz y ventilación natural y jardines a ambos lados.
Imagen de la Casa Bloc en los años 40. En el centro de la imagen se ve la construcción añadida del llamado Bloque Fantasma en pleno Jardín GATPAC, que finalmente se demole en el 2008.
El piso-museo ha sido reformado para mostrar su aspecto original: se ha recuperado el suelo original que estaba debajo del parquet que colocaron los inquilinos anteriores, se ha remodelado la escalera metálica que tenía azulejos en los escalones y recuperado la barandilla original (el pasamanos estaba recubierto con madera), pintado paredes de colores neutros eliminando el papel anterior, etc. y se han recuperado elementos originales como la cocina, el plato de ducha, los interruptores eléctricos o las manillas de las puertas.
Reforma de la fachada y ventanales. A la derecha el diseño original con la barandilla naranja y las persianas enrollables y a la izquierda la reforma actual.
Señalética a la entrada del piso-museo.
Pasillo interno en el primer piso.
Visitantes entran al piso-museo en el primer piso. Las ventanas a ambos lados de la puerta de entrada dan luz natural a la cocina (izquierda) y al lavadero (derecha).
Comedor con mesa Breuer y sillas Thonet.
Balcón con el cerramiento original que se abría completamente hacia la terraza.
Comedor visto desde la escalera.
Habitación en el piso superior.
El mobiliario que se muestra en este es de los años 30 (mesa de Breuer, sillas plegables de Thonet, camas alemanas con cabeceras metálicas...), recuperando el estilo original del mobiliario de la época publicado en la revista A.C. Documentos de Actividad Contemporánea (dirigida por Clavé y Sert, dos de los arquitectos de Casa Bloc). No obstante esta introducción de racionalismo centro-europeo en el mobiliario, los arquitectos quisieron incorporar el estilo mediterráneo en la arquitectura: las ventanas/puertas que separaban el comedor de la terraza originalmente se abrían y plegaban por completo hacia el exterior ampliando de manera fluída el salón-comedor hacia el Passeig Torras i Bages, y aprovechando su orientación al este que permitía obtener mayor luz durante todo el día (tres persianas enrollables regulan la entrada directa del sol y preservan la intimidad). Cuando se proyectó el bloque habían unos terrenos con huertos justo enfrente así como una masía que fue comprada por el Ajuntament en 1930 convirtiéndola en la escuela Ignasi Iglesias y, según el testimonio de un ex-inquilino de Casa Bloc durante la visita, había una fábrica de piratécnia y explosivos más allá de los huertos, hacia el Rec Comtal.
En 1992 conjunto arquitectónico fue declarado Bien de Interés Cultural y en 1997 empezaron las obras de remodelación que se extendieron hasta el 2008, cuando finalmente se derribó el Bloque Fantasma. La actual remodelación ha obviado por completo mantener el diseño original de las terrazas y todos los pisos se han cerrado con grandes ventanales de aluminio y persianas marrones. No obstante se siguen manteniendo los espacios verdes en ambos patios. Tal y como se planificó, todos los pisos son de alquiler y algunos de sus inquilinos son familias que ocuparon el Bloque Fantasma y han sido realojadas aquí y otros son viviendas sociales.
Más info aquí y reciente foto-reportaje "La Casa Bloc, un museo del racionalismo catalán", en el suplemento El Viajero de 'El País', 22 Marzo 2012.
Casa Bloc desde la calle de l'Almirall Pròixida.
Fotografías: Latitudes | www.lttds.org
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
When did we start being 'Contemporary'? Peter Osborne's MACBA lecture
Fri, Apr 13 2012 |
| Peter Osborne lecture at MACBA, 12 April 2012. Photo: Latitudes |
Tracing a genealogy of 'contemporary' from its first emergence in post-war Britain, with the founding of the Institute of Contemporary Art in London in 1946 ("to be contemporary in 1946 was very avant-garde!") through The Boston Museum of Modern Art changing its name to become the Institute of Contemporary Art in 1948, he charted how it disengaged from the 'modern', yet was then eclipsed by the 'postmodern' as the term of choice for the condition of the new in the 1980s. 'Contemporary', he argued, found its feet as a term of "disjunctive temporality" which also provided space for the 'repressed' modernities of the "event-concept transmedia tradition" (Fluxus, Dada, etc.). Whereas the questions asked of the Modern work of art is "What does this negate?", one asks of the Contemporary work "When did the present of this work begin?".
"The present began in 1989, because previously the present began in 1945", concluded Osborne (dismissing Giorgio Agamben's 'What is the Contemporary?' as "weak" along the way), noting that publishers Phaidon would not allow any pre-1945 works by Duchamp to be illustrated in his "Conceptual Art" as the series was about contemporary art.
Yet, surely different geo-political contexts propose different contemporaneities? Osborne talked about a philosophical and cultural debate in Japan asking 'has the post-war ended yet?' Similarly from a Spanish perspective, we might ask ourselves when did our present begin? After Franco's death in 1975? In 1979?
Yet, surely different geo-political contexts propose different contemporaneities? Osborne talked about a philosophical and cultural debate in Japan asking 'has the post-war ended yet?' Similarly from a Spanish perspective, we might ask ourselves when did our present begin? After Franco's death in 1975? In 1979?
Latitudes promotional tie-in: With similar philosophical and art-historical aplomb Osborne presents his thoughts on the ubiquity of the term 'project' in contemporary art in his essay for the Latitudes-edited Amikejo, accompanying the exhibition series at MUSAC's, Laboratorio 987."The idea of ‘project space’ is a peculiar one insofar as it characterizes a type of space wholly by its appropriateness for a particular kind of temporalization: the temporalization of the project. What is the distinctive spatialization corresponding to this? And how is it affected by the specifically artistic coding of a project? This essay will reflect upon these questions from the standpoint of both their philosophical structure and the historical development of project space as a type of art space."
All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org (except when noted otherwise in the photo caption)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org (except when noted otherwise in the photo caption)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Mousse Publishing and MUSAC release the publication 'Amikejo' edited by Latitudes
Tue, Apr 10 2012
Publication in front of MUSAC's façade, León. Photo: Carlos Ordás.
The publication concludes the 2011 exhibition cycle 'Amikejo' curated by Latitudes, which included exhibitions by Pennacchio Argentato; Iratxe Jaio & Klaas van Gorkum; Uqbar (Irene Kopelman & Mariana Castillo Deball and Fermín Jiménez Landa & Lee Welch at the Laboratorio 987, the project space of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC).
 |
| Inside the publication: section dedicated to Pennacchio Argentato. |
As advanced in previous posts, the publication includes essays by:
Ryszard Żelichowski (Professor and Director for Scientific Research at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences) text "Neutral Moresnet and Amikejo – The Forgotten Children of the Congress of Vienna" offers an overview of how Neutral Moresnet (the state 'renamed' Amikejo in 1908) came into existence;
 |
| Pages with Ryszard Zelichowski's essay on the history of Neutral Moresnet/Amikejo. |
Theo Beckers (Former Professor of Leisure Studies at Tilburg University and currently faculty member of the Tilburg Sustainability Center and Visiting Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) text "Free time. The rise and fall of a social project" traces western society’s relation to work and time, from Seneca the Younger, through the rise of the factory and Frederick Winslow Taylor's 'The Principles of Scientific Management' (1911), to today's blurring of labour and leisure;
 |
| Pages with Theo Beckers' essay. |
Menno Schilthuizen (Research scientist at NCB Naturalis, an endowed chair for Insect Biodiversity at the University of Groningen and an Associate Professor at Leiden University) contributed a text "On Mirror Images in Nature: How Identical Forms Can Be Completely Different" reflects on Uqbar's exhibition centered on chirality: on how in asymmetric animals and plants, sometimes both mirror-image forms exist side by side, but sometimes only one exists, the other being "forbidden";
 |
| Pages dedicated to Uqbar and to Prof. Dr. Menno Schilthuizen's essay. |
 |
| Pages with Georges Perec's reprint. |
 |
| Pages with installation views of Pennacchio Argentato's exhibition. |
 |
| Pages with spanish translations. |
More info on the exhibition series, and photos of the shows by Pennacchio Argentato, Iratxe Jaio & Klaas van Gorkum, Uqbar (Irene Kopelman & Mariana Castillo Deball) and Fermín Jiménez Landa & Lee Welch (see performance)
'Amikejo' publication, beginning to end. Photos: Mousse Publishing
Title: Amikejo
Edited by: Latitudes
Publisher & Distributor: Mousse Publishing
Format: 22.5x15.5cm, 216 pp., hardcover
Language: English and Spanish
Publication date: April 2012
ISBN: 9788896501832
Price: 26 Euros
(Part 3) Latitudes interviewed for "Radio For Example, part 2: R22-Dubai", a project by the Curatorial Delegation for Art Dubai 2012 and The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
Fri, Apr 6 2012
Car where the interviews led by the
Curatorial Delegation took place.
Latitudes was interviewed for
Radio For Example by curator and writer Juan A. Gaitán,
member of the Curatorial Delegation together with Rabat’s
L’Appartement 22
founder Abdellah Karroum, organisers of "Radio
For Example, part 2: R22-Dubai" one of the projects of this
year's Art Dubai (see more on the fair in this previous post). Radio For Example consists on a temporary
nomadic recording studio in a car that will be circulating
throughout Dubai, taking people between different art
spaces, public transportation stations and homes, while conducting
a series of dialogues and interviews with artists,
curators and practitioners aimed at exploring the ways in
which individuals engage with notions of the collective
and operate within institutional frameworks.
Juan A. Gaitán holding the mic
and conducting the interview.
Privileging the active role of the listener in the construction
of knowledge, Radio 22 documents a series of
discussions carried out in different places (Morocco, Medellín and
now in Dubai) through live engagement with these specific social, geographic
and political environments.
The interview-on-wheels took place on March
21, between Art Dubai and The
Pavilion Downtown, where Gaitán also curated the yearly 40-metre
banner commission by Lebanese–Egyptian artist Lara
Baladi.
Juan A. Gaitán and Mariana Cánepa
Luna of Latitudes arrive at the
final destination: The Pavilion Downtown, in the background Burj Khalifa, (so
far) the tallest building in the world.
Curatorial Delegation tote bag.
The Pavilion Downtown, a
non-profit contemporary art space in downtown Dubai, also hosted the
exhibition 'Living
with video' curated by Paris-based gallerist Chantal Crousel,
which featured 15 video works of artists Jennifer Allora &
Guillermo Calzadilla, Melik Ohanian, Hassan Khan, Fikret Atay, Wang
Bing, Gabriel Orozco, Mona Hatoum, Anri Sala, Wolfgang Tillmans, all
represented by the French gallery.
Terrace of The Pavilion Downtown
Open cafeteria/restaurant and library
space
Library space. On the shelf a TV
screens Gabriel Orozco's animation "Samurai Tree Animation"
(2007)
Open lounge/cafeteria
Chantal Crousel gives an
introduction to the 'Living with video' show (17 March – 30 June
2012)
Cinema space screening the 16/9 Wang Bing's
film "Man with no name", 2009.
Gallery 2 with works by Fikret
Atay, Anri Sala, Melik Ohanian and a plasma screen with a looped
selection of the films.
A project by the Curatorial Delegatation (Juan A.
Gaitán & Abdellah Karroum)
–
The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
Emaar Boulevard, Downtown Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
[email protected]
[email protected]
T (+971) 4447 7025
Opening: Everyday, 10am–12am
Publication "Robert Smithson: Art in Continual Movement" (Alauda Publications, 2012) includes essay by Max Andrews
Wed, Mar 28 2012 |
| Cover of the publication. All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org |
We just received a copy of the wonderful and long-awaited publication "Robert Smithson: Art in Continual Movement" (Alauda Publications, 2012) for which Max Andrews of Latitudes contributes the essay "A Dark Spot of Exasperation: From Smithson to the Spime" (an essay which was the basis of his recent lecture at the Royal College of Art in London).
Pages 44-45, with the section "Art, Research, Ecology".
Robert Smithson's seminal Land Art work Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (Emmen, The Netherlands, 1971) is treated as a case study that opens up to a
number of topics, still relevant in contemporary art: 'Models of
Spectatorship', 'Art, Research, Ecology', 'Documentation', 'Museum,
Media, Society' and 'The Cinematic'."
Above: pages with Max Andrews' essay "A Dark Spot of Exasperation: From Smithson to the Spime".
Max Andrews' essay "A Dark Spot of Exasperation: From Smithson to the Spime".
In his text, Andrews stresses that Smithson's innovations in terms of post-studio practice are not about "the question where, or what is the work of art?", but about investigating the structure of the multiple elements which constitute the form of an art project and its place in the world. According to Andrews, the essential feature of Smithson's kinship to post-studio practice is not so much his institutional critique, but a move away from the museum and the curator as existing power structures to a "curatorial function which incorporates a social ecology: a new meaning- and value-generating system in and around art." In his essay, Andrews traces the points of congruence between Smithson and the practices of contemporary artists like Lara Almarcegui, Jorge Satorre and Cyprien Gaillard.
Documentation pages, clippings from 1987.
Pages 150-151, Section "A Living Archive – Film"
Page 194-195, Section "A Living Archive"
Pages 208-209, Section "A Living Archive"
The 240-page monograph publication will be launched on 30 March 2012 in The Hague during the symposia Rethinking Robert Smithson organised by the publishers in cooperation with Leiden University Institute for Cultural Disciplines.
Initiator and publisher: Alauda Publications
Edited by: Ingrid Commandeur and Trudy van Riemsdijk-Zandee
Authors: Max Andrews, Eric C.H. de Bruyn, Stefan Heidenreich, Sven Lütticken, Anja Novak, Vivian van Saaze
Design: Esther Krop
ISBN: 9789081531481
Edited by: Ingrid Commandeur and Trudy van Riemsdijk-Zandee
Authors: Max Andrews, Eric C.H. de Bruyn, Stefan Heidenreich, Sven Lütticken, Anja Novak, Vivian van Saaze
Design: Esther Krop
ISBN: 9789081531481
Price: 39,95 Euro
Available in bookshops or order online: alaudapublications.nl
Available in bookshops or order online: alaudapublications.nl
Related links:
- September 2011 blog post on The Land Art Contemporary programme in Denthe, The Netherlands.
(Part 2) In pictures: Art Dubai, 21–24 March 2012
Mon, Mar 26 2012
One of the entrances to Art Dubai. All photos Latitudes.
After concluding the three days of the 2012 March Meeting in Sharjah (see part one of our Emirati posts), we made our way to the neighbouring Emirate to visit Art Dubai (21–24 March), which took place at the Madinat Jumeirah hotel resort.
Corridors of Art Dubai. Right: Lombard Freid Projects, New York.
Corridor of Art Dubai. Left: Green Cardamom Gallery showing Ayaz Jokhio, Nazgol Ansarinia and Anwar Jalal Shemza.
Entourage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai leaves the fair.
Cartier lounge. Two models pose wearing jewels of the luxury firm.
Global Art Forum 6 "The Medium of Media" directed by writer, curator, Editor-at-Large at Tank magazine and contributing editor at Bidoun magazine Shumon Basar was co-hosted by the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (18–19 March) and was followed by four consecutive days during Art Dubai (21–24 March).
On stage (left to right) Douglas Coupland, Shumon Basar and Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Full house with the keynote by Douglas Coupland.
The programme was the real highlight of Art Dubai and included a focused and well-balanced programme of guests (novelists, curators, artists, journalists, filmmakers, commentators, film producers...) and formats (interviews, 15 minute readings, presentations of commissions). Amongst the highlights was a panel with Canadian novelist and artist Douglas Coupland who discussed Marshall McLuhan’s legacy alongside Shumon Basar and Hans Ulrich Obrist; Michael Rakowitz's dialogue with Jack Persekian on their collaboration for 'The Breakup',
a project which revolved around the intricacies of The Beatles' 1969 breakup, taking the form of a ten-part radio programme that took place in
Ramallah's Radio Amwaj in 2010; and the PowerPointsTM Your Creative Medium Potencial (CMP) series of commissions curated by Victoria Camblin, which included powerpoint works by writers and artists Ayshay+Kari Altmann, Douglas Coupland, Goldin & Senneby, LuckyPDF (see their "School of Global Art" web and powerpoint) and Alex Provan (Triple Canopy).
Shumon Basar (left) photographing the audience and tweeting #GAF2012; Hans Ulrich Obrist (right).
Global Art Forum 6, 22 March: Conversation between Georgina Adam, Art Market Editor at The Art Newspaper and Art Marker correspondent at The Financial Times, and geo-strategist/author Parag Khanna - discussed how information shapes value in the financial marketplace and the differences between the art and the financial market.
Journalist and Bidoun's editor Negar Azimi asking "What is to be done by artists in the face of turbulent historical times when it's the media, arguably, that posseses today's power to shape our imaginations and idealogies the most".
Jack Persekian (left) and Michael Rakowitz (right) discuss their collaboration for 'The Breakup", a multi-part event at the Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, Jerusalem.
The Abraaj Art Capital Prize exhibition at Art Dubai, with works by Taysir Batniji, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige (who had a solo show at The Third Line), Wael Shawky, Risham Syed, and Raed Yassin. Curated by Nat Muller.
Elsewhere in Dubai, The Third Line gallery presented the exhibition "Lebanese Rocket Society: Part III, IV, V" by 2012 Abraaj Capital Art Prize winners, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige.
The Pavilion Downtown Dubai hosted the show "Living with Video" curated by Paris-based galleriest Chantal Crousel and a banner commission by Lara Baladi curated by Juan A. Gaitán. More on the exhibitions at The Pavilion Downtown on our following post.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, is the third largest mosque in the world fits over 7,000 worshippers...
...and features the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet hand-crafted by 1,200 artisans in Iran, 7 gold-coloured chandeliers from Germany made of thousands of Swarovski crystals from Austria and glasswork from Italy...
...1,000 columns in its outer areas cladded with more than 20,000 marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones, including lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and mother of pearl... phew!...
Our final visit: Manarat Al Saadiyat a 15,000 sqm venue with an exhibition about the Saadiyat Cultural District, which in the future will host the Zayed National Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry and The Performing Arts Centre
by Zaha Hadid (see maquettes below). Besides the exhibition of a
timeline of Abu Dhabi's history and impressive panoramic screens, the
show is a place for international hotels and resorts chains (Mandarin,
St. Regis, Park Hyatt...) to present their maquettes and 3D renderings of future facilities nearby the museums. Two days before our visit Human
Rights Watch reported that "Abuses Are Continuing" for Workers at Abu Dhabi's Museum Island.
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(Part 1) In pictures: Fifth March Meeting, 17–19 March 2012, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Sun, Mar 25 2012
Sign marking directions to the March Meeting venues.
Latitudes participated in the March Meeting (17–19 March 2012), a three-day symposium organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation which featured presentations by around 80 artists, art professionals and institutions working on the production and presentation of art. The programme of this fifth edition focused on Working With Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies and comprised a series of lectures, debates and breakout sessions that took place in Dar Al Nadwa and other locations around Sharjah's Heritage Area.
More images of the fifth March Meeting and other related events on our Flickr.
More images of the fifth March Meeting and other related events on our Flickr.
Arrival day – Tour to the Barjeel Art Foundation (collection of Sultan Bin Sooud Al-Qassemi) and the Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba.
The opening of the exhibition "Ziad Antar: Portrait of a Territory" by Lebanese artist Ziad Antar, Collections Building, Heritage Area, Sharjah. Curated by Christine Macel, Chief Curator, Musée National D’Art Moderne Centre Pompidou Paris.
Day 1 – Registration desk at Dar Al Nadwa in Sharjah's Calligraphy Square, the venue where most of the talks took place.
As announced in a previous post, Latitudes presented on the first day two case studies of commissions and residencies as participants in the panel "Minding the Gap: the Critical Role of Smaller Organisations" alongside Hu Fang (Vitamin Creative Space, China), Daniella Rose King (MASS Alexandria, Egypt) and moderated by Samar Martha (ArtSchool Palestine, Palestine).
Panel "Minding the Gap: the Critical Role of Smaller Organisations". Photo: Alfredo Rubio/Sharjah Art Foundation
Latitudes during their presentation. Photo: Alfredo Rubio/Sharjah Art Foundation.
Firstly, Latitudes introduced the commission in the context of 'Portscapes' that was developed from its invitation to the Rotterdam-based artist and editorial duo Fucking Good Art (FGA) to live and work for a month in Rotterdam's Maasvlakte, and secondly, presented a commission addressed to Latitudes in the context of 'The Last Newspaper' in which we worked in the New Museum galleries for 3 months editing a weekly newspaper which became an incremental catalogue based on the micro-community of the exhibition.
Lunch breaks took place at the beautiful Bait Al Naboodah, a two-storey house from 1845.
Plaque marking the entrance to the Bait Obaid Bin Eissa Al Naboodah house.
Guests were treated to wonderful Emirati food.
At the end of the first day, the film "1395 Days without Red" by Anri Sala was premiered at Sharjah's Institute of Theatrical Arts. Šejla Kameric's film was screened on the 18 March at the courtyard of Bait Al Shamsi, Arts Area, Sharjah. Commissioned by UK's Artangel.
Second day – Panellists getting ready for the discussion on "The Importance of Site". With Yusaku Imamura (Tokyo Wonder Site, Japan), Adam Sutherland (Grizedale Arts, UK), Khalil Abdulwahid (Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, UAE), Lu Jie (Long March Space, China) and moderated by Anne Barlow (Art in General, USA).
Day 2 – Panel "Artist as nomad" with Basma Alsharif, Ziad Antar, Šejla Kamerić, Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen and moderated by Sama Alshaibi (University of Arizona, USA).
Day 3 – Panel "The Biennial as Commissioning Agent" with Paul Domela (Liverpool Biennial, UK), Yuko Hasegawa (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Japan & curator of the forthcoming Sharjah Biennial 2013), Abdellah Karroum (independent art researcher, publisher and curator, Morocco), Riyas Komu (Kochi Biennale Foundation, India) and moderated by Marieke van Hal (Biennial Foundation, Greece).
Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, giving her closing remarks of the March Meeting 2012.
Day 3 – Final drinks and snacks at Bait Al Naboodah before Tarek Atoui's performance at the Calligraphy Square. During the drinks, Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi announced the recipients of the 2012 Production Grants worth a total of 200,000 U$: Sean Gullette, Mario Rizzi and Lindsay Seers. The grants were judged by PS1 curator Peter Eleey, artist Isak Berbic, and Sharjah Art Foundation President Hoor Al Qasimi. More here.
Impressive setting for Tarek Atoui's performance "Revisiting Tarab" at the Calligraphy Square. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation.
Tarek Atoui's (Lebanon 1980, lives in Paris) 5.5-hour-long incredible performance "Revisiting Tarab" involved the participation of 17 musicians and sound artists. Atoui writes:
"Tarab" is used in Arab culture to describe the emotional effect of music, and refers to the older repertoire rooted in the pre-World War I musical practice of Egypt and the East Mediterranean Arab world. In the occasion of Performa 2011, Atoui invited musicians and sound artists to travel to Beirut to explore the world's most extensive collection of Classical Arab music owned by Lebanese collector Kamal Kassar, which comprises over 5,000 old 78rpm shellac discs and tapes dating from 1903 to 1950s. Participants selected excerpts from the collection and independently composed their own interpretations of both the content and its possibilities in relation to the history of "Tarab".
(...) The structure and orchestration of the "Re-visiting Tarab" performance is inspired by the rules of the traditional wasla –literally meaning a connection or chaining together. In Egyptian music and Near East is a suite of several vocal and instrumental pieces composed and improvised anchored to the same maqam or harmonic mode– that compiles and shifts between musical forms such as the dulab – a short melodic and rhythmic introduction – the taqsim – an instrumental solo improvisation– and the muwashah – a song based on an Arab-Andalusian or Oriental poem. The performance was produced by Sharjah Art Foundation with the support of AMAR Foundation. More info: http://www.visitingtarab.com
20 March: Guests waiting to take the bus to Kalba opposite the Sharjah Art Museum.
On the last day a group of guests and journalists were taken 110km from Sharjah city to Kalba, the third most important city in the Emirate, on its east coast, whose road extends up to the border with Oman. Here the Sharjah Art Foundation is currently readapting a 200m2 concrete building by the creek to become the Kalba Art Centre, planned to open in a years time. (Ziad Antar’s ongoing exhibition "Portrait of a Territory" at Sharjah's Collection Building, includes photo documentation of this coastline taken between 2004 and 2011.)
holds a map of the area where Kalba's future art centre will be while Hisham Al Madhloum, director of the Sharjah Directorate of Art, points out the location and particularities of Kalba and its surroundings.
Bus nearby Kalba's creek, a mangrove swamp.
The future site of the Kalba Art Centre occupies a total area of 13,000 m2 and in the 1970s was originally intended to be used as a fish fertiliser factory but is now intermittently used as an ice factory and a boat repair shop. The former factory will have a space for exhibitions, a cafeteria, spaces for workshops and host artist residencies, and will be managed and programmed by the Sharjah Art Foundation.
Façade of the future Kalba Art Centre. This triple height pitched space overlooks the protected mangroves and heritage area across the creek.
Interior space of the future Kalba Art Centre.
Back in Sharjah, we did a final tour to see the show "What should I do to live in your life?" at Bait Al Serkal, opposite the Sharjah Art Museum, which presented film works by Lee Kit, Minouk Lim, João Vasco Paiva, Part-time Suite and Yuk King Tan.
Entrance to Bait Al Serkal exhibition space.
All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org (except where noted otherwise in the photo caption)
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