SAF announces details of March Meeting 2014: Come Together

Overview

Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) announces details about speakers, topics of discussion, and the correspondent programme for March Meeting 2014 (MM2014), taking place March 13-16, 2014 in Sharjah, UAE. Sharjah Biennial 12 (SB12) curator Eungie Joo has organised the seventh annual March Meeting as a point of departure using this public symposium to create a shared context and body of knowledge from which to develop the biennial in the months leading up to its opening.

By coordinating the March Meeting 2014 with Sharjah Biennial 12, Joo aims to begin a sustained conversation that addresses international, regional, and local audiences in a way that demands an engaged investment in the development of the Biennial and SAF. Featured speakers include artists commissioned for SB12 in the earliest stages of their research, positioning artists in discussion with Sharjah, each other, and the public from the outset of their projects. Such a structure will allow the public to be introduced to the artists’ practices and thinking prior to the exhibition of their work in 2015, while creating the conditions for artists to exchange ideas and observations about the city in which they will be working.

Beyond these case studies, MM2014 follows several additional strands: Sustained engagements – focusing on past work in Sharjah; From here – presenting perspectives on collection building and exhibitions; Collective research and evaluation sessions; and Keynote addresses and conversations.

Sharjah Art Foundation President and Director HE Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi will discuss the process of establishing contemporary art collections in conversation with Rodrigo Moura of Instituto Inhotim, Brazil. March Meeting 2014 will feature presentations on recent work by artists Tarek Atoui, CAMP, and Abdullah Al Saadi, who will each share insight from extended periods of research and work in Sharjah. Christine Tohme of Ashkal Alwan, Beirut, will present a keynote address in conversation with artist and filmmaker Ahmad Ghossein. An international group of artists, including Hassan Khan, Iman Issa, Cinthia Marcelle, Adrián Villar Rojas, and Danh Vo will share key elements of their recent work and practices in a series of “case studies” panels. Curator Doryun Chong of M+ Museum, Hong Kong, will present on his Museum of Modern Art exhibition, Tokyo 1955-1970: A New Avant Garde (2012) that examined the formation of contemporary art in Tokyo in relation to the development of the city and nation. Gabi Ngcobo of Center for Historical Reenactments, Johannesburg, will present on a panel on recent initiatives that propose innovative ways of contributing to emerging art scenes in Jeddah, Cairo, Johannesburg, and Istanbul, that also features Mohammed Hafiz, Sarah Rifky, and Zeynep Oz. And five collective research sessions by artists and researchers including Eric Baudelaire, Kristine Khouri, and Rasha Salti will provide opportunities for in-depth investigation and informal exchange.

In addition, this year SAF will host eight correspondents with research goals and interests in the region, who will each respond to March Meeting sessions through writing, photography, video and digital forms. The programme aims to recognise the importance of writers, scholars, and curators in the development of a contemporary art scene, and models the kind of sustained engagement with place that is foundational to SB12.

Exhibition openings that coincide with the opening of March Meeting include Wael Shawky: Horsemen Adore Perfumes and other stories; Rasheed Araeen: Before and After Minimalism; Susan Hefuna: Another Place; and the March Project. Other exhibitions on view include Eduard Puterbrot: Between my East and my West; Ahmed Mater: 100 Found Objects; and Abdullah Al Saadi: Al-Toubay.

MM2014 and related events are free and open to the public. Register at register@sharjahart.org.

Press Release

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