Sharjah Biennial 12: The past, the present, the possible - Opening Programme
will take place between 5th March and 5th June 2014. Curated by
with associate curator Ryan Inouye, the theme this year is "The past, the present, the possible".
The premise of Sharjah Biennial 12 stems from a conversation between artist Danh Vo and curator Eungie Joo in early 2013, about the relevance of contemporary art and the potential of artistic positions to imagine something beyond current states of social and political confinement.
Beginning with Sharjah Art Foundation’s annual March Meeting in 2014, Sharjah Biennial 12 has engaged artists in a conversation about the place, the project, and each others’ practices. Though archaeological research confirms the presence of humans in this region over 125,000 years ago, Sharjah—as a city, an emirate and a member of a relatively young federation—is still in the process of imagining itself through education, culture, religion, heritage and science.
Sharjah Biennial 12 invites over 50 artists and cultural practitioners to participate in this process by introducing their ideas of the possible through their art and work. Two-thirds of participating artists will present new works and commissions.
This year's edition of the biennial will include new venues in and around Sharjah, including The Flying Saucer (formerly a supermarket and restaurant), plus an an abandoned ice factory in the city of Kalba on the Gulf of Oman.
The opening week of the biennial, 5th - 7th March 2015 will include a series of tours, performances, events and film screenings. There are no VIP invites and passes for this. It is open to everyone and free to attend. So I strongly suggest you block your calendars and make your way to Sharjah for the opening.
Opening Programme:
Thursday, 5th March 2015
10:00 am
Sharjah Biennial 12 Official Opening in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi
Location: SAF Art Spaces
10 am - 1 pm
Abkhazia Anembassy hours with Maxim Gvinjia, part of Secession Sessions by Eric Baudelair
Location: Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts
Ongoing
XYZ: action by Eduardo Navarro
Location: Al Hamdan Bin Mousa Square
Ongoing
Use Like Water
Performance by Nikhil Chopra
Location: Bait Obaid Al Shamsi
9:30 pm
Souls’ Landscapes: Violence, magical superstructures & invisible guardians
Performance by Uriel Barthélémi
Location: Mirage City Cinema, SAF Art Spaces
Duration: 35 minutes
Friday, 6th March 2015
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Abkhazia Anembassy Hours with Maxim Gvinjia, part of Secession Sessions by Eric Baudelaire
Location: Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts
4:00 pm
Fanfare funérailles (Funeral Brass)
Performance by Papy Ebotani
Location: Arts Square to Calligraphy Square
Duration: 70 minutes
Until sunset
Use Like Water
Performance by Nikhil Chopra
Location: Bait Obaid Al Shamsi
8:30 pm
Le Cargo
Performance by Faustin Linyekula
Location: Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts
Duration: 55 minutes
10:00 pm
In the absence of the objects seen
Screening event by Ayreen Anastas and Rene Gabri
Location: Bait Obaid Al Shamsi
Saturday, 7th March 2015
10 am - 5 pm
Excursion to Kalba to view installation by Adrián Villar Rojas and installation by Hassan Khan at the Flying Saucer in Sharjah
Buses depart from Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah Rotana Hotel and the Radisson Blu Hotel.
7:00 pm
Souls’ Landscapes: The great mantle of night which has enveloped us…
Performance by Uriel Barthélémi
Location: Warehouse 1 at Khalid Port
Duration: 35 minutes
9:30 pm
Le Cargo
Performance by Faustin Linyekula
Location: Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts
Duration: 55 minutes
11:00 pm
SB12 Film Programme screening
Location: Mirage City Cinema, SAF Art spaces
There will be additional unscheduled events taking place, so just turn up and be open to the biennial. After the opening week, there will be weekly film screenings and an education programme every Saturday starting from 7th March. I will be posting more about Sharjah Biennial 12 over the next few weeks.
I had such a great time at Sharjah Biennial 11 and I can't wait to dive into Sharjah Biennial 12.
Sharjah Biennial 12: The past, the present, the possible includes works by:
Basel Abbas*, Ruanne Abou-Rahme*, Etel Adnan*, Babak Afrassiabi*, Abdullah Al Saadi*, Rheim Alkadhi*, Ayreen Anastas*, Leonor Antunes*, Uriel Barthélémi*, Eric Baudelaire, Mark Bradford*, Unnikrishnan C.*, Chimurenga*, Nikhil Chopra*, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Chung Chang-Sup, Abraham Cruzvillegas*, Papy Ebotani, Rene Gabri*, Ahmad Ghossein*, Im Heung-Soon*, Iman Issa*, Michael Joo*, Maryam Kashani*, Mohammed Kazem, Hassan Khan*, Kristine Khouri*, Beom Kim, Byron Kim*, Lala Rukh, Kit Lee*, Jac Leirner*, Faustin Linyekula, Jawshing Arthur Liou, Cinthia Marcelle*, Rodney McMillian*, Julie Mehretu*, mixrice*, Asunción Molinos Gordo, Eduardo Navarro*, Damián Ortega*, Rasha Salti*, Hassan Sharif, Taro Shinoda*, Gary Simmons*, Nasrin Tabatabai*, Rayyane Tabet*, Rirkrit Tiravanija*, Adrián Villar Rojas*, Danh Vo, Xu Tan, Haegue Yang*, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye*, Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara, and Fahrelnissa Zeid
*presenting new works