Portrait of a Territory, October 2010
Ziad Antar
Portrait of a Territory, October 2010
Foujaira
C-print
Courtesy of the artist
Overview
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) March 14, 2012 — Sharjah Art Foundation will present Portrait of a Territory, a solo exhibition of new work by Lebanese photograper Ziad Antar from March 16 – May 16, 2012, in the Collections Building, Arts Area, Sharjah. Curated by Christine Macel, Chief Curator at Musée National DʼArt Moderne Centre Pompidou Paris, the exhibition features photographs of the UAE coastline that were taken between 2004 and 2011.
While Antar began by randomly photographing the coast, he later worked to systematically document the coastline, Emirate by Emirate, completing the series as part of a Sharjah Art Foundation Residency in 2011.
The resulting photographs portray the borders between each Emirate and the sea as a place of contact and engagement with the outside world. The work reveals traces of history drawn on the landscape as well as the recent past of these young countries that have been built upon trade and commerce.
Viewed in succession, these photographs tell the story of an economic boom and its hazards through views of monumental architectural structures and the abandoned worksites of unfinished construction projects. These images also offer a glimpse into the daily lives and activities of the middle class.
This exhibition consists of approximately 211 black and white and coloured. Installed along walls that wrap around the centre of the exhibition space, the photographs will be hung in a single line that is fractured and segmented, reflecting the physical geography of the United Arab Emirates.
Publication
Antarʼs publication Portrait of a Territory will be launched during the exhibition opening reception. Created as part of his Sharjah Art Foundation Artist Residency, this book includes 267 photographs, some from the exhibition in addition to others from the same series. Copublished by the prestigious French publishing house Actes Sud and Sharjah Art Foundation in French, English and Arabic, this 304 page book was designed by Marc Touitou with a text written by Christine Macel.
About the Artist: Ziad Antar
Lebanese photographer Ziad Antar uses photography and video in work where the artistʼs quiet and reflective stance reveals the social and political structures that influence daily life. Antar has been working with photography and video since 2002 when he directed his first documentary on the French photographer Jean-Luc Moulène. He has made several documentaries for the Arabic news channel Al-Arabiya. Antarʼs work has been shown in numerous exhibitions including; The Mediterranean Approach and The Future of a Promise, Venice, Italy (2011), Sharjah Biennial 10 (2011), the New Museum, New York (2009), the Cittadellarte, Pistoletto Foundation, Biella, Italy (2009), Sharjah Biennial 9 (2009), Tate Modern, London (2008), the Centre Pompidou, Paris (2006) La Cabane, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2005) and the Taipei Biennial, Taiwan (2008). He was nominated for the Ukrainian Pinchuk Foundation's Future Generation Prize in 2010. Ziad Antar was born in 1978 in Saida, Lebanon and now lives and works between Paris and Beirut.
About the Curator: Christine Macel
Christine Macel is the Chief Curator at Musée National DʼArt Moderne Centre Pompidou Paris since 2000. As director of the Department of Création Contemporaine and Prospective, she has curated many exhibitions including Dionysiac (2005), Airs De Paris with Daniel Birnbaum (2007), Philippe Parreno, Gabriel Orozco, The Promises of the Past with Joanna Mytkowska (2009) and Danser Sa Vie/ Art and dance in the 20th and 21st centuries with Emma Lavigne (2011-2012). She is currently working on a solo exhibition of Anri Sala scheduled to open on May 2, 2012 and a group exhibition with Navid Nuur, The image in the Sculpture opening in 2013.
She has also curated exhibitions outside the Pompidou such as John Bock (Frac PACA Marseille, 2006), Erick Duyckaerts (Pavillon belge Biennale de Venise, 2007) and was an advisor for Based in Berlin (2011). As an art critic she has written extensively for publications including Artforum, Flash Art, ArtPress and has been the editor of many catalogues. In 2008 she published an essay on contemporary art called Time Taken (The time at work in the work of art) (Monografik/Centre Pompidou).
Sharjah Art Foundation March Programme
The opening of Ziad Antarʼs exhibition will be the inaugural event of Sharjah Art Foundationʼs annual March Meeting: Working with Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies. Taking place from March 17 - 19, 2012, March Meeting is an annual gathering of artists, art professionals and institutions concerned with the production and dissemination of art in the region and internationally.
Schedule of March Events:
March 8
What should I do to live in your life? An exhibition that introduces work by seven artists, all strangers to Sharjah, into a space that was originally a family home
March 16
Ziad Antarʼs exhibition and book launch Portrait of a Territory
March 17
Screening of 1395 Days Without Red an Artangel commission by Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala in collaboration with Ari Benjamin Meyers
March 18
Basma Alsharifʼs exhibition Farther Than the Eye Can See
March 19
Revisiting Tarab an Evening of Music by Tarek Atoui
For further information on Sharjah Art Foundation and the March programme please visit www.sharjahart.org
About Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF)
Sharjah Art Foundation brings a broad range of contemporary art and cultural programmes to the communities of Sharjah, the UAE and the region. Since 2009 SAF has built on the history of cultural collaboration and exchange that began with the first Sharjah Biennial in 1993. Working with local and international partners, we create opportunities for artists and artistic production through our core initiatives that include the Sharjah Biennial, the annual March Meeting, residencies, production grants, commissions, exhibitions, research, publications and a growing collection. Our education and public programmes focus on building recognition of the central role art can play in the life of a community by promoting public learning and a participatory approach to art. Sharjah Art Foundation is funded by the Department of Culture and Information, Government of Sharjah.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sharjah Art Foundation
Alyazeyah Al-Reyaysa
Public & Media Relations Officer
Tel: +971-6-544-4113, ext. 26
E: alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
FITZ & CO, New York
Meg Blackburn
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E: meg@fitzandco.com