SAF announces 5th annual March Meeting

March Meeting 2012: Working with Artists and Audiences on Comissions and Residencies

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)—The Sharjah Art Foundation announces the fifth annual March Meeting, a three-day symposium featuring presentations by artists, art professionals and institutions on the production and dissemination of art in the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) region and internationally. March Meeting 2012: Working With Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies will take place March 17 -19, 2012, in Sharjahʼs Heritage Area. The three day forum will be held daily from 10 am – 6 pm and will coincide with a programme of engaging exhibitions and events showcasing work that has been created through commissions and residencies in the spirit of the theme for this yearʼs March Meeting. Special events will include the opening reception for Ziad Antarʼs solo exhibition on March 16, followed by the Middle East premiere of a cinematic project commissioned by Artangel, 1395 Days without Red by Anri Sala and Šejla Kamerić, on March 17 and 18. At the closing reception on March 19, an announcement of the Sharjah Art Foundationʼs 2012 Production Programme grant awardees will be followed by the premiere of Tarek Atouiʼs Revisiting Tarab.

Now in its fifth year, March Meeting 2012: Working with Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies aims to thematically explore the present realities, future outlook and dynamics between artists and institutions in the context of artistic commissions and residencies. Local, regional and international practitioners in this field will present keynote lectures, panel discussions and presentations exploring the topic through questions including: What are the challenges and opportunities for artists and institutions when collaborating on artistic commissions? How do international residencies serve as a vehicle for social change and cultural diplomacy? What is the impact of residencies and artistic commissions on local communities? How effective are residencies in terms of creating environments for artists to take risks?

Sharjah Art Foundation President Hoor Al Qasimi states, 'The March Meeting serves as an important platform for artists and creative professionals from a range of geographical and artistic backgrounds to come together and explore issues and new avenues for the production and dissemination of arts and culture. The programme was pioneered in 2008 and has since grown under the Sharjah Art Foundation from being a pivotal event in the regional calendar, to a strong international gathering where individuals bring expertise, ideas and a desire to create new relationships and opportunities for artists future collaborations.'

Participants for the 2012 March Meeting were selected both by invitation and through an open call for submissions in December 2011, to which nearly 170 applications by individuals from 45 countries were submitted.

*Please see below for a list of select participants. Full details of all participantsʼ bios and additional programme information is available online at http://www.sharjahart.org/march-meeting/march-meeting-20121/programme

The 2012 March Meeting precedes the 11th edition of the Sharjah Biennial to take place mid-March 2013. The 2013 Sharjah Biennial will be curated by Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), and seasoned director, curator and advisor for international biennials. To learn more about the next Sharjah Biennial curator, visit http://www.sharjahart.org/biennial/sharjah-biennial-11/welcome

Schedule of Concurrent Exhibitions and Events

Reflecting this yearʼs theme for the March Meeting, the Sharjah Art Foundation will host a series of exhibition openings and events showcasing work that has been created through commissions and residencies in conjunction with the three-day symposium.

March 16

Exhibition Opening of Ziad Antar: Portrait of a Territory
A solo exhibition of new work by Lebanese photographer Ziad Antar that features photographs of the UAE coastline that were taken between 2004 and 2011. This exhibition is curated by Christine Macel, Chief Curator at Musée National DʼArt Moderne Centre Pompidou Paris.

Produced in part during Antarʼs Sharjah Art Foundation Residency in 2011, the work depicts the traces of history that have been drawn into a landscape as well as the recent history of young countries built upon trade and commerce.

A public reception, supported by the French Embassy and the Institute Français, UAE, will take place at the Sharjah Art Area Collections Building at 6:30pm on March 16. The exhibition will remain on view through May 16, 2012.

Book Launch of Ziad Antarʼs Portrait of a Territory

In addition to the exhibition, Sharjah Art Foundation presents the launch of Antarʼs new publication Portrait of a Territory. 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. Co-published by French publishing house Actes Sud and Sharjah Art Foundation in French, English and Arabic, this 304-page book was designed by Marc Touitou with text written by Christine Macel.

Ziad Antar and Christine Macel will hold a brief conversation as part of the opening event.

March 17

Middle East Premiere of 1395 Days without Red, a Cinematic Project by Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala in collaboration with Ari Benjamin Meyers 1395 Days without Red draws on the experience of the siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996 and the trauma of the besieged citizens as they made their way through the city. The title refers to the fact that, during the siege, the Sarajevans were advised not to wear bright colours that might alert the snipers in the hills above to their movements.

1395 Days without Red is a cinematic project by Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala in collaboration with Ari Benjamin Meyers and is commissioned by Artangel. 1395 Days without Red comprises two separate works made from material developed and filmed together in Sarajevo. This is the Middle East premiere of this cinematic project and Artangelʼs first project to be hosted in the region. London-based Artangel is internationally recognised for its 20-year history of exceptional commissions and productions with outstanding contemporary artists. The Sharjah presentation of the project is supported by the British Council.

Both Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala will be present along with Artangel Co-Director James Lingwood.

1395 Days without Red is commissioned by Artangel with Manchester International Festival, Whitworth Art Gallery (Manchester), Fundació Museu DʼArt Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Rotterdam), enabled by Han Nefkens, H+F patronage, Festival dʼAutomne (Paris), Arts Council England, European Cultural Foundation, Film Fund Sarajevo, Marian Goodman Gallery (New York), Hauser & Wirth (London & Zurich). Co-produced by Artangel and SCCA/pro.ba.

March 17: 1395 Days without Red (film by Anri Sala)

The screening will take place at 6:30pm at the Sharjah Institute of Theatrical Arts,
Heritage Area, Sharjah.

March 18: 1395 Days without Red (film by Šejla Kamerić)

The screening will take place at 8:30pm in the outdoor courtyard at Bait Al Shamsi, Arts Area, Sharjah.

March 25: 1395 Days without Red (films by Šejla Kamerić and Anri Sala)

The screening will take place at 6pm at Main Building Auditorium, American University of Sharjah. A talk with Šejla Kamerić will take place as part of this event.

March 18

Opening of Sharjah Art Foundation Residency project Farther Than the Eye Can See by artist Basma Alsharif

A four-channel video installation, this project explores how we relate to and internalise the geo-political shifts that occur within our lifetimes and those we carry with us from past generations. Basma Alsharifʼs Farther than the Eye Can See engages its viewer in a visceral experience of information through the intersection of image and sound within space. This project was developed during Alsharifʼs 2011/2010 Residency at the Sharjah Art Foundation and co-produced by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

The opening will take place at 7pm at Bait Al Shamsi, Arts Area, Sharjah, and the exhibition will remain on view through May 18, 2012.

March 19

Announcement of SAF Production Programme Awardees

Recipients of the Sharjah Art Foundationʼs Production Programme grants totalling up to $200,000 will be announced during the March Meeting in a private reception on March 19. The Foundationʼs Production Programme was established in 2008 and later expanded in 2010 to provide grants to artists working in a wide range of media for the funding of new work. Recipients will be selected by an international jury from applications submitted through an Open Call through February 24, 2012.

Middle East Premiere of Revisiting Tarab

Lebanese sound artist Tarek Atoui returns to Sharjah to present the Middle East premiere of Revisiting Tarab, an evening of performances inspired by classical Arab music. Revisiting Tarab will incorporate elements of the worldʼs largest collection of Classical Arab music as interpreted by a range of musicians and sound artists.

Produced by Sharjah Art Foundation, this performance follows last autumnʼs New York premiere of Atouiʼs Visiting Tarab as a Performa Commission with the Sharjah Art Foundation. Conceived as a series of performances, the audience is welcome at any point between 8:30pm and 2:00am.

Conceived and proposed by Tarek Atoui, performers include Tarek Atoui as well as Anti-Pop Consortium (Kyle Austin, Earl Blaize, M Sayyid), Uriel Barthelemi, Jonathan Butcher, Maurice Greene, Susie Ibarra, Kazuyuki Kishino, Lukas Ligeti, Robert Lowe, Raz Mesinai, Ikue Mori, Sara Parkins, Zeena Parkins, Roberto Juan Rodriguez, Mustafa Said, and Elliott Sharp.

Revisiting Tarab will take place on March 19, 2012 at Sharjahʼs Heritage Area, Calligraphy Square from 8:30pm - 2:00am.

For more information on the above exhibitions and events, please visit www.sharjahart.org

The March Meeting along with the parallel shows and events are free to attend and open to the public. Registration is recommended to reserve your seat for the March Meeting, marchmeeting@sharjahart.org.