Overview
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), December 14, 2011—Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) announces the selection of Yuko Hasegawa as the Curator of Sharjah Biennial 11, opening March 2013. Yuko Hasegawa is Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), and is a seasoned director, curator, and advisor for international biennials.
For Sharjah Biennial 11, Hasegawa has proposed a selection of artworks that reassess the Eurocentrism of knowledge in modern times. To do this, she calls for a gathering of architects, designers, creators, and artists, who will bring together different perspectives, and challenge viewers to seek new knowledge by sharing ideas. Hasegawa offers the metaphor of the courtyard in Islamic architecture: The fountain is so generous that everyone can bathe in its waters. She sees Sharjah as a place of hospitality and discipline, and proposes a biennial that embraces these qualities, while also exploring the complexity and diversity of cultures, societies, and politics.
Sharjah Art Foundation President Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi and Hasegawa met in late November, 2011, at the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOT), to confirm the appointment and explore the proposed concept and curatorial theme.
Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi commented, 'We are pleased to announce Yuko Hasegawa as Curator for Sharjah Biennial 11. Hasegawa has a distinguished career characterised by major curatorial projects, notably in Eastern Asia and Latin America. Her proposal for the 2013 Biennial reflects the long tradition of Sharjah as a place where the gathering of diverse communities encourages an exchange of ideas and knowledge.'
Hasegawa added, 'Sharjah is historic and present, social, natural, and political. It is a place that encourages thinking and negotiating with others. My natural response to its dynamism is to produce a Biennial which asks questions through art, and creates a dialogue that liberates us from Eurocentrism, Globalism, and other relevant –isms.'
About Yuko Hasegawa
Yuko Hasegawa is Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2006 – present) and is also a Professor at Tama Art University, Tokyo, where she teaches curatorial and art theory. Previously, she was a Chief Curator and Founding Artistic Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (1999−2006).
Hasegawa has worked on many international biennials, and has held such positions as: Artistic Advisor of the 12th Venice Architectural Biennale (2010), Co-Curator of the 29th Sao Paulo Biennale (2010), Co-Curator of the 4th Seoul International Media Art Biennale (2006), Commissioner of the Japanese Pavilion at the 50th Venice Biennale (2003), CoCurator of the 4th Shanghai Biennale (2002), and Artistic Director of the 7th Istanbul Biennale (2001).
Since 2001, Hasegawa has served on the International Arts Advisory Council for the Wexner Center for the Arts in Ohio. She has been the Artistic Director of the Inujima House Project at Benesse Corporation since 2009. She was previously a Board Member of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (2009-2010), and has been a member of the Asian Art Council at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum since 2008.
Hasegawa has curated major thematic group exhibitions. These include:
Architectural Environments for Tomorrow – New Spatial Practices in Architecture and Art (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2011), which is co-curated with Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA, and is on view through January 15, 2012. It presents the work of such artists and architects as El Anatsui, Frank Gehry, Toyo Ito, Luisa Lambri, Walter Niedermayr, Piet Oudolf, Studio Mumbai, Fiona Tan, and Wim Wenders.
Transformation (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2010), which presented the work of 21 artists such as AES + F, Matthew Barney, Simon Birch, Naoki Ishikawa, Bharti Kher, Jagannath Panda, Shahzia Sikander, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
When Lives Become Form, Brazilian Contemporary Art: 1960s to the Present (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2009; traveled to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco) which presented the work of 27 Brazilian artists such as Lygia Clark, Marepe, Cildo Meireles, Beatriz Milhazes, Ernesto Neto, Helio Oiticica, and Lygia Pape.
SPACE FOR YOUR FUTURE - Recombining the DNA of Art and Design (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2008), which presented the work of 34 artists, architects, designers, and filmmakers including Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Cosmic Wonder, Olafur Eliasson, R&Sie, Tobias Rehberger, and Barbara Visser.
Hasegawa has curated solo exhibitions by such artists as Matthew Barney, Marlene Dumas, Rebecca Horn, and Atsuko Tanaka, and has served as an Independent Curator at Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon (MUSAC); and Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM). She has served on advisory boards for the Guggenheim Museum and the Venice Biennale, and has authored curatorial essays in publications for museums including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
March Meeting 2012: Working with Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies
March 17 – 19, 2012
Sharjah Art Foundation has announced the open call for presentation proposals based on the theme of March Meeting 2012: Working with Artists and Audiences on Commissions and Residencies. This will be the fifth annual March Meeting. Those interested in submitting an application may visit the March Meeting page of the Sharjah Art Foundationʼs web site at: http://www.sharjahart.org/march-meeting/. The deadline is January 5, 2012.
Established in 2008, the March Meeting provides a critical platform for the exchange of ideas and the investigation of collaborative possibilities to international art and cultural leaders working in or with the art of the region.
Sharjah Biennial 11 Curator Yuko Hasegawa will be among the speakers at the event.
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, SAF creates opportunities for artists and artistic production through core initiatives that include the Sharjah Biennial, the annual March Meeting, residencies, production grants, commissions, exhibitions, research, publications, and a growing collection. SAFʼs 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.
For more information on the Sharjah Art Foundation and the March Meeting, please visit www.sharjahart.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Sharjah Art Foundation
Alyazeyah Al-Reyaysa
T: +971-6-544-4113, ext. 25
E: alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
FITZ & CO
Meg Blackburn
T: 212-627-1455, ext. 225
E: meg@fitzandco.com
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