Weekly News Roundup: April 5, 2024
By The Editors
CHENG XINHAO, Stratums and Erratics, 2023-24, single-channel video with color and sound: 60 mins. Courtesy the artist and Tabula Rasa Gallery.
15th Gwangju Biennale Announces Participants for 2024 Edition
On March 26, the Gwangju Biennale revealed the 73 artists and collectives from across 30 countries and territories set to participate in its 15th edition. Coinciding with its 30th anniversary, the Biennale, titled “Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century,” will connect musical and visual forms to forge an “operatic” exhibition. The artists exploring themes of space and one’s place within it include American artist Haseeb Ahmed; Turkish painter Deniz Aktaş; Armenian-Lithuanian musical artist Andrius Arutiunian; Chinese multidisciplinary artist Cheng Xinhao; Seoul-based artist Choi Haneyl; Incheon-born audiovisual media artist Hye Joo Jun; Korean sound artist Jun Hyoung San; Vienna-based sculptor Yein Lee; Seoul-born interdisciplinary artist Mimi Park; Korean video-based installation artist Hyewon Kwon; Pakistani multimedia artist Saadia Mirza; Australian artist David Noonan; Mumbai-born conceptual and performance artist Amol K. Patil; Bali-based artist Sofya Skidan; Vietnamese multidisciplinary artist Sung Tieu; and Indonesian multimedia artist Julian Abraham “Togar.” The Biennale runs from September 7 to December 1, 2024.
(From left to right) Portrait of ADHAM AL FARSI, ALI AL JABRI, ALIA AL FARSI, ESSA AL MUFARJI, and SARAH AL OLAQI. Courtesy the National Pavilion of the Sultanate of Oman.
Oman Releases Details for Venice Biennale National Pavilion
The sultanate of Oman has released details of its second national pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale. The exhibition, titled “Malath-Haven,” is curated by artist and gallerist Alia Al Farsi. The exhibition aims to evoke Oman’s historical multiculturalism by showcasing new works from Omani artists of diverse backgrounds and practices—including clay-based artist and Arabic calligrapher Essa Al Mufarji; textile artist Sarah Al Olaqi; interactive installation artist Adham Al Farsi; and stone sculptor Ali Al Jabri. Al Farsi stated: “The four chosen artists representing the Sultanate of Oman at the 60th International Art Exhibition have each made noteworthy and commendable contributions to their communities, effectively revitalizing the contemporary art scene in Oman throughout their careers. Their impact extends beyond their artistic endeavors, serving as inspiration for new generations of artists.” The Oman Pavilion is located in the Palazzo Navagero; the Venice Biennale runs from April 20 to November 24.
Collage of portraits of artists participating in the Hawai’i Triennial 2025. Courtesy Hawai’i Contemporary.
Artists for Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 Revealed
On March 29, Hawai‘i Contemporary announced the 49 artists and art collectives that will participate in the Hawai‘i Triennial 2025 (HT25). Working under the theme of “ALOHA NŌ,” the triennial seeks to present art as “an action that comprises a profound love and truth-telling.” Some of the invited participants include: Kanaka-Maoli artist J.D. Nālamakūikapō Ahsing; Kailua-born visual poet Meleanna Aluli Meyer; Sāmoan photographer Edith Amituanai; Ho Chi Minh City-based artist collective Art Labor; Lebanese-Filipino conservationist Melissa Chimera; Quandamooka artist Megan Cope; Tongan artist Sione Faletau; Baghdad-born artist Hayv Kahraman; Korean visual artist and filmmaker Jane Jin Kaisen; Honolulu- and New York-based artist Sung Hwan Kim; Tāmaki Makaurau-based painter Emily Karaka; Syrian visual artist and architect Yazan Khalili; Hawaiian kapa-maker and artist Lehuauakea; and Taiwanese new media and performance artist Anchi Lin (Ciwas Tahos). Exhibited across O‘ahu, Hawai'i Island, and Maui, the HT25 will open February 15 and run until May 4, 2025.
Portrait of OCHIRBOLD AYURZANA crafting Discovering the present from the future, 2024, sculpture duo installation, aluminum, iron wire, 260-350 × 800 × 300 cm. Photo by Sukhzorig Bayansan. Courtesy the National Pavilion of Mongolia.
National Pavilion of Mongolia Reveals Venice Plans
Orchirbold Ayurzana has been named the national representative of Mongolia at the 60th Venice Biennale. Ayurzana’s exhibition for the Mongolian Pavilion, titled “Discovering the Present from the Future,” will feature an eponymous, interactive sculptural installation inspired by the Citipati dinosaur: two entangled, skeletal Buddhist deities said to represent death, impermanence, and eternal awareness (a modern interpretation of the Citipati views them as environmental guardians against climate change). Another main feature of the exhibition includes Ayurzana’s ongoing sculptural series Discovering Consciousness. The Pavilion is co-curated by Oyuntuya Oyunjargal, the cultural envoy of Mongolia to Germany, and Gregor Jansen, the director of Germany’s Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, and it is commissioned by the Mongolian minister of culture, Nomin Chinbat. “Discovering the Present from the Future” will be staged at Arsenale Castello 2127A, opposite the entrance of the Venice Biennale.
Portrait of AZIZA KADYRI (far right) and the Qizlar Collective. Courtesy Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation.
Uzbekistan Pavilion at Venice Features Qizlar Collective
Curated by the Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent and led by Uzbek multidisciplinary artist Aziza Kadyri, the Uzbekistan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, “Don’t Miss the Cue,” explores how Central Asian women navigate themes of identity and belonging in the face of migration. Kadyri will collaborate with the all-women, Tashkent-based Qizlar Collective, who plan to create audiovisual materials to complement the national representative’s traditional textile- and garment-inspired sculptures. Kadyri stated that “the collaborative aspect of the creative process is a key moment where women’s voices come together . . . [to] reinterpret the ways of interacting with cultural and historical heritage.” Kadyri is known for her technological reimaginations of traditional suzanis, hand-woven and embroidered textiles; and for Venice, suzani master Madina Kasimbaeva will help bring her installation to life. “Don’t Miss the Cue” is being staged at the Arsenale’s multipurpose theater space Tese Cinquecentesche.
(From left to right) Portrait of Sharjah Biennale curators NATASHA GINWALA, MEGAN TAMATI-QUENNELL, ZYENEP OZ, ALIA SWASTIKA, and AMAL KHALAF. Photo by Danko Stjepanovic. Courtesy Sharjah Art Foundation.
Sharjah Biennial 16 Announces Plans for 2025
The Sharjah Art Foundation has revealed a selection of participating artists for the 16th Sharjah Biennial (SB16), which will take place from February 6 to June 15, 2025. The initial roster includes Japanese interdisciplinary artist Akira Ikezoe; Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican artist and filmmaker Alia Farid; Indonesia-based multimedia artist Dian Suci Rahmawati; Yogyakarta-based artists Ipeh Nur and Restu Ratnaningtyas; Turkish film director Fatma Belkıs; Malaysia-born Singaporean artist Heman Chong; Kanaka Maoli (Indigenous to Hawai'i) artist and photographer Kapulani Landgraf; Māori-Pakeha sculptor Michael Parekōwhai; Auckland-born installation artist Kate Newby; Māori painter Saffronn Te Ratana; New Delhi-born video artist and film researcher Pallavi Paul; Thai artist Pratchaya Phinthong; Sri Lankan painter and sculptor Rajni Perera; Fijian-Australian artist and curator Shivanjani Lal; Filipina-Canadian artist and filmmaker Stephanie Comilang; and Aboriginal (Kokatha-Nukunu) glass artist Yhonnie Scarce, among others. Participants will respond to the question “what does it entail to carry a home, ancestors, and political formations with you?” The complete list of artists will be announced in the coming months.
