Weekly News Roundup: March 25, 2022

Art Basel Unveils Name and Details for New Paris Fair

Following Art Basel’s unexpected ousting of the longtime Parisian fair FIAC by winning a seven-year contract with Paris’s historic Grand Palais, the art-fair organizer revealed on March 24 the name, leadership team, and selection committee of its new Paris fair. Named “Paris+, par Art Basel,” the fair will be led by director Clément Delépine, the former co-director of the young-gallery-focused Paris Internationale; general manager Virginie Aubert, the former vice president of business development at Christie’s France; and deputy director Maxime Hourdequin, who was previously deputy director of FIAC. The following year, in March, FIAC’s longtime director Jennifer Flay will also join the team. The selection committee of Paris+ will consist of seven French and international gallerists for the main gallery sections, and three experts for Galeries Emergentes, which features young galleries around the globe. The new contemporary and modern art fair is scheduled to open in October at the Grand Palais Éphémère, a large temporary venue on the Champ-de-Mars while the Grand Palais undergoes renovations.

17th Istanbul Biennial to Build Cross-City Networks

The 17th Istanbul Biennial, slated to open on September 17 and run until November 20, 2022, will take place at multiple venues across the city, from the European district of Beyoğlu; Kadıköy, on the Asian shore; and in Fatih, on the historical peninsula. The venues include the Pera Museum and the 15th-century Turkish bath, the Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammami which both hosted the Biennial in past editions, as well as new venues such as the Performistanbul Live Art Research Space and the Central Greek High School for Girls. Near Taksim Square, SAHA Studio, which runs a residency program, will present a special program for the Biennial. Among smaller spaces, Barın Han, the atelier of the modernist calligrapher and bookbinder Emin Barın will be open to Biennial visitors, while independent spaces such as arthereistanbul, an artspace founded by Syrian immigrant artists; Gashouse Museum, a former gas house recently revamped as a cultural center; and an independent radio station, Açık Radyo (Open Radio), that has operated for more than 20 years, are contributing to the Biennial’s programs. Led by curator Ute Meta Bauer, artist Amar Kanwar, and art historian David Teh, the 17th Istanbul Biennial is seeking to build longer-term networks in spite of the many challenges the city has faced in recent years.

Sydney Modern Reveals Nine International Commissions for 2022 Debut

The Sydney Modern Project, which is the expansion project and public art program launched by the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), has commissioned nine artists to produce new works for the museum when it opens its new building complex overlooking Sydney’s harbor. The list includes artists from Australia such as Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Karla Dickens, Simryn Gill, Jonathan Jones, and Richard Lewer, as well as artists from the Asia-Pacific region including Yayoi Kusama, Lee Mingwei, Lisa Reihana, and Francis Upritchard. Among these new commissions, Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones’s work will be situated in the expanded area between AGNSW’s new and older buildings and responds to the history of the site on Gadigal land. The new building designed by Japanese architects SANAA and the new public art garden are expected to open later this year.

Golden Hibiscus Awards Announced at Hawai‘i Triennial

The Hawai‘i Triennial 2022 (HT22) named the artist collective ‘Elepaio Press, comprising members Mark Hamasaki and Richard Hamaski and active since 1976, as the recipients of the USD 10,000 Golden Hibiscus Award. Jury member and curator of collections at the City and County of Honolulu, Marion Cadora commented: “The work of ‘Elepaio Press coincided not only with the larger Hawaiian renaissance from 1970s–1990s, but also decolonization movements throughout Oceania. . .Collectively, this body of work presents a powerful presentation of parallel acts of resistance and politics occurring in different times and spaces.” The Karrabing Film Collective, Aboriginal filmmakers from Australia’s Northern Territory, received the Golden Hibiscus Award Honorable Mention of USD 1,000.