Weekly News Roundup: November 15, 2024

Elaine Kwok Departs Hong Kong’s Hauser & Wirth

Swiss mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth has announced the departure of Elaine Kwok from her role as Asia managing partner in Hong Kong. An international arts professional and auctioneer, Kwok joined the gallery in 2022 to build and expand institutional and client relationships within the region. Before joining Hauser & Wirth, she worked at Christie’s Hong Kong for 15 years, leading the department of 20th and 21st century art in Asia. During her two-year tenure at Hauser & Wirth, she spearheaded the gallery’s expansion into a 930-square-meter, street-level venue in Hong Kong’s Central district. In an email announcing Kwok’s departure to staff, the gallery praised Kwok for her “invaluable” leadership, highlighting her dedication to artists, clients, and the community. Hauser & Wirth CEO Mirella Roma will oversee the gallery’s daily operations in the interim. Amid China’s economic slowdown, Kwok’s departure adds to a wave of Hong Kong galleries and art institutions undergoing major personnel changes, closures, and relocations. 

Jameel Prize Reveals Shortlisted Artists 

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and Dubai-based independent organization Art Jameel have announced the nominees for the seventh Jameel Prize, which celebrates the impact of Islamic culture on contemporary art. This year, six artists and one group were shortlisted for the triennial award: Iraqi visual artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji; Syrian artist and researcher Jawa El Khash; Karachi-based multidisciplinary artist Zahra Malkani; Indian filmmaker Khandakar Ohida; Iraqi-Iranian visual artist Marrim Akashi Sani; Kuwait-born filmmaker and sculptor Alia Farid; and the Dubai-based collective comprising Iranian artists Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh, and Hesam Rahmanian. Jointly launched in 2009 by the V&A and Art Jameel, the £25,000 (USD 31,700) Jameel Prize focuses on moving-image and digital media, spotlighting artists who explore nature and spirituality, as well as the economic and political influences on Middle Eastern and South Asian societies. The winner will be named on November 27, after which the finalists’ work will be exhibited at the V&A in London’s South Kensington.

Speculation About Abu Dhabi Investment in Art Basel 

Following a recent USD 1 billion investment from Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund ADQ into the British-founded auction house Sotheby’s, speculation is mounting that Art Basel could be the UAE’s next target in its quest to become a global art hub. This move would expand on Abu Dhabi’s cultural ventures, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the planned Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum, as well as the annual Abu Dhabi Art Fair, which began in 2007. With increasing financial pressures on galleries and auction houses across the globe, Art Basel is reportedly considering a USD 20 million investment deal in exchange for overseeing the Abu Dhabi Art Fair. This potential agreement could alleviate the imminent struggle for Art Basel while aligning with the UAE’s vision of building “transnational cultural institutions” to connect the Arab world internationally, as noted by Rita Aoun Abdo of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism. The appeal of an additional art fair to collectors who are increasingly selective amid economic challenges seems to be disputed, with many shifting their focus to regional events.

Pro-Palestine Activists Demand MoMA Cut Ties with Billionaire Patron 

On November 12, pro-Palestine protestors rallied outside New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), demanding the institution’s divestment from Israeli patronage as it hosted the annual meeting for the World Jewish Congress, an international organization led by American billionaire Robert S. Lauder. The demonstration was mobilized by Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG), a coalition of writers, artists, and cultural workers calling for Palestinian liberation. Around 50 people gathered on the sidewalk on West 53rd Street, holding banners that read, “MoMA Trustees Fund Genocide, Apartheid & Settler Colonialism.” Toward the end of the night, police arrested a WAWOG spokesperson on unspecified charges. The World Jewish Congress has expressed its staunch support for Israel and denounced anti-Zionism as a form of antisemitism, with Lauder echoing these statements. The latter, an honorary MoMA chairman and heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire, donated USD 65 million to the museum in 2005, along with major artworks in recent years. While the protests targeted Lauder, many emphasized that beyond individual figures, institutions like MoMA must also be held accountable, even dismantled through cultural organizing, as “[a]rt has tools to challenge hegemonic narratives.” 

Aranya Art Center Opens New China Branch

Coinciding with its fifth anniversary, the nonprofit Aranya Art Center has announced the launch of its first affiliate branch, Aranya Art Center North in Qinhuangdao’s Beidaihe New District, northern China. Located at the Aranya North Coast retail complex, the new contemporary art venue will serve as a hub for artistic and cultural programs, with emphasis on public engagement. Reflecting this intention, the launch features three solo exhibitions rooted in community themes by Chinese artists Cao Minghao and Chen Jianjun, Ma Hailun, and Zheng Haozhong, with two artist talks. Designed by Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto and Chinese architect Liu Yichun, the building occupies 3,850 square meters, while the 2000-square-meter central indoor plaza features six galleries, four of which will serve as exhibition spaces in the initial phase. The inaugural exhibitions are on view from September 22 through February 9, 2025.

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