Sharjah Biennial 8 Inaugurates With 53 New Commissions

The Sharjah Biennial 8 (SB8) Will Focus On The Renewed Role Of Art In Addressing A Wide Range Of Issues That Alarmingly Affect Human Existence On Earth

The Sharjah Biennial 8 (SB8), the largest art event in the Arab world, inaugurates on April 4th, 2007 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a press preview on April 3rd, 2007. The Biennial’s Director is Hoor Al Qasimi, the Artistic Director is Jack Persekian and Curators are Mohammed Kazem, Eva Scharrer and Jonathan Watkins. The Biennial’s theme proposes art as a way of creating a better understanding about our relationship with nature and the environment, whilst considering its social, political, cultural and subjective dimensions in an interdisciplinary way. SB8 will focus on the renewed role of art in addressing a wide range of issues that alarmingly affect human existence on earth. The Biennial is aware of the critical ambiguity of its subject matter, and of the fact that it is part of the product-producing and -consuming society, and of the constantly growing tribe of biennials, that year after year, encourage a number of artists, curators, audiences and artworks to travel around the globe. Still, SB8 needs to be critical and will attempt to implicate all sectors of society into questioning our social, political, and ecological praxis.

The Biennial’s new commissions include works by the following artists:

Lara Almarcegui; Vladimir Arkhipov; Mireille Astore; Lara Baladi; Noor Al-Bastaki; Taysir Batniji; Marjolijn Dijkman; Bright Ugochukwu Eke; e-Xplo (Rene Gabri, Heimo Lattner, Erin McGonigle ) with Ayreen Anastas; Mounir Fatmi; Abdulnasser Gharem; Tue Greenfort; Group Tuesday (Fadi Abdallah, Bilal Khbeiz, Walid Sadek); Graham Gussin; Khaled Hafez; Anawana Haloba; Ilana Halperin; Susan Hefuna; Uschi Huber; Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim; Marya Kazoun; Amal Kenawy; Leopold Kessler; Christina Kubisch; Claudia Losi; Lutz & Guggisberg;Tea Mäkipää; Hassan Meer; Gustav Metzger; Abdul Rahman Al Ma’aini; Maha Mustafa; Jesus Bubu Negron; Jacques Nimki; Cornelia Parker; Dan Perjovschi; Dan Peterman; Marjetica Potrc; Michael Rakowitz; Noguchi Rika; Budoor Al Riyami; Raeda Saadeh; Abdallah Alsaadi; Huda Saeed Saif; Tomas Saraceno; Anas Al-Shaikh; Ranjani Shettar; SOI Project; Samir Srouji; Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger; Sergio Vega; Luca Vitone; Shatha Al-Wadi; Ahmed Mater Al-Ziad.

The Biennial’s programme includes exhibitions, performances, a film programme curated by Mark Nash and a symposium organised in collaboration with the American University of Sharjah, RSA (London) and curatorial practice Latitudes (Barcelona). The entire city of Sharjah is being offered to more than 80 international artists for the creation of new site-specific work. Exhibitions, performances and events will take place across a wide range of venues including the Sharjah Art Museum, the Expo Centre, the Heritage Area of Sharjah, Qanat Al Qasba, and several outdoor urban and natural sites. The Sharjah Biennial Art Prizes will be awarded to two winning artists by a jury composed of Negar Azimi, Charles Esche and Geeta Kapur. Furthermore, UNESCO will award their Prize for the Promotion of the Arts & the Young Digital Creator Award, in collaboration with the Sharjah Biennial 8.
 

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