An unprecedented territory for the propagation of
Art in the Middle East and beyond
Sharjah Biennial launches the production programme as a vehicle for the realisation of artists’ projects
As a first step for the Sharjah Biennial to break free from the traditional genealogy of biennials, comes the announcement of Sharjah Biennial’s Production Programme which develops its relationship with artists and engages them on joint productions with the biennial in the long term.
The launch of the Sharjah Biennial Productions Programme is a timely experiment that will explore the shifting spectrum of creative practice and try to identify marginal processes of thoughts, relations and acts arising from art and its vicinities.
This programme is a natural extension to the Biennial’s work in progress, which has so far charted unprecedented territories for the propagation of art in the region and beyond, and is determined to remain the artists’ vehicle for the realisation of their projects.
This step also comes in light of the Sharjah Biennial’s endeavor to find new possibilities for production of art in the Arab world, expand and facilitate encounters among art practitioners as well as to assist artists and encourage collaborations with other institutions. The Biennial envisages its pioneering role as an intellectual hub, stemming from its long history of dedicated and committed support to the development of art and the expansion of the horizon of possibilities and capabilities for productions and presentations. Its position at the international art circuit cross roads enabled it to expand on its legacy and promote interaction by periodically organizing opportunities between artists, producers, curators, commissioners, sponsors, collectors and museum experts from all around the world. The Sharjah Biennial will be eventually composing with every organized encounter, meeting, exhibition and production the bigger picture of what a biennial ought to
be about.
Sharjah Biennial aims not to pose as the locus of your dreams but to adapt rather, to your dream of
a locus.
Empowered by this vision, the Sharjah Biennial is reaching out to all artists and non-artists to submit their ideas and proposals, and collectively venture on joint production projects with the biennial slated for its coming ninth edition in March 2009.
For more information about the Production Programme, contact
Maya Nasser,
Maya.nasser@sharjahbiennial.org
About the Sharjah Biennial
The Sharjah Biennial is one of the most celebrated cultural events in the Arab world. Since its inception in 1993, it has formed a cultural bridge between artists, art institutions and organisations locally, regionally and internationally. Produced by the Department of Culture and Information in the Emirate of Sharjah, the Biennial now occupies a key regional position in the production and presentation of art and in
fostering experimentation.
The Sharjah Biennial’s track record clearly indicates its defining role as one of the few art institutions in the region leading a programme of support for artists’ productions, and offering access to their presentation and actively assisting in their dissemination. This support, in light of the current developments in art and the incessant pursuit to define and re-define the role of the now indefatigably mushrooming biennials all over the world, needs to be sensibly extended to artists operating in the region (where support plays a vital role in the development and sustainability of a budding yet vibrant art movement). It also needs to reach those working in other parts of the world, who do not necessarily need the Biennial’s support, but can positively contribute to the crucial dialogue among artists and practitioners, and the sharing of experiences in the progress
of knowledge.
The ninth edition of the Sharjah Biennial can be seen as a laboratory within which undistracted experimentation, investigation and liberated manifestations are tried out. It is where experience and knowledge are tested against new realities and challenged by certainties and uncertainties. The Sharjah Biennial’s role will be gauged by its contribution towards empowering individuals (artists and non-artists) and initiatives to pursue their creative work undisrupted by the market and other pressures.
The Sharjah Biennial has launched several initiatives that attempts to solidify its relationship with artists and art organizations, engaging them on joint productions with the biennial and long term collaborations; The Sharjah Biennial Production Programme, the March Meeting, and the Artist-in-Residence Programme.
For general inquiries, please contact:
Mariam W. Al Dabbagh
Head of Communication
Sharjah Biennial
Tel: 009716-5685050
E: Mariam.aldabbagh@sharjahbiennial.org
Box 19989, Sharjah – United Arab Emirates
