unitednationsplaza Mexico DF
March 1 – 30, 2008
CASA REFUGIO
Citlaltépetl 25,
Col. Hipódromo Condesa 06170
Del. Cuauhtémoc, México D.F.
El Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo, A.C. (PAC) is pleased to present unitednationsplaza Mexico DF, an exhibition in the form of a temporary school. For this project, artist Anton Vidokle is organizing a month long program of seminars and workshops that use the Casa Refugio as a site to shape a critically engaged public through art discourse. unitednationsplaza is presented by PAC (Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo A.C.) as part of its new curatorial residency program, and will run from March 1st through
March 30th, 2008.
unitednationsplaza is thematically organized around a central topic: possibilities for artistic agency today. The program will comprise of a series of short seminars and workshops developed by a group of artists, writers, curators and theorists including Eduardo Abaroa, Minerva Cuevas, Anselm Franke, Liam Gillick, Boris Groys, Nikolaus Hirsch, Chus Martinez, Martha Rosler, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Jalal Toufic, Jan Verwoert and Tirdad Zolghadr. All topics will be addressed from the perspective of ongoing research and production, and as such will constitute the core structure of the school. The program will also feature discussions, screenings, performances and publications by a group of contributors including Julieta Aranda, Fia Backstrom, Regine Basha, Oksana Bulgakowa, Nico Dockx, Adriana Lara, Desiderio Navarro, Damian Ortega, Hila Peleg and Eduardo Sarabia. unitednationsplaza will operate a web-based radio station: WUNP, a project by Angel Nevarez and
Valerie Tevere.
For program and schedule please scroll below.
unitednationsplaza Mexico DF is the third in a series of art projects organized around a temporary school format, started by Anton Vidokle. Vidokle initiated his research into education as site for artistic practice for Manifesta 6, which was cancelled. In response to the cancellation, Vidokle set up an independent project in Berlin called Unitednationsplaza–a twelve-month exhibition as school involving more than a hundred artists, writers, philosophers, and diverse audiences. Located behind a supermarket in East Berlin, UNP’s program featured numerous seminars, lectures, screenings, book presentations and projects including the Martha Rosler Library. Starting January 2008, Vidokle is presenting a related year-long program, called Night School, at the New Museum in New York City.
El Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo, A.C. (PAC) is a non-profit organization formed by a group of individuals committed to promoting the development of contemporary art. PAC was founded in 2000 as an initiative to bring contemporary art closer to a larger audience by way of collaboration with museums, galleries, curators, publishers, critics and researches in the field of contemporary art. Its board of directors concentrates the voluntary efforts of an independent group of cultural professionals. PAC’s program is supported and enhanced thanks to the yearly contributions of individual and corporate donors.
Casa Refugio Citlaltépetl is a civic association based in Mexico City whose mission is to provide shelter and protection to prosecuted writers from any country. In addition, Casa Refugio also has an intensive public cultural program which includes publication of the quarterly magazine “Líneas de Fuga”, as well as the organization of conference cycles (known as “Literary Thursdays”); special events such as book launches and poetry readings, and literary workshops amongst other activities.
Admission is always free but space is limited. Please reserve a seat for each event by writing to magdalena@unitednationsplaza.org
PROGRAM March 1- 30th, 2008:
• March 1st, 7-10 PM
Liam Gillick: Two Short Texts on the Possibility of Creating an Economy of Equivalence,
Day 1: The day AFTER closure of an experimental factory.
• March 2nd, 4-7 PM
Liam Gillick: Two Short Texts on the Possibility of Creating an Economy of Equivalence,
Day 2: Reoccupation, recuperation and PRECISE renovation.
• March 3rd, 7-10 PM
Eduardo Abaroa: Cheap Nebula
• March 4th, 7-10 PM
Natasha Sadr Haghighian: 40 minutes between the boards
• March 6th, 6-8 PM
Rirkrit Tiravanija: The Land
• March 7th, 7-10 PM
Martha Rosler: Essays
Presentation of Imágines públicas: La funcíon política de la imagen
Editorial Gustavo Gili, Barcelona, 2007
• March 8th, 7-10 PM
Julieta Aranda & Regine Basha: Out of Tune.
• March 9th, 5-7:30 PM
Anselm Franke: From Animism to Animation: Moving Image in Modern Culture.
Introduction Anselm Franke
Guest speaker: Oksana Bulgakowa, Eisentstein in Mexico.
Film excerpts “Que Viva Mexico”
• March 10th, 7-10 PM
Anselm Franke: From Animism to Animation: Moving Image in Modern Culture.
Lecture by Anselm Franke
• March 11th, 7-10 pm
Jan Verwoert: Yes, No And Other Options.
Part 1
• March 12th, 7-10 PM
Jan Verwoert: Yes, No And Other Options.
Part 2
• March 13th, 7-10 PM
Tirdad Zolghadr: Kitchen Party: revisiting Class Hegemony, Ethnic Marketing and the unp.
Part 1
• March 14th, 7-10 PM
Tirdad Zolghadr: Kitchen Party: revisiting Class Hegemony, Ethnic Marketing and the unp.
Part 2
• March 15th, 1-10 pm (all day)
Nikolaus Hirsch: The Architecture of Education
• March 16th
4-6PM
Fia Backström: HERD INSTINCT 360° (2006)
6-9pm
Chus Martínez: Attitude Relativism: A session on the notion of the “contract” established between the artists and the audience.
• March 18th, 7-10 PM
Boris Groys: Art after Communism.
Guest speaker: Desiderio Navarro
• March 24th, 7-10 PM
Minerva Cuevas: Artistic Research
• March 26th, 7-10 PM
Jalal Toufic: You Said “Stay,” So I Stayed
• March 27th, 7-10 PM
Jalal Toufic: The Withdrawal of Tradition Past a Surpassing Disaster
• March 28th, 8PM
Mexico City Premiere: A Crime Against Art
A film by Hila Peleg
2007, Berlin/Madrid, 100 min.
With:
Defendants: Anton Vidokle and Tirdad Zolgdhar
Prosecutors: Vasif Kortun and Chus Martinez
Defense attorney: Charles Esche
Judge: Jan Verwoert
Expert witnesses: Maria Lind and Anselm Franke
Artist: Setareh Shabazi
Public: Keti Chukrov and Barnaby Drabble
With special contribution by Liam Gillick.
• March 30th
4-6 PM Damian Ortega: Book Presentation: MI LIBRO ES SU LIBRO
Selected Writings and Works of Lawrence Weiner.
Editorial Alias, 2008
7-9 PM Adriana Lara: A launch of a special issue of PAZMAKER for unitednationsplaza.
10 pm till the last person leaves!
SALON ALEMAN – UNPMX closing party with Tequila Sarabia by Eduardo Sarabia
Can’t come to Mexico? Tune in online: Angel Nevarez and Valerie Tevere will continue WUNP as a live internet broadcast stream from Casa Refugio, Mexico DF. Every Wednesday during the month of March. Schedule TBA; check the UNP website for more information: www.unitednationsplaza.org
*Please note that schedule is subject to change.
For full program information, abstracts and bios of participants, please go to www.pac.org.mx/unitednationsplaza_program.html
For further information please contact:
Viviana Kuri Haddad
Coordinadora
Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo, a.c.
Palmas 820 piso 3, Lomas de Chapultepec 11000
Mexico DF
t. (5255)55 40 8395 / 5284 0360 ext. 395
unitednationsplaza Mexico DF has been made possible with generous support from
- OMR Gallery
- Nina Menocal Gallery
- Kurimanzutto Gallery
Special thanks to Boris Hirmas and Alberto Fierro/Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign affairs.
