Jennifer Steinkamp at 11th International Cairo Biennale
December 20, 2008 – February 20, 2009
Palace of Art, Opera House Complex,
Gallery 4, Second Floor
Gezira, Cairo
The United States will be represented at the 11th International Cairo Biennale by new-media artist Jennifer Steinkamp as well as with a diverse program of activities designed to promote international exchange. Organized by Kimberli Meyer, director of the MAK Center for Art & Architecture at the Schindler House in Los Angeles, a team of Los Angeles-based artists and curators will conduct a variety of adjunct programs, including “Animation Buffet,” a screening of contemporary experimental animation; “Other Sides of the World,” a public roundtable discussion; a website and blog; and an exhibition catalogue. The Cairo Biennale will run from December 20, 2008 – February 20, 2009.
Jennifer Steinkamp is known for creating computer-generated immersive installations that are both thought provoking and dazzling to the eye. Her digital animations use state-of-the-art technologies and employ elements of popular culture while raising fundamental questions about politics, perception and existence. At the Cairo Arts Palace, Steinkamp will exhibit her multi-channel video piece Dervish (2004–2005). The installation will be accompanied by a new work, Dervish Cairo (2008), a suite of three prints that superimposes the trees of Dervish onto photographs of Cairo’s urban landscape.
The Los Angeles art community will also be represented in Cairo by a diverse group of cultural producers. These include writer, curator and artist Malik Gaines; artist and curator Sherin Guirguis; curator Chip Tom; and animation scholar and CalArts faculty member, Maureen Furniss. The L.A. team is conducting a variety of cultural programs as part of the U.S. contribution to the Cairo Biennale. Public dialogue will be activated on December 22 with “Other Sides of the World,” a presentation and roundtable discussion in which Gaines, Guirguis, Meyer and Tom give short presentations on their multi-disciplinary work in Los Angeles and discuss common threads in their practices. “Animation Buffet,” curated by Maureen Furniss, will be screened on December 23. The 80-minute program features short videos by a wide variety of international artists. The “Extra-Biennial Blog,” part of the project web site, will chronicle the activities and art of the Biennale, as well as other art events in Cairo such as the multi-venue exhibition “Photo Cairo 4: The Long Shortcut,” and the workshop and site-specific performance “Eleven Human Senses” by LA group My Barbarian at The Townhouse Gallery.
A full-color, English and Arabic exhibition catalogue has been produced, which is available at the MAK Center bookstore. To order the book, please visit www.makcenter.org/shop
For more information, please visit cairo2008.makcenter.org
The official United States entry in the Eleventh International Cairo Biennale is presented by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, Washington, D.C., in cooperation with the American Embassy, Cairo. The program has been organized by the MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House, Los Angeles.
Special thanks to the officers and staff of the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy in Cairo, the Commissaire General Ehab El-Laban, and the Palace of Art director Mohamed Talaat.
The MAK Center for Art & Architecture is located at the Schindler House, 835 N. Kings Road in West Hollywood. Public hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Regular admission is free for Friends of the Schindler House and on Fridays, 4 to 6 p.m. Parking is available at the public structure at the northeast corner of Kings Road and Santa Monica Boulevard. For further information, please visit www.MAKcenter.org or call (323) 651-1510.
