THE PRISONER’S DILEMMA
How Artists Respond to the
Exercise of Power in Contemporary Life
Curated by Leanne Mella
December 3, 2008 – March 01, 2009
1018 North Miami Avenue
Miami, Florida 33136
Exhibition drawn from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach 2008 in December
The Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, known as CIFO, is proud to present The Prisoner’s Dilemma: Selections from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection, an exhibition curated by Leanne Mella showcasing contemporary art works in the collection that articulate the ways in which artists respond to the exercise of power in contemporary life. On view from December 3, 2008 to March 01, 2009, the exhibition will coincide with the international art fair Art Basel Miami Beach (Dec. 3-7 2008). It will feature works by leading artists such as Alexander Apóstol, Judith Barry, Paolo Canevari, Stan Douglas, Jimmie Durham, Cao Fei, Regina Galindo, Carlos Garaicoa, Thomas Hirschhorn, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Daniel Martinez, Carlos Motta, Shirin Neshat, Julian Rosefeldt, and Eve Sussman drawn from the exceptional collection assembled by international arts patron Ella Fontanals-Cisneros.
In our age, visual artists have seized considerable territory from Hollywood and feature film in depicting contemporary social issues. Through works in photography, installation, performance, the moving image and new media, often deployed in combination, artists address contemporary social issues with a resonance and power that a corporatized film industry seems unable to achieve. The works in this exhibition comment upon confront and challenge strategies of totalizing power and social control. Issues of powerlessness, exclusion and marginalization, subversion, escapism, transcendence, warfare, protest and resistance are all inventively addressed in this selection of works from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection.
“It has been our aim to invite guest curators to organize some of our shows, because we consider presenting different readings and perspectives of the collection of chief importance,” said CIFO’s founder Ella Fontanals-Cisneros. “The exhibition Prisoner’s Dilemma is one more proof of the richness and expansiveness of contemporary art, in that it offers us ever-changing, powerful, broad platforms for inspiration, for thinking, for debating ideas and for enjoyment.”
Artists featured in exhibition
Francis Alÿs | Alexander Apóstol | Alexandre Arrechea | Alessandro Balteo Yazbeck | Judith Barry | Paolo Canevari | Stan Douglas | Jimmie Durham | Cao Fei | Regina José Galindo | Carlos Garaicoa | Mathilde ter Heijne | Thomas Hirschhorn | Jenny Holzer | Barbara Kruger | Rafael Lozano-Hemmer | Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle | Daniel Joseph Martinez | Priscilla Monge | Carlos Motta | Antoni Muntadas | Shirin Neshat | Julian Rosefeldt | Laurie Simmons | Eve Sussman | Frank Thiel | Susan Turcot | Monika Weiss
About the Curator
Leanne Mella is a contemporary art curator, specializing in American artists’ work in film, video, performance, photography and new media. Among the exhibitions she has organized are Along the Frontier: Ann Hamilton, Bruce Nauman, Francesc Torres and Bill Viola, inaugurated at the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and presented in other cities in Central and Eastern Europe; Set in Motion, an exhibition celebrating the New York State Council on the Arts’ 30-year history of support for independent film and video; and Public Figures, a critical exhibition of installations and photo-based work at Indiana University.
Ms. Mella has consulted extensively to non-profit arts and culture organizations in the U.S. and abroad. She has organized exhibitions and lectured at numerous institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York State Council on the Arts; New Museum of Contemporary Art; the Film Society of Lincoln Center; Open Society Institute and Pro Arte, St. Petersburg, Russia; Video Data Bank of the Art Institute of Chicago; Ars Electronica, Linz, Aus More recently, Ms. Mella served for close to seven years as the manager of International Visual Arts Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
CIFO’s Special Events & Hours during Art Basel Miami Beach
Wed., Dec. 3 – Sun., Dec. 7, 9 am – 4 pm
CIFO will host a series of special events during The Prisoner’s Dilemma in celebration of Art Basel Miami Beach 2008
Wednesday, December 3
9 a.m. to Noon: The EFG Bank Breakfasts at CIFO
Thursday, December 4
9 a.m. to Noon: The EFG Bank Breakfasts at CIFO
10:30 am: Panel Discussion: The Shape of Things to Come – Artists as Public Intellectuals
Friday, December 5
9 a.m. to Noon: Opening Brunch for The Prisoner’s Dilemma: Selections from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection
By Invitation Only
Saturday, December 6
9 a.m. to Noon: The EFG Bank Breakfasts at CIFO
10:30 am: Gallery tour with exhibition curator, Leanne Mella
Sunday, December 7
9 a.m. to Noon: The EFG Bank Breakfasts at CIFO
10:30 am: Gallery tour with exhibition curator, Leanne Mella
CIFO is located at 1018 North Miami Avenue. The galleries are open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or by appointment. Special hours during Art Basel Miami Beach week: Wed., Dec. 3 – Sun., Dec. 7, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Public information is available online at www.cifo.org or by calling 305.455.3380.
Media Contact: Andrea Navarro, anavarro@cifo.org ; 305.455.3385
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The Prisoner’s Dilemma: Selections from the Ella Fontanals-Cisneros Collection and CIFO cultural events during Art Basel Miami Beach 2008 are made possible through the generous support of EFG Capital.
EFG Bank is a dynamic wealth management group with an unbroken track record of growth, courtesy of offering clients a level of service they expect and deserve.
