Wednesday 25 May 2011

Invasive Alien Species | Venice | June 2011

Invasive Alien Species
An exhibition coinciding with the 54th Venice Biennale
1335 Via Garibaldi, Castello, Venezia
1st - 5th and 9th - 12th June 2011 (12pm - 5pm)
Opening reception: Saturday 4th June 6- 9 pm
Artists' talk Thursday 2nd June 3pm

Biological invasions by non-native or 'alien' species are one of the greatest threats to the ecological and economic wellbeing of the planet. (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe)

10961 species of plants and animals are currently classified by the EU as alien species, a significant minority of which are dangerously invasive. Without the usual constraints of their native ecosystems to keep them in check they have become established and spread out from their point of introduction, frequently out-competing the local species, sometimes to the point of threatening their extinction. And once established eradication is virtually impossible. Venice, too, is invaded every two years by a tide of artists, curators, connoisseurs and culture vultures. Are they welcome? Are they invited? Do they make a useful contribution to the life of the city? Do they leave a lasting effect? The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world.

Established in 1895, the Art Biennale has an attendance today of over 300,000 visitors and the opening weekend is the most important event in the year's international art calender. The Biennale takes place in two official sites in Venice: the Arsenale, which hosts the international exhibition, and the Giardini di Castello in the east of the city, which houses the national pavilions including the British Pavilion.

Liz Sheridan, guest curator for London-based TangentProjects, has brought together 12 artists from the UK and mainland Europe in a group exhibition, in a prominent location close to the Giardini site, in response to the idea of the invasive aliens. And like the alien species in the natural world, the artists compete to find their place in the compressed space of a small empty shop.

The artists - Karen Ay, Vanya Balogh, Tracey Bush, Cedric Christie, Forge & Cutter, Helene Kazan, Manuel Kämpfer, Toni Parpan, Danny Pockets, Liz Sheridan, Steve Smith and Karen Winzer - have in common that their practices are highly responsive to the contexts and situations in which the work is developed.

The exhibition is a collateral event which coincides with the opening of the Venice Art Biennale.
For further inquiries contact Liz Sheridan +44 7812 104 126 or e_a_sheridan@yahoo.co.uk.
More details, including information on visiting the exhibition are available on: www.invasivealienspecies.wordpress.com

TangentProjects
J J & J HQ Studios
191-205 Cambridge Heath Rd, London, E2 0EL UK
info@tangentprojects.org

With thanks to the British Council

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Chicago Boys | Nottingham Contemporary



Chicago Boys, while we were singing, they were dreaming..
14 May 2011 at Nottingham Contemporary

Chicago Boys: while we were singing, they were dreaming... is an ongoing project initiated and conceived as a 1970s cover band and neo-liberalism study group by the Kurdish Iraqi artist Hiwa K. Drawing from the You tube videos, a team of global lay researchers accessed via Skype, and band members' personal experiences, the group has played songs from the 1970s and performs comparative studies of neoliberalism around the world. Pop songs from Holland, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bangladesh and Poland are interspersed with discussions and stories about the processes through which free market values such as those espoused by their namesake - the Chicago Boys - a group of Chilean students who studied under economist Milton Friedman - are experienced in specific locations around the world. Chicago Boys sessions respond to the location they are in and have focused on topics such as migration, education and privatisation of public space.

Chicago Boys: while we were singing, they were dreaming… was originally commissioned by the Serpentine Gallery’s Edgware Road Project at the Centre for Possible Studies, where Hiwa K was artist-in-residence. It has since developed in relation to the sites of Alternativa (Wyspa, Gdansk, Poland), Casco Projects and if I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution (Holland) and The Arts Against Cuts Direct Weekend (London) among others.
The Space, 4pm, free.

Monday 2 May 2011

Ever Remote | South Square Gallery | May 2011



A screening of artists’ films that explore and challenge ideas of home, loss, travel, distance and belonging.

Märit Aronsson
Marc Atkinson
Michael Day
Hondartza Fraga
Maud Haya-Baviera
Esther Johnson
Helene Kazan
Sybella Perry
Miguel Santos
Christiane Thalmann
Andrew and Caitlin Webb-Ellis Julia Willms

Curated by Hondartza Fraga

One night only
Friday 06 May 6.30pm

South Square Gallery is a grass-roots exhibition space committed to providing a professional and supportive resource for artists and emerging curators. As a testbed for new ideas, the gallery hosts and ever-evolving dialogue between artists and their audience.

Free entry
Opening times
Tuesday - Sunday | 12 - 3pm
And by appointment

Image: Michael Day, 2011

South Square Gallery
South Square
Bradford
BD13 3LD
Telephone +44 (0) 1274 834 747
Email. info@southsquarecentre.co.uk