22 May 2009

Central Asia Pavilion at 53rd Venice Biennale

Central Asia Pavilion in the 53rd International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia,

4 June-22 November 2009 presents the exhibition MAKING INTERSTICES with Ermek Jaenisch, Jamshed Kholikov, Oksana Shatalova, Anzor Salidjanov, Yelena Vorobyeva &Viktor Vorobyev.

Central Asia Countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) are participating in the 53rd International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia, June-November 2009 in their Pavilion curated by Beral Madra, curator and art critic from Turkey. Beral Madra will operate in collaboration with the commissioner Vittorio Urbani (Nuova Icona, Venice) and from Central Asia, Ms. Nazira Alymbaeva (Kyrgyzstan) as assistant curator.

'Making Interstices proposes to recognize the intricate distinctions and options of art making in the global world. If Making Worlds presents the broad-spectrum of today's art, Making Interstices indicates the way artists work, operate and produce in Central Asia countries throughout the political and economic turbulences of the last thirty years. Violent complications of globalization aggravate the artists' ability to discover, to employ and to exploit the little gaps (interstices) between the conventional and most of the time oppressive political and economic strategies. Making Interstices is a strategy that allows the artist to configure his/her thoughts, desires and humour freely congregate into a tactical, experimental and exploratory intervention through art…

Ermek Jaenisch's False Fabrics of the World, a photo series, reveal hybrid monuments that are overloaded with historical and modern symbols and signs; they merge the eagerness of orientalization with the cynicism of post-modernism. Jamshed Kholikov's Bus Stops is an ambitious travel covering a vast geography in Central Asia documenting the bus stops as indigenous creations that practically replaced the idea of the historical, traditional and ideological monument. Anzor Salidjanov's pictures are humorously fuse the meanings of the masterpieces of Western art history with everyday realities and local images by means of the deconstructive/re-constructive methods. Oksana Shatalova's SPA-Mummification is a performance documentation that pleases the viewer's spirit with their enjoyable, amusing and ironical images; but raises questions about the usage of milk, that apparently is the symbol of 'organic life', 'power of nature 'and 'affluence' in Central Asia. Yelena Vorobyeva and Viktor Vorobyev's installation Day-Night & Artist Asleep is an environmental tableau of a poetical still-life video and a sleeping artist; when he wakes up he may make masterpieces for the world… '

Beral Madra


The opening of CA Pavilion is 4th of June 2009, 6 pm for the press, 7 pm for the professionals and the general public.

CA Pavilion with its artists and curators is participating in Continental Breakfast. The Pass 2009; Fourth CEI Venice Forum for contemporary art curators from Central Eastern Europe, Venice at Unesco-Bresce Office (Palazzo Zorzi)- June 3rd 2009

The CA Pavilion is supported by HIVOS, the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation, Netherlands: http://www.hivos.nl

The opening reception is sponsored by Istanbul 2010 Culture Capital of Europe: www.istanbul2010.org
Printing and publication sponsor: Printcenter: www.printcenter.com.tr
The website of CA Pavilion is: www.centralasiaart.org; www.centralasiaart.net
For further information: bmadra@tnn.net; info@nuovaicona.org

THE TEAM OF CAP - Curator: Beral Madra; Comissioner: Vittorio Urbani; Assistant curator: Nazira Alymbaeva; Architecture: Vincenzo Casali Studio; Logo Design: Vahit Tuna; Web Design: Plan Tasarım Danışmanlık Ltd.; Catalogue Design and Editing: Ayşe Orhun Gültekin; Program Coordinator: Mirey Nasi; Istanbul 2010 Agency Assistants: Deniz Erbaş and Ruşen Aktaş

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TR Ambassadress to Kyrgyzstan Ms. Serpil Alpman;
Mr. Şekip Avdagiç (General Coordinator, Istanbul 2010), Mr. Yılmaz Kurt (General Secretary, Istanbul 2010);
Tirrenia di Navigazione S.p.A and The administration of Palazzo Molin;

and

Margarita Amvrosova, Ruben Arevshatian, Elmira Bakirova, Gamal Bokonbaev, Boris Chukhovich, Muratbek Djumaliev, Larisa Dodkhudoeva, Yaprak Ece (Third Secretary Turkish Embassy in Bishkek), Vladimir Filatov (Tengri Umai Gallery), Gulnara Kasmalieva, Dastan Kozakhmetov, Olga Lokuphova, Georgy Mamedov and Bactria Cultural Center Dushanbe - Tajikistan (www.bactria.net), Bülent Namal (Bishkek Manas Radio), Toni Pasquinucci, Chiara Sartori, Yulia Sorokina, Nilüfer Sülüner, Binnaz Tukin, Gökçe Tüylüoğlu, Pier Vegner Tosta and Danish Society for Central Asia.