Contemporary Art Across Political Divides: Difficult Conversations | Cambridge Scholars Publishing

It's finally out! It was an honor to contribute to Contemporary Arts Across Political Divides: Difficult Conversations.

Special thanks to editors, Tijen Tunali and Alla Myzelev and Cambridge Scholars Publishing for their support in bringing this project to life.

Seeing the paper Malak Yacout and I co-wrote, "Entre Quatro Paredes", included with the writings of these other brilliant minds is such a rush, as is using the soft power of art to open important conversations.

"Entre Quatro Paredes (Between Four Walls)" was written about the performance by the same name Atsuko Mochida, Malak Yacout, Martina Jakobi and I performed in Weimar, Germany in 2017.

You are also warmly invited to the webinar/book launch of Contemporary Arts Across Political Divides: Difficult Conversations, hosted online by Columbia University on September 24, 9 - 10 am New York time (EDT). Register for the webinar online here.

View the publication here.

entre quatro paredes intervention | weimar

above: concept illustration by atsuko mochida.

entre quatro paredes is a collaborative, guerilla performance in which walls transform themselves into rooms using the public spaces of weimar.

[scheduled interventions:]

fri, 14 july, 14:00 – 16:00
bauhaus-universität weimar [main building]

sat, 15 july, 17:30 – 19:30
locations announced via social media

find us on social media:
#entrequatroparedes2017

the living installation, entre quatro paredes, plays with intimacy, boundaries and borders by transporting itself through the public sphere by means of four interdisciplinary performers.

walls are no passive objects: as catalysts of change, walls actively reshape and restrict movement. acting as barriers, they can divide communities and isolate individuals, while also visibly and literally connecting strangers in intimate settings and serendipitous encounters.

simultaneously inclusive and excluding, occurring at a site and a “non-site,” entre quatro paredes transforms public spaces into immediate, private spaces within the context of four walls.

created and performed by kathryn gohmert, martina jacobi, atsuko mochida and malak yacout saleh.

image by martina jacobi and malak yacout saleh.

entre quatro paredes is part of summaery 2017, and is a satellite project of the exhibition, WITHINFOURWALLS.

more about martina jacobi
more about kathryn gohmert
more about atsuko mochida
more about malak yacout saleh

follow #entrequatroparedes2017

illustration by atsuko mochida

you are cordially invited to be among the first to preview the grand happening, HOTEL LEIPZIG. the event will commence, tuesday, 16 may at 12 pm directly west of the main train station at willy-brandt-platz [between kurt-schumacher-straße and gerberstraße]. a walk of art will explore the artistic interventions at various locations around the city centre, beginning with the first location at the former hotel astoria at 12 pm [noon].

participating artists:
vincent brière // rafaella constantinou // sophie foster // kathryn gohmert // ahmet kavas // rebecca a. layton // yihui liu // matthew lloyd // nasir malekijoo // atsuko mochida // denise rosero bermudez // feng runze // malak yacout saleh // sze ting wong // yi weihua

HOTEL LEIPZIG is a project of the mfa program, “public art and new artistic strategies,” under the direction of prof. danica dakić, anke hannemann, ina weise and jirka reichmann (coordination) with bauhaus-universität weimar.

more about HOTEL LEIPZIG

seeds | hotel leipzig

this performance took place on 16 may, en route to the deutsche zentralbücherei für blinde from the leipzig hauptbahnhof.

roughly three million dandelion seeds were gathered in goethe’s park an der ilm. the seeds were relocated to a suitcase and then transported to leipzig by train. after carrying the suitcase to the entrance of the deutsche zentralbücherei für blinde [german central library for the blind], the suitcase was opened and the seeds handed out personally as ‘post’ to passing pedestrians.

as dandelion plants reportedly have medicinal properties which combat memory loss and decrease  the effects of dementia, the spreading of these seeds by way of this intimate, person-to-person method is intended to cure the repeating spells of memory loss human history continues to experience.

aera efas | sculpture intervention

about aera efas

this work is an on-site installation on a piece of land in jacksonville, texas, a location harboring increasing anti-immigration sentiment in the last several years.

this structure creates an enclosed space for a chosen subject; the area immediately beneath it is protected from all harmful elements in its surrounding environment.

as sunlight, additional nutrients, gasses necessary for plant life and new seeds are also stopped from entering the secured area, the natural result is a stagnation, decline and eventual decay of the life being contained.

life cannot exist without risk.

more about aera efas.

LOST AND FOUND vernissage

URBANVIDEOSCAPESHANGHAI

what a night to remember: thank you to all who came to the opening of LOST AND FOUND 轮回, stageBACK gallery’s first exhibition opening at its new M50 location.

here are some of the photos below – taken by xepo w.s. , my fellow collaborator on the project URBANVIDEOSCAPESHANGHAI. The multi media work is installted in this exhibition which runs until August 31.

More about URBANVIDEOSCAPESHANGHAI can be found here.

URBANVIDEOSCAPESHANGHAI

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URBANVIDEOSCAPESHANGHAI are seven filmed painting performances spanish artist, xepo w.s., and i assembled last fall around the time of the World Expo.

The finished multi media work is now being installed/assembled/constructed/deconstructed/battled/born at stageback gallery’s new location in m50 as we speak. the LOST AND FOUND group exhibition opens dramatically this saturday, 9 july, within the space it now shares with Eastlink Gallery. here are some images from the collected footage of URBANVIDEOSCAPESHANGHAI.

join us for the vernissage of LOST AND FOUND on 9 july from 7 – 10 pm and celebrate stageback’s first of many exhibitions to come in its new and much bigger m50 home. more details to come soon.

莫干山路120再创 造

the rubble site – 120 moganshan road in shanghai, china – is located right next to the main art district in shanghai: m50. just over 10 years ago, artists and galleries moved to an old textile factory located at this address. this complex was threatened with demolition for years while newly build high rises changed the surrounding of this art oasis. eventually it became more commercial over the years and could therefore secure its existence. the modern apartment buildings and new galleries also had other neighbors, the residents at number 120. small lane houses meandered in narrow alleys, with laundry drying above our heads as people cook their meals in the entry ways of their nearby homes. the inhabitants lived in this area for many decades – even when m50 was already established with its cafes and bookshops. now it is over. 120 moganshan road has been destroyed. most residents are gone, but lost shoes can be found in the rubble, while glimpses of wallpaper are visible on certain walls from the exterior of buildings.

M120: MOGANSHAN REUSED is an example of the positive exchange that can occur between people from different parts of the world and backgrounds by using art as a common language. before everything is gone. before everything is uniform. take note: art doesn’t need white walls.”

“这片碎石所 在——中国上海的莫干山路120号，紧邻上海著名的艺术区 ——‘M50’或‘莫干山路50’。10年前，艺术家们和画廊们陆续搬入这里的一个老厂区。长 久来，这个老厂区一直饱受周边越建越高的商业大厦的吞食。逐渐地，连这片绿洲本身也不得不变地愈加商业化以维持其存在。 这块现代的 艺术区和高楼大厦也有着另一些邻居，那就是居住在120号的上海老居民。那是一个典型的传统的中国老居民区，如同我们在欧洲时可以想象的。小巧的房子挤在弄堂两边；衣服在我们头顶晾晒；居民们 在家门口做饭。这些居民就这样居住了几十年，甚至当M50建起他们的小咖啡 店和书店，以及来了络绎不绝的欧洲艺术客们。然而，它要结束了。莫干山路120在拆毁中，并即将完全消失。大部分的居民已经离开，但在一面 墙上的涂鸦仍在尖叫：“哈哈！我们还在这里！”鞋子零落在我们脚下的碎石间。墙纸也依稀可见。老上海活的场景！

总体上说，艺 术作品和艺术家们试图要以各自的方式去体验眼前这一发生中的都市形态。事实上，真正的艺术家和创造性的人们总是抽到最短的那根签，我 们的工作空间被剥夺或变得昂贵让我们不得不搬离。“莫干山路120再创造！”提供这样一个可能性，即世界来自不同地方的艺术家在这样一个发生着得形态里用艺术进行沟通，并 对我们这些艺术创造者们的将来提出：在一切消失前。在一切变得程式化前。请看到！展览艺术并不一定都要在精致的白墙前.”

see the online catalogue of M120 on the galerie eigenheim’s website here.

M120: Moganshan Reused

this sunday, 18 july [4 – 11 pm], m50’s post-apocalyptic sister-showspace, m120, will be hosting an exhibition of multi-disciplinary work from many different local and foreign artists exploring the ideas of destruction, creation, collaboration, genius, ecstasy and doom amidst piles of rubble and demolition.

it would be fantastic to see you there.