28 February 2024
Artistic Intervention as Practices of Care. In Conversation with Emiliano Valdes.
How can art facilitate an empathetic container for nuanced, complex discourse around some of the most contentious topics and events of the day? In times when the norm feels more often than not of utter chaos, constant overwhelm and overstimulation, and acute grief and fatigue, why does artistic and curatorial intervention (still) matter and how does it invite us to meaningfully re-engage with one another? In our conversation with Art Dubai curator Emiliano Valdes, we delve into these reflections, perhaps posing more questions than answers just as art often does, as we explore this year’s theme of Sanación / Healing and Valdes’ curatorial practice.
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28 April 2023
Review of Jakub Julian Ziółkowski’s MOCAK Exhibition ‘You Are Mine’
Showcasing work spanning 2007-2023, this exhibition ‘You Are Mine’ serves as both a retrospective of the work that brought Jakub Julian Ziółkowski international recognition over the last couple of decades as well as work created specifically for this exhibition at MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków over the last three years. Described by the exhibition curator Delfina Jałowik as a ‘philosophical reflection,’ Ziółkowski’s more recent work deals with ongoing themes of his studio practice such as mysticism and fascination through multiple creative mediums – and a myriad of meaning-making possibilities within them.
During a visit to the exhibition with curator Delfina Jałowik, I had the opportunity to learn more about the artist’s work and process as well as the curatorial approach in the context of this major solo exhibition of Ziołkowski.
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13 April 2023
Interview with Art Dubai curator Vipash Purichanont
As the front-running international art fair in the Middle East, Art Dubai 2023 provides a global perspective that thoughtfully challenges and moves outside of the mainstream Western perspective and approach. It successfully implements this strategy by not only showcasing art from MENASA countries (the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, the Philippines, and the UAE, but also by challenging our collective perceptions of what art forms receive the most attention and are deemed the most innovative in contemporary art today. Within Art Dubai’s section entitled ‘Bawwaba: Against Disappearance’, it seeks to elevate highly skilled areas of craftsmanship and artistry that are not usually included under the category of 21st century art forms (and oftentimes were erased, minimised, or appropriated during colonisation) as the digitalization of the art world evolves. I had the opportunity to discuss this fascinating section of Art Dubai with curator Vipash Purichanont as well as learn more about his work, approach, and process: Go to article
11 April 2023
Review: Artist Residencies and Opportunities for Ukrainians in Culture
As we continue to move into the second year of the full-scale Russian military invasion of Ukraine, we are committed to continuing to find and share opportunities for Ukrainians working in art and culture, in Poland and also beyond. Please read below for a few ongoing programs such as artist residencies and similar opportunities for those in the cultural sector such as researchers, writers, and translators as well as organizations and platforms to add to your list to follow for future opportunities: Go to article
30 June 2023
An Emerging Artist Programme and Model for Future Generations: Accelerator
Mentoring, a group exhibition, and showcasing public art – the three stages comprising the innovative Accelerator programme and a much-needed blueprint for contextualized and comprehensive support for emerging artists in today’s contemporary art world.
This ingenious, yet sadly rare combination, consisting of a mentoring program for emerging artists with art professionals – let alone a transnational scope with professional opportunities including a group exhibition and the showcase of work in public space over an extended period of two years – sets the Accelerator programme apart as a creative initiative in a league of its own.
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20 March 2023
Interview with Art Paris 2023 director Guillaume Piens
Upon the 25th anniversary of Art Paris 2023, we are invited to partake in an international event that invites us to ‘think globally, act locally’ through the questions and realities posed in over 134 galleries from over 25 different countries. Between the showcase of many international artists as well as highlighting the French contemporary art scene, the various exhibitions on display focus on the following two themes: ‘Art & Commitment’ and ‘Exile: Dispossession and Resistances.’ Through these exhibitions, solo and duo shows as well as a show devoted to showing young galleries and emerging artists entitled ‘Promises’, Art Paris 2023 promises to deliver a truly exciting, unique and expansive program — including it serving as the first sustainably designed art fair.
I had the opportunity and great pleasure to learn more about Art Paris 2023 through an interview with its Fair Director Guillaume Piens as well as learn about his fascinating perspective on the approaches and programming of the event: Go to article
“Travelling Images”, Małgorzata Mirga Tas, ICC, photo by Paweł Mazur
6 February 2023
Exhibition Review: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas ‘Traveling Images’: A Retelling, a Renegotiation and a Homecoming
Małgorzata Mirga-Tas has quickly become a household name within the global art community, having gained international recognition for her monumental work ‘Re-enchanting the World’ showcased at the 59th Venice Biennale’s Polish Pavillion in 2022. As a Polish-Romani multimedia artist and activist, Mirga-Tas deconstructs historic representations of Roma people through a personalized retelling of her community. Her work depicts relatives and particularly women she has known personally or those who work in an activist or artist capacity through her vibrantly colored and patterned, delicately sewn patchworks, paintings, screens, and more. Go to article
Miró, from the series Workspace, 2022, oil / canvas, 180 × 170 cm, courtesy B. Stankiewicz