I am hoping this will get to everyone I placed in the INVITE box, I know there are more people you may wish to invite to this conversation - so let me know and I will include them, I just need their email address.
OK lets see how this works, never blogged before.
JIM
10 comments:
thanks for setting this up Jim....this is a project that really needs to happen, but will require a lot of people......i'd be happy to be involved.
cheers,
steve
Hi, I am quite happy to start work on drafting a concept proposal that can be considered by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board for consideration. It would be good to identify the principles and objectives of the endeavour to reflect why it is important that Indigenous peoples have such a presence in the Venice Biennale.
cheers, Lydia
Hi Lydia - I am glad to see you got this Blog. It just went up this afternoon.
My concept at this time is rather underdeveloped but basically the pavilion would be a space that would accomodate at least 4 artists, one from each country, and space would be negotiated to accomodate individual projects. We would have to work together to assure fairness of representation.
Our objective would to be a permanent venue at the Biennale - our reason is obvious, we are individual nations that have a right to a express our human story.
That's just a very condensed version of my thinking, but it extends into our human right and our right as nations for international diplomacy that we have never had an opportunity to practice since the completion of the distinquishment of our rights some 100 years or more ago.
Its just a few thoughts, I am off now - got to get home.
I think it is important to consider both sides of this approach to representation at the Biennale. The downside might be that the countries might not feel obligated to include indigeous artists at all if it is being done elsewhere. Would a Rebecca Belmore or Ed Poitras ever be chosen again for Canada, for instance? Just throwing it out there to start a conversation!
K
I guess my return question would be, would it be less important or carry less value to be selected by Aboriginal peers in your country than it would be by the peers in general of your country?
As it stands in Canada, we can wait for the rare opportunity of once every 10 years or so or we can be present at every biennale. Regardless I believe that the visual art community in Canada would not hold it against an Aboriginal artist to be a Canadian representative just because there is an Aboriginal pavilion in place.
However I am not sure how that would be considered in other countries.
Just my thoughts.
Jim
thanks jim, and hi from Darwin everyone
its the fabulous dry season here and we are geering up for a busy time with the Darwin Festival, which features over 20 Aboriginal Exhibitions, alongside a strong program of Aboriginal Music also ~ not bad for a town of only 100 000 people ~ many of which are cowboy types
the Telstra Aboiriginal Art Award happens at this time as well and its the 25th anniversary so you may even get to experience some of the winners works on its commemorative world tour : )
anyway as for the Venice idea ~ i have mixed feelings about it
while i am all for Indigenous inclusion in every aspect of society (especially across artforms), I also find merit in starting our own sovereign parties
at the time of last years venice biennale, i much preferred to be engaged in the Interactiva Biennale in Mexico with other sovereign minds, rather than be engaged in a eurocentric bad excuse to spend money and suck eggs celebrating (alongside a pilgrimage of non indigenous australians) an idea that has actually been around for as long as australia has been colonised!
for me the shared house idea would either have to be:
~ the right kind of venue (unlike the australian pavlillion which is an over priced demountable)
~ a venue that is just hired for the event
~ an online venue ~ hey why not? cyberspace is good real estate too. and i think that the venice biennale is already using this as a venue anyway
~ possibly a satellite event to the biennale that pitches to the Venice visitors also
i went to the venice biennale in 2005 and i couldnt understand what the fuss was about ~ until i got to the Arsenale. i found the other main site to be a bit tacky and more like an expo or disneyland gone wrong
my favourite work was in a standalone building in venice town, and by south american artists, from brazil i think
ive uploaded some images of the work fyi:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1140412&l=8497e&id=551291075
not all of them very well installed but the subject matter really resonated with me
and i was of course impressed and delighted with the presence of Jimmy, James and Rebeccas work : )
ok talk later
Hi Jenny, thanks for your comments and thoughts. I have always thought that such a realization of the Shared House Project would make a statement - one of which sovereinty would play central to the reason for working on such a project, not to mention the benefits of international diplomacy our artists would express in their work regarding our historic and current political realities. Personally I don't mind any of the suggestions you mention, including the cyber gallery but cyber is just that - there is a loss of human contact in just viewing work on-line. I would include it but wouldn't make it our sole entry.
I have admired Nancy Mithlo's efforts in the United States to work on ensuring American Aboriginal content at the Venice Biennale since 1995,(if not longer). Her, "just do it" attitude was inspiration for me to seriously consider the Shared House Project. I have been to the last two Venice Biennales and I have to admit, the Arsenali is the actual highlight. I too was impressed by some of the off site exhibits. I am all for us renting space for a few weeks during the opening then folding up our teepees and moving on. (That is so typical of my peoples' nomadic way).
As for the Giardini I believe our pavilion can make the Giardini the place to be - or at least, be the pavilion that is a must see.
I agree it would have to be right, to make it work, perhaps something that is collapsible and temporary, but reoccuring for every Biennale.
(Last year a new off site exhibition area for commercial dealers was established and named the Cornice, it was all within a huge huge huge tent). hmmmmm?
All in all this Blog is just for this, for us to sit and talk about the possibilities before moving forward with a plan of action.
I would like to see our four nations work together to make a buzz at the hub of Euro-art and all its self promoting machinery. I believe we can do so with even the most humble pavilion, no matter where it is situated or whether its concrete or canvas.
There are many possibilities out there - there is lots of intellegence but it will take a team of committed individuals to push this through.
Thanks again Jenny for your comments, Sorry I missed you while I was in Darwin!! What a beautiful spot in the world you live in!
Kia ora Jim, I am able to access this site again which is great. Another person to include is Brenda Croft her email is Brenda.Croft@nga.gov.au
Megan
HI Megan
I have had her on since day one but no response, I will check the email on the blog with the one you gave me to see if its the same.
thanks
jim
hi from the luverly northern territory everyone
i kid you not - at midnight it is still 30 degrees & 80% humidity!
and to rub it in i've posted a pic of me swimming on this blog profile ; )
just to clarify - in my post i didn't refer to " 'colonised' artists"
I wrote about the Venice Biennale being around for over 200 years (about the same length of time that Oz has been colonised)
granted there is a difference between colonised countries and colonised artists (although sometimes i do wonder!)
and for those of you who haven't seen anything about it, we have just toured an exhibition to Noumea:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=56568&l=e36e8&id=551291075
I would recommend visiting and working with the Tjibaou Centre if you ever get the chance (make it happen, they're open to emancipation too!). They are a centre for Kanak development, and consequently the Director (very handsome) and a great number of staff are Kanaky too. They have all the proactive french connections as well, so it really is world class - not like this Penal colony ; ) haha!
anyway, have a great festy season
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