Japanese curator Yuko Hasegawa plans multi-disciplined Sharjah Biennial 11

BIENNALES MIDDLE EAST WEST ASIA ART EVENTS

The Sharjah Art Foundation has announced that Yuko Hasegawa will head the curatorial team for the eleventh edition of the Sharjah Biennial, to be held in March 2013. She won the position with a proposal to reassess the “Eurocentrism of knowledge in modern times”.

Yuko Hasegawa, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), has accepted the position of curator of the Sharjah Biennial 11, to be held in March 2013. Image courtesy Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF).

From the press release, sent out 14 December 2011,

Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) announces the selection of Yuko Hasegawa as the Curator of Sharjah Biennial 11, opening March 2013. Yuko Hasegawa is Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), and is a seasoned director, curator, and advisor for international biennials.

For Sharjah Biennial 11, Hasegawa has proposed a selection of artworks that reassess the Eurocentrism of knowledge in modern times. To do this, she calls for a gathering of architects, designers, creators, and artists, who will bring together different perspectives, and challenge viewers to seek new knowledge by sharing ideas. Hasegawa offers the metaphor of the courtyard in Islamic architecture: The fountain is so generous that everyone can bathe in its waters. She sees Sharjah as a place of hospitality and discipline, and proposes a biennial that embraces these qualities, while also exploring the complexity and diversity of cultures, societies, and politics. Sharjah Art Foundation President Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi and Hasegawa met in late November, 2011, at the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOT), to confirm the appointment and explore the proposed concept and curatorial theme.

Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi commented, ‘We are pleased to announce Yuko Hasegawa as Curator for Sharjah Biennial 11. Hasegawa has a distinguished career characterised by major curatorial projects, notably in Eastern Asia and Latin America. Her proposal for the 2013 Biennial reflects the long tradition of Sharjah as a place where the gathering of diverse communities encourages an exchange of ideas and knowledge.’ Hasegawa added, ‘Sharjah is historic and present, social, natural, and political. It is a place that encourages thinking and negotiating with others. My natural response to its dynamism is to produce a Biennial which asks questions through art, and creates a dialogue that liberates us from Eurocentrism, Globalism, and other relevant –isms.’

For more information on the Sharjah Art Foundation and the March Meeting, please visit www.sharjahart.org.

Related Topics: biennials and biennales, art events in Sharjah, curatorial practice