Towards a New Cultural Cartography

A panel discussion about Sharjah Biennial 11

Tate Modern, Starr Auditorium
Saturday 26 January 2013, 14.00-17.00

£12 / £8 concessions

In the lead-up to Sharjah Biennial 11, Tate Modern hosts a preview panel discussion including Yuko Hasegawa, this year’s curator, and Hoor Al-Qasimi, President and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation. For this year’s Biennial, which will run from March and to May 2013, Hasegawa proposes ‘a selection of artworks that reassess the Westerncentrism of knowledge in modern times’. Starting from the metaphor of the courtyard in Islamic architecture, her project focuses on exploring the complexity and diversity of cultures, societies and politics. 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.

In holding a preview debate in London, Tate and The Sharjah Art Foundation open the floor to important questions about international contemporary art that are often simplified, subsumed or ignored. Wael Shawky, one of the participating artists, will talk about his work in relation to transregional politics, religion and history. Professor Paul Gilroy and Sarat Maharaj explore the notion of ‘new cartographies’, which Hasegawa considers crucial to our understanding of the complexities of global developments in art.

Speakers include:

Hoor Al-Qasimi, President and Director, Sharjah Art Foundation;
Yuko Hasegawa, Curator, Sharjah Biennial 11;
Wael Shawky, SB11 participating artist;
academics Sarat Maharaj and John Hutnyk in conversation;
and a question and answer session chaired by Marko Daniel, Tate.