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March Meeting 2019

March Meeting 2019

March Meeting 2019: Leaving the Echo Chamber

9 - 11 March 2019
Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE

March Meeting is an annual gathering of artists, and art professionals concerned with the production and dissemination of art in the region and internationally. MM 2019 will expand on the overall theme of SB14 and on the concepts of the three curators.

Opening Week / March Meeting
Schedule, 7 - 11 March 2019


Overview

Sharjah Biennial 14 (SB14) curators Zoe Butt, Omar Kholeif and Claire Tancons will organise three distinct programmes for March Meeting 2019 (MM 2019), which coincides with the Biennial’s opening days.

In popular culture, the ‘Echo Chamber’ is a moniker for circuitous news media and its attendant feeds that are reinforced by a closed system, a network that is controlled and governed by private sources, governments and corporations. It is also a metaphor for the historical dominance of Capital and the cultural, social and political systems which dictate its access, production and distribution—this ‘capital’ wooing (and thus privileging) particular image, language, skill, history and geography. Most tangibly, the ‘Echo Chamber’ is the space wherein sound hits and reverberates, where memory and imagination echo across surface, across space, and across time.

‘Leaving the Echo Chamber’ does not propose a ‘how’ to ‘leave’ this context, but rather seeks to put into conversation a series of provocations on how one might re-negotiate the shape, form and function of this chamber, towards a multiplying of the echoes within, such vibration representative of the vast forms of human production—its rituals, beliefs and customs.

MM 2019 will expand on the overall theme of Leaving the Echo Chamber and on the concepts explored in the respective platforms of SB14’s three curators.

Open Call for Correspondents at MM2019

The MM 2019 Open Call invites artists, writers, researchers, curators and art practitioners to participate as correspondents in each day’s discussions. Correspondents will be asked to engage with MM 2019 presentations and performances, drawing connections and expanding on ideas explored during SB14’s opening days.

Applicants for the role of correspondent should communicate how their research interests relate to SB14 platforms and demonstrate an ability to synthesise ideas for an audience of art professionals and the general public.

Those selected as correspondents are expected to attend the SB14 opening day on 7 March 2019 as well as all MM 2019 sessions. Sharjah Art Foundation will cover return travel and accommodation expenses in Sharjah from 6 to 12 March 2019. A modest per diem will also be provided.

Applicants should download and complete an application form SAF's website. A work sample related to the applicant’s research interests is also required.

More information and application forms:
Website / Email

Deadline: 19 January 2019


About Sharjah Art Foundation

Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst, and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. Under the leadership of founder Hoor Al Qasimi, a curator and artist, the foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region, and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art.

The foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators, and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions; and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.

Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional, and international developments in contemporary art.

The foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres.

A growing collection reflects the foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.

Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors, and individual patrons. All events are free and open to the public.


Sharjah Art Foundation
PO Box 19989
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Website / Email

Connect with Sharjah Art Foundation:
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Media contact:
Sharjah Art Foundation: Alyazeyah Al Reyaysa
alyazeyah(at)sharjahart.org  | T +971 6 544 4113

About Sharjah

Sharjah is the third-largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation, and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as a hub of culture in the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's “Arab Capital of Culture” and was designated the UNESCO “World Book Capital” for the year 2019.

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