Colombo Art Biennale 2014: ‘Making History’

Tuesday, 21 January 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From 31 January to 9 February

The Colombo Art Biennale announces the 3rd edition of Sri Lanka’s leading international festival of contemporary art with ‘Making History’. Annoushka Hempel, CAB’s founding director, says: “‘Making History’ is a provocation exploring the artistic adventure of making history. It enquires into the contemporary aesthetic experience, from historical, present and future points of view, to reveal a possible reality of making history as part of an art historical trajectory.” The 3rd Colombo Art Biennale: Making History’s curatorial team consists of two international and two Sri Lankan curators. Amit Kumar Jain from Delhi is bringing with him an interesting mix of artists from the South Asian region as well as selecting the Sri Lankan participants. Chandraguptha Thenuwara and Neil Butler are working together to curate the impressive international programme. Ruhanie Perera is bringing a new and very exciting component to the Biennale, not with the panellist Conversations but also introducing Live Art to a more expansive extent to CAB. This third edition of CAB has revealed ‘Making History’ to be a fully International Biennale. Artists include 25 of some of Sri Lanka’s most exciting and recognised artists, such as Anoli Perera, Vimukthi Jayasundera, Pala Pothupitiye and Mahen Walter Perera. CAB will also be showcasing nine interesting artists from the region from India, Bangladesh, Nepal & Qatar, including TV Santosh (India), Mahbubur Rahman (Bangladesh) and Sunil Sigdel (Nepal). The 20 international artists are coming from the UK, Scotland, Ireland, France, Australia, Italy, Germany, Austria, Sweden, China, Iran, and the USA. These include Anthony Haughey (Ireland), Rosemarie Trockel (Germany), Pietro Ruffo (Italy)&Olivier Grossetete (France). Making History will present a varied collection of artworks to include paintings, sculpture, video, installation, sound and performance at our seven different locations that include JDA Perera, Park Street Mews, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, Goethe Institute, Post-Graduate Institute of archaeology, Lionel Wendt Galleries and Museum of Economic History. The Live Art segment of the Biennale brings into the unlikely nooks and corners of CAB galleries across Colombo, spilling over into the streets, moments that take on, engage with, and interrupt the notion of ‘liveness’ in performance. Using movement, clown, contact improvisation techniques, poetry and performance art, the live art segment brings into conversation artists with diverse and disparate histories of practice. The Live Artists include Priyanthi Anusha (visual artist), Janani Cooray (performance artist), Kumari Kumaragamage (writer), Jake Oorloff (theatre practitioner), Venuri Perera (dance/theatre performer), Thomas Pritchard (theatre/dance performer), Adrian Schvarzstein (clown/circus actor) and Eva Priyanka Wegener (movement practitioner). Enhancing the CAB programme, CAB is honoured to have the British Council’s ‘Homelands’ exhibition as part of the Biennale. A 21st century contemporary art story of home, away, and all the places in between. Curated by Latika Gupta and including well know names such as Nathan Coley and Mona Hatoum. One of the year’s most anticipated exhibitions travelling around South Asia this year is joining CAB in Colombo. CAB Around Town Fringe events this year will include, Barefoot, showing a collection of paintings from the Gallery’s private collection that will chronologically depict the Gallery’s history. Sethu Samudram is an art project between Theertha Artists Collective in Sri Lanka and 1.Shanthi Road in Bangalore, consisting of drawings done by Indian and Sri Lankan artists at Red Dot Gallery’s new premises. Screenings, of short award winning videos by German artists will be screened at the Goethe Institute. This year, Standard Chartered’s Colomboscope festival is sharing the same theme as CAB “Making History”. This arts festival, now in its second edition will be presenting both local and international author readings, guided walks, talks, panel discussions, dance, drama and musical performances. These will be held historical venues to give festival goers a chance to discover and explore parts of Colombo rarely visited. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach to the Arts, Colomboscope 2014 sharing the theme of ’Making History’ CAB allowing visitors to both events to enjoy topics related to history and remembrance from different angles, reflected by various art forms. ‘Making History’ is delighted to offer a plethora of Events that will be taking place throughout the ten day festival. Venues such as Clique Supper Club, Glasse, Kama, Barefoot, Park Street Mews and Santore will be laying on special events for CAB visitors. Finally but by no means least, it is important to acknowledge that CAB14 depends on the support and sponsorship of its partners to provide much needed funds and assistance for operational costs, participating artists, venues, community projects, media, hospitality, events and travel, as well as marketing and associated lead up event costs. All exhibitions in the Colombo Art Biennale are free to the public and without the help and contributions of their sponsors CAB14 would not be able to operate. The Colombo Art Biennale would therefore thank the following institutions and organisations for their incredible support and input in terms of funding, labour, skills, facilities, services and resources. With special thanks to the Ministry of Culture and Arts’ Central Cultural Fund, the German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Cinnamon& Nations Trust Bank for the support they are giving to the Colombo Art Biennale which is now recognized as an important Sri Lankan Cultural event. The programme has free and ticketed only events (Rs. 500), with concessions for educational institute students. Tickets will be available from the Biennale Box Office from 31st January:-Goethe Institut- 39 Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7; Tel: +94 11 269 4562.