The Sharjah Art Foundation announces the recipients of its 2010 Production Program Grants, with funds totaling up to 300,000 USD to be awarded toward the realization of proposed projects. The recipients, selected by a jury from a competitive field, are: Bani Abidi; Zarina Bhimji; and, CAMP, (Critical Art and Media Practices, with artists Shaina Anand, Ashok Sukumaran, and Sanjay Bhangar).
Jam Salaya, Gujarat, September 2009. Photo by Radhamohini Prasad, CAMP.
The Sharjah Art Foundation Production Program Grants jury was comprised of: Foundation President H.H. Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, an artist with a BFA from the Slade School of Fine Art and an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art, both in London; Lamia Joreige, a painter and video artist from Beirut; Jack Persekian, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation; and, Murtaza Vali, a Brooklyn and Sharjah-based critic, art historian and curator.
As part of its global outreach, the Sharjah Art Foundation will host a panel discussion of the past and future of contemporary art production in the Gulf at MoMA, New York on Wednesday, November 10th from 7:00 – 8:00 PM, leading up to the 10th anniversary of the Sharjah Biennial opening March 16, 2011. The panel is free and open to the public.
About the Program
The Sharjah Art Foundation’s Production Program Grants, initiated in 2008, reflect the Foundation’s commitment to the support of artists, art production and the development of a rich cultural landscape in the MENASA (Middle East North Africa South Asia) region by offering funding and professional assistance to the realization of future projects. Over 200 international artists submitted applications in response to the Open Call, which offers up to three recipients production funding up to 100,000 USD.
About the Sharjah Art Foundation:
Sharjah Art Foundation supports the flourishing arts environment in the Gulf by nurturing artistic opportunities and actively pursuing both a regional and international program of cultural collaboration and exchange.
Sharjah Art Foundation builds on the pioneering role the Emirate of Sharjah has played in the artistic and cultural development of the Gulf region. Inspired by the cross-fertilization and rich cultural diversity of the Emirates, the Foundation provides both national and international leadership in the production and presentation of contemporary visual arts. Recognizing the central and distinctive contribution that art makes to society, the Sharjah Art Foundation cultivates a spirit of research, experimentation and excellence while acting as a catalyst for collaboration and exchange within the Middle East and beyond.
The 10th edition of the Sharjah Biennial, “Plot for a biennial” co-curated by Suzanne Cotter (Curator of Exhibitions Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project) and Rasha Salti (Creative Director, ArteEast) will be held from March 16–May 16, 2011.
For more information on the Sharjah Art Foundation, its Production Program Grants artists and projects being funded, and the panel discussion at MOMA, visit: www.sharjahart.org