The Multitude Art Prize - Andrew Leung International Consultants ...

The Multitude Art PrizeEditorial Contacts:Amanda Halliday, UCCA+86 10 5780 0243+86 159 1062 0664amanda.halliday@ucca.org.cnJade Ouk, Sutton PR Asia+852 2528 0792jade@suttonprasia.comExhibition Dates:April 27 – June 16, 2013Exhibition Venue:Central Gallery, UCCAThe Multitude Foundation and WH.A.T. present the Multitude ArtPrize in collaboration with the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art(UCCA). Grounded in the concept of the “multitude,” in which theextraordinary (re)emerges from a social group undergoing ageopolitical change, the Multitude Art Prize examines the role of artand its relevance in different regions of Asia. The MultitudeFoundation is a Hong Kong-based charitable trust founded topromote Asian contemporary art through international dialogue,and the Wuhan Art Terminus (WH.A.T.) is a contemporary artcentre currently being developed in Wuhan that takes inspirationfrom the idea of the “terminus”, a place that both sends out andreceives people and their ideas. UCCA is proud to host theinaugural Multitude Art Prize exhibition from April 28 – June 16,2013 (opening April 27), as well as a special conference on April28 placing the situation of contemporary Asian art within a globalcontext. The exhibition, which will be held annually in a differentAsian city, will feature five winning artists or artist groupsrepresenting the most creative, critical minds in a rising Asiancontemporary art scene. In the accompanying programs, invitedspeakers, including leading Western museum directors involved inthe new institutional collaborative “L’Internationale” as well asthose involved in the local art scene, will provide an eclectic,academic analysis of the present and future of contemporary art inAsia.The five artists or artist groups awarded the prize every year mustbe based in Asia or of Asian descent, where “Asia” refers toGreater China, East Asia, South East Asia, South Asia, andCentral and West Asia up to and including Turkey at itswesternmost point. Every year, an eight-member committee ofAsian and non-Asian partner curators and institutions will nominatefive artists each to create a list of 40 nominated artists, withcommittee members rotating each year in order to retain a freshperspective. A jury of five will then select five winners from the listof 40 nominated artists. This year the Multitude Art Prize exhibitionwill be held at UCCA in Beijing, China, while next year the prize willbe held in West Asia.

The Prize takes its name from the reformulation of the idea of the“multitude” in Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri’s books Empire(2000), and Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire(2004). The works examine the possibilities of a collective socialsubject engaging with global capitalism through acts bothantagonistic and creative, with the below quotation from the latterbook capturing the spirit of the Prize:“We do not have any models to offer for this event. Only themultitude through its practical experimentation will offer themodels and determine when and how the possiblebecomes real.”The Multitude Art Prize and Discourse Series will provide a contextin which to examine the critical potentiality of art in Asia, withparticipants at every level able to essay their ideas oncontemporary culture and help negotiate the terms by which weanalyze, understand, and impact upon it.PRIZEWINNERS1. Yao Jui-chung, Taiwan2. Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Philippines3. Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho, Korea4. Raqs Media Collective, India5. ha za vu zu, TurkeyABOUT THE ARTISTSYao Jui-chung was born in Taipei in 1969, and graduated from theNational Institute of the Arts (Taipei National University of the Arts)with a degree in Art Theory. Yao is one of the region’s most prolificcontemporary artists, and a fervent supporter of Taiwanese artboth at home and abroad. His oeuvre encompasses installation,photography, performance, video, works on paper and sculpture,as well as several books; consistent in his varied work is anexamination of the absurdity of the human condition. He hasparticipated in numerous international exhibitions, includingrepresenting Taiwan in “Facing Faces-Taiwan” at the 1997 Venice

Biennale. He has curated exhibitions including “The Realm ofIllusion – The New Wave of Taiwan Photography” (2002) and“King-Kong Never Dies – The Contemporary Performance & VideoArt in Taiwan” (2003). His works are in the Taipei Fine ArtsMuseum; the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts; the National TaiwanMuseum of Fine Arts; Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia;Bibliothèque National de France, Paris, and many privatecollections. Yao has also published several books, and teaches inthe Department of Fine Arts at the National Taiwan NormalUniversity.Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan work together as a couple, both asparents and artists. Alfredo was born in the Philippines in 1962,graduated from the Philippine Women’s University in 1986, earnedhis MA from the Polytechnic University of Norwich, and is currentlypursuing a PhD at the Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.Isabel was born in the Philippines in 1965, and graduated with aBA in Communication Arts from Assumption College in Makati City,Philippines. Alfredo and Isabel pursue individual creative projects,but also collaborate artistically on issues relating to family andcommunity, specifically their everyday life with a family of fivechildren. The duty of raising these children and ensuring their wellbeinghas come to inflect their work with collective habits – orhabits of collection – as well as with a deep engagement with thequestion of belonging. In the Philippines, where filial ties areextensive, the Aquilizan brood cannot be solitary; it is part of acommunity of kin that weaves in and out of the household. Throughthe years, the home as an abode gathers testimonies of passage:of clothes and toys outgrown, furniture stacked in storage, andother possessions strewn along paths.For the past ten years, the Aquilizans have continuously collectedfragments for their protracted “Project Belonging” (1997-2007).Theartists have been invited to participate in a number of internationalbiennales and survey exhibitions including “Touched” Exhibition,TATE Liverpool, UK; Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art(1999/2009); Biennale Cuvee, Selection of World Art OkContemporary Art Center (2009); Dojima Biennale, The WorldThrough Art (2009); Singapore Biennale (2008); Adelaide Biennale

(2008); Biennale of Sydney (2006); Echigo Tsumari (2006);Gwangju Biennale (2004); La Biennale de Venecia (2003); and thePusan Biennale (2002). Both artists live and work betweenBrisbane and Manila with their five children.Moon Kyungwon and Jeon JoonhoMoon Kwungwon received her Ph.D in Visual Communication atYonsei University, Korea, MFA on Art from California Institute ofthe Arts, USA, and MFA / BFA from Ewha Womans University,Korea. Some of Moon’s selected solo exhibitions include“GREENHOUSE” at Gallery Hyundai, Seoul (2010), and worksfrom a residency at Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Fukuoka (2004).She has also participated in several group exhibitions includingGwangju Biennale, Gwangju (2012); dOCUMENTA(13), Kassel(2012), Korea Artist Prize, Gwachun (2012); “A Silent Voice” atTokyo Wonder Site, Tokyo (2010); “A Different Similarity” atBochum Museum, Bochum (2010); santral Istanbul, Istanbul(2009); Now Jump at Nam June Paik Art Center, Yongin (2008);and Nanjing Triennale at RCM Museum of Modern Art, Nanjing(2008). Moon worked with Tadao Ando for a public art project atGenius Loci in Seopjikoji, Jeju Island, Korea (2007), as well asMedia Canvas at Seoul Square, Seoul (2010). Moon is a recipientof the 2012 Grand Prize of Gwangju Biennale, and 2012 KoreaArtist Prize, co-organized by the National Museum ofContemporary Art, Korea, and the SBS Foundation. Moon’s worksare collected in the Fukuoka Asia Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan;the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art, Taichung, Taiwan; MonteVideo, Amsterdam, Netherlands; and the Seoul Museum of Art,Seoul, Korea, amongst other places.Jeon Joonho received his MA from the Chelsea College of Art andDesign and BFA from Dongeui University. Jeon has had severalsolo exhibitions at SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo (2009); GalerieThaddaeus Ropac, Paris (2008); Arario Gallery, Cheonan (2008);and at Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York (2007). Jeon has alsoparticipated in several group exhibitions includingdOCUMENTA(13), Kassel (2012); Yokohama Triennale,Yokohama (2011); “Your Bright Future” at LACMA, LA (2009); TheMuseum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas (2008); “All About Laughter”at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2007); and “Metamorphosis” at

L’Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, Paris (2008). Jeon is a recipient ofthe Grand Prix of the 27th Biennial of Graphic Art in Ljubljana,2007, and also a prize at the Gwangju Biennial, 2004. His worksare included in the public collections of the Museum of Fine Arts,Houston, USA; Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; and NationalMuseum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea.Raqs Media Collective was formed in 1992 by independent mediapractitioners Monica Narula (1969), Jeebesh Bagchi (1965), andShuddhabrata Sengupta (1968). Based in Delhi, India, Raqs MediaCollective have been variously described as artists, curators,editors and catalysts of cultural processes. Their work, which hasbeen exhibited widely in major international spaces and events,locates them along the intersections of contemporary art, historicalenquiry, philosophical speculation, research and theory - oftentaking the form of installations, online and offline media objects,performances and encounters. Raqs is based at Sarai at theCentre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi, aninitiative they cofounded in 2000 aiming at developing a public andcreative model of research-practice. Though Raqs has abackground in documentary film, since being invited to participatein the Documenta 11 art show in Kassel, Germany in 2002, thegroup has been working more in the contemporary art field. Inaddition to Documenta and the Venice Biennale, the group’s workhas been shown at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, thePalais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Liverpool Biennial, and theGuangzhou Triennial. Raqs was awarded the Unesco-DigiArtsAward at ISEA 2004, and in 2006 was invited to co-curate theshow "On Difference" in the Kunstverein in Stuttgart, Germany.Raqs is a word in Persian, Arabic and Urdu and means the statethat “whirling dervishes” enter into when they whirl. Raqs signifiesand embodies the practice of a kinetic contemplation of the world.It is also a word used for dance.Ha Za Vu Zu is an artist collective established in Istanbul in 2005.Working in performance, installation, video, sound, and anythingelse that captures their interest, Ha Za Vu Zu’s creative process isrooted in the social; from works that involve constructing social

situations with other groups or individuals, to the conscious lack ofhierarchy within their own group in which their members constantlynegotiate power relationships by switching roles between thecreator, director, and performer. Recent projects include“Underconstruction”, Apartment Project Berlin, Germany, 2012;“What a Loop”, Non Stage, Istanbul, Turkey, 2011; “BetweenStamp and Mars no: 3”, SALT, Istanbul, Turkey, 2011; 10eBiennale de Lyon, 2009; "BREADWAY", Urban stories: The XBaltic Triennial of International Art, Vilnius, 2009; “Our Teeth WillBe Snow White”, 10th International Istanbul Biennial, 2007; and“We Are Getting Vocalized”, Galerist, Istanbul, 2007. Ha Za Vu Zuinvites audience participation in their work, exploring new socialroles and possibilities through this interaction.ABOUT THE CURATORColin Chinnery is an artist and curator based in Beijing. He iscurrently Artistic Director of the Wuhan Art Terminus (WH.A.T.), acontemporary art institution under development in Wuhan, China;and Director of the Multitude Art Prize, a pan-Asian art award andinternational conference. He was Director in 2009 and 2010 ofShContemporary Art Fair in Shanghai, and before that, Chinnerywas Chief Curator / Deputy Director at the Ullens Center forContemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing, where he was instrumental insetting up China’s first major contemporary art institution. Between2003 and 2006, as Arts Manager for the British Council in Beijing,he initiated major projects in experimental theatre, live art, soundart, and visual arts, bringing a wider public into contact withexperimental practice.

RELATED PROGRAMS2013 Multitude Art Prize Discourse SeriesShifting Targets: Approaches to Art and Multitude in Asia2013.04.28 09:00-18:00 UCCA AuditoriumThe Multitude Art Prize Discourse Series is an annual program ofdiscussions that travel with the exhibition program across Asia. Asa starting point for a long-term conversation, this year’s inauguralconference explores questions fundamental to the project’sinception. European museum network L’Internationale will join adistinguished panel of curators and scholars from Asia and beyondto initiate this conversation in Beijing.Speakers include:Zdenka Badovinac, Director, Moderna Galerija (Museumof Modern Art) in Ljubljana, SloveniaBart de Baere, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art inAntwerp (M HKA), BelgiumPatrick D. Flores, Professor of Art Studies, University ofthe Philippines; Curator, Vargas Museum, Manila,Philippines; Adjunct Curator, National Art Gallery,SingaporeKate Fowle, Chief Curator, Garage Centre forContemporary Culture in Moscow, Russia; Director atLarge, Independent Curators International (ICI), New York,United StatesMami Kataoka, Chief Curator, Mori Art Museum (MAM),Tokyo, JapanBartomeu Marí Ribas, Director of the Barcelona Museumof Contemporary Art (MACBA), SpainNovember Paynter, Associate Director of Research andProgrammes, SALT, Istanbul, TurkeyJack Persekian, Head Curator, Palestinian Museum,Jerusalem; Founder and Director, Anadiel Gallery and theAl-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, JerusalemPhilippe Pirotte, Adjunct Senior Curator, University ofCalifornia Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive,

United States; Programme Director, Sifang Art Museum,Nanjing, China; Partner Curator for the MultitudeFoundation in Hong Kong, China; Senior Advisor,Rijksakademie (Royal Academy of Visual Arts),Amsterdam, NetherlandsGeorg Schöllhammer, Director, Julius Koller Society,Vienna, Austria; Editor-in-Chief, Springerin - Hefte fürGegenwartskunst, Vienna, AustriaGao Shiming, Executive Director, School of Intermedia Art,China Academy of Art (CAA), Hangzhou, ChinaRavi Sundaram, Fellow, Centre for the Study ofDeveloping Societies (CSDS), New Delhi, India; co-Founder of Sarai (a research program on media), NewDelhi, IndiaPARTNERSThe Multitude Foundation was conceived out of the necessity fora genuine and sustainable cultural dialogue between the differentregions of Asia. It was established in 2011 and is a Hong Kongregistered charitable trust. Its remit is to support Asiancontemporary artists and engage with young people throughcreative projects important for their development. It will raiseawareness of contemporary culture throughout Asia and explorethe relevance of art during this period of enormous geopoliticalchange. The internationally acclaimed Multitude Art Prize (MAP) isthe first major undertaking of the Multitude Foundation.Further information:info@multitudefoundation.orgwww.multitudefoundation.orgWuhan Art Terminus (WH.A.T.) is a contemporary art institutioncurrently being developed in Wuhan, China. Located on the site ofWuhan’s most important historical railway station, WH.A.T. takesinspiration from the idea of the “terminus”, a place that both sendsout and receives people and their ideas. By basing projects oninternational collaboration and the investigation of contemporary

issues, WH.A.T. endeavors to create experimental projects both inWuhan and around the world.ABOUT UCCAThe Ullens Center for Contemporary Art is a not-for-profit art centerin Beijing, located at the heart of the 798 Art District. As a platformfor contemporary art linking China and the world, UCCA offers anaverage 15 exhibitions a year and over 500 public programsincluding art talks, film screenings, performances, workshops andpublic festivals. The international center maintains a special focuson recent developments and historical movements in Chinesecontemporary culture, whilst also showcasing the latest in art anddesign and fostering international exchange.www.ucca.org.cn