Valentina Radoš’s Post

Journal 47 ‘Communities and care’ is now up on our website. Over the next few months we will be spotlighting the work of our contributors and revealing the second series of our podcast.  This week we are looking at 'How do we begin to tell the story of a river?'. The article was written by by Ali Reid and Claire Pounder with Dr Paul Stewart, all from MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art)/ Teesside University. This article is a reflection on the creative beginnings of MIMA's exhibition 'People Powered: Stories from the River Tees', which was on display in MIMA’s galleries in central Middlesbrough from July to December 2023. The last 20 years has seen a rise in gallery engagement practice towards new methods in terms of how publics experience exhibitions, artists and museums. From an educational aesthetics point of view, this is defined by Paul Stewart as viewing a particular type of gallery engagement and curatorial activity as a facilitation of, or an engagement with the aesthetic process, with the method of learning at its heart, rather than a substitutive process of translation or engagement to an existing curatorial activity. People Powered: Stories from the River Tees at MIMA is an example of this.  Communities and care is a response to the UK Government’s ‘Levelling up’ agenda connected to a perceived lack of culture or other infrastructure. At its core, is the idea of engaging communities, most often used in the professional arts sector to refer to collective groups working together, defined by a distinguishing factor across a shared experience. Take a journey through visual art practice, engagement and participation in the era of placemaking and levelling up, simultaneously exploring the uses of the word care in relation to this work. Login with your member details to read our journals: https://buff.ly/3Var3KO. #teesunicreativearts #teesside

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN..........................need say no more, enough said..........; .לכל מאן דבעי.....; וְהַמֵּבִין יָבִין - מקום בתוך מקום MaKOM BeTOCh MaKOM, MaKOM in MaKOM [1979]........2017 cellular concrete blocks, wood, white paint, cement, bronze, bicycle.. 200 x 200 x 270 cm Courtesy Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Netherlands Excerpt - "THE THIRD EXILE" ....."The extraordinary originality of the history of Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam lies in its problem today, meaning that in the last three decades, it has become (more and more) a gathering station for tourists and for well to do people, and an instant hip & happening place. Therefore, it is this inherent contradiction that accounts for the Guest's attitude towards the structure of this institute. Does this mean that the argument of the Guest has no significance for this institute? The answer is negative because the structure of the Museum has always been a certain veil of distance that conceals its own door from the movement of the Guest. Hereafter, there is no need to re-write the arguments that we have introduced and explained in our project statement On Friendship / (Collateral Damage), for it is both visible and accessible................................................................................................................................................................................................";

ASAP was delighted to co-host , in November, five emerging South Asian curators for the “Art Exchange: Moving Image", this programme provides a unique cross-cultural and curatorial development experience. The cohort of curators - Anuj Malhotra (India), Bunu Dhungana (Nepal), Kehkasha Sabah (Bangladesh), Sandev Handy (Sri Lanka), and Sarah Rajper (Pakistan) - are participating in both online peer workshops and an intensive in-person residency in London. Over the week, they explored prominent UK institutions and artist-led spaces, connecting with curators, artists, and moving image specialists, and seeking curatorial inspiration for their upcoming exhibitions in South Asia featuring moving image works from the British Council Collection.   The week included enriching visits to the British Council Collection, the Barbican Centre, Tate Modern, and the British Film Institute (BFI), alongside experiences at innovative, grassroots spaces like Grand Union and EAST SIDE PROJECTS, LLC in Birmingham. This programme, supported by the British Council and organised by LUX - Artists' Moving Image and ASAP, continues through 2025, when each curator will present exhibitions inspired by British Council works in their home countries.

Of course we want to start the new year by taking the right path. An artwork at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague with 3 signposts pointing in the same direction but with different names offers good advice: start walking and correct on the fly. Sometimes we are blocked by the search for the right path and there is perhaps only one viable way from our starting point. I wish everyone the courage to set off, even if it is not yet clear that it is the right path. And the courage to correct a path or even turn it round if it turns out to be the wrong one. With this in mind, I wish you all a good start to a wonderful year 2025! By the way: this also applies to your Digital Accessibility Journey in 2025. Set off now. Standing still or doing nothing are the wrong options. Image description: 6 identical signposts with different designations, but all pointing in the same direction to the left. 3 signs are in English, 3 in Czech. The 3 English signs say: (1) the right way (2) the wrong way (3) the only way. I have found these signposts in the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague.

𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 – 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐩 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 For the 30th edition of de Appel’s Curatorial Programme (CP) de Appel has welcomed four collectives who are learning and practising lumbung as a model and method for collective organisation. The CP is geared towards taking the lumbung practices of documenta fifteen as a case study. Lumbung during documenta fifteen developed into both a rhizomatic collective of collectives, and the practice of decentralised collective redistribution, transforming the art institution and its exhibitionary logic. This edition of the CP is dedicated to collectives whose art and curatorial practice are distinguished by their role as a conduit for the communities with which they engage. The programme is in collaboration with Sandberg Institute’s Temporary Master Programme and Gudskul’s Collective Study and extends into 2025/2026 as a fellowship. Tropical Tap Water interviewed the participating collectives. Here you can find their conversation with Level Five, a cooperative studio for and by artists in Brussels. They collectively organise and take care of their spaces and the people making use of them, creating a durable foundation for each of their artistic practices and initiatives. The participating member present in Amsterdam is rori. Read the interview here: https://lnkd.in/ex62EB9A Drawing by Tropical Tap Water Level Five's participation in the Curatorial Programme is supported by De Brakke Grond.

𝐁𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐖𝐚𝐱 𝐄𝐏𝐒, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐩 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 30𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦 For the 30th edition of de Appel’s Curatorial Programme we have welcomed four collectives who are learning and practising lumbung as a model and method for collective organisation. The programme is geared towards taking the lumbung practices of documenta fifteen as a case study. Lumbung during documenta fifteen developed into both a rhizomatic collective of collectives, and the practice of decentralised collective redistribution, transforming the art institution and its exhibitionary logic. This edition of the programme is dedicated to collectives whose art and curatorial practice is distinguished by its role as a conduit for the communities with which it engages. The programme is in collaboration with Sandberg Institute’s Temporary Master Programme and Gudskul’s Collective Study and extends into 2025/2026 as a fellowship. Tropical Tap Water interviewed the participating collectives. Here you can find their conversation with Biquini Wax, a multipolar arts collective and permeable cultural center in Mexico City. Since its inception in 2008 it has been committed to be an interdependent art-space collectively managed by and for the cultural community interested in the intersection of contemporary arts and critical thought. It is both a communal living/working/hang out space as well as a self-organized study center/experimental exhibition-making (para)site. The participating members present in Amsterdam are: Denisse Vega de Santiago, Gerardo Contreras, Mili Herrera. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/eZde4HAc Drawing: Tropical Tap Water

Today we acknowledge Te Pūtake o te Riri, He Rā Maumahara - our national day of remembrance of the New Zealand Wars. As part of our commitment to deeper conversations around these pivotal moments in our history, we have recently opened our newly refreshed gallery, Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars.  The Museum will also be illuminated in pounamu green tonight.    The word atarau means many things. In te reo Maori 'ata' means shadow, early dawn, shape or reflection. While 'rau' can mean many, forever, a beat or rhythm. Those multiple meanings are a metaphor for history. When painful histories are brought out of the shadows and into the light, they can be better understood.  Featuring taonga, contemporary artworks, and diverse perspectives, Atarau offers visitors insight into the circumstances, people, and events of the wars, and reflects on the experiences of those involved. This interim display is the first step in a larger program aimed at enhancing public knowledge and understanding about these pivotal stories.  Visit Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars to connect with stories that continue to shape our society, now open on Level 2. Free with Museum Entry.    

The theme for THE SUSSEX 2024 is Duality. Jo explains why she chose the theme, and how it can be interpreted and used to inspire your entries in a BLOG POST over on our website. Read an excerpt of the post below: When I think about a subject, theme, or title I like to use literature as a starting point. I always start by researching what the word itself means: DUALITY 1. the quality or condition of being duel “This duality of purpose was discernible in the appointments”. 2. an instance of oppositions or contrast between two aspects of something, a dualism “his photographs capitalize on the dualities of light and dark, stillness and movement”. An idea, observation, or opinion is shown through an artwork that is shared with and communicated to others. It is in this dualism, the convergence of artistic intention with the physical building blocks of visual art that entices the observer to ponder the artwork and why it exists. Drawing them in a rich tapestry of stories, thoughts, and emotions and communicating with them directly. Next time you are at a museum or an exhibition look at the other people around you. Look at those that are caught in front of an artwork for a length of time. They are considering, looking, questioning, admiring, and thinking about what is in front of them. Duality explores the positive and negative spaces in life, between lines and lived-in experiences. Head on over to our website to read more and get your mind immersed in thinking about DUALITY https://buff.ly/3yQ4mE0 #sussexart #sussexartists #sussexcontemporary #opencall #artistopportunity #thesussex #newhaven #duality

The division of Fine Arts at the School of the Arts, University of Pretoria, has the great pleasure to invite you to a walkabout of ’ 𝙋𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮’, the bi-annual creative outputs exhibition by the members of staff. The exhibition features over forty recent works of art produced by permanent and part-time members of Fine Art staff at the School of the Arts (UP). This includes Dr Avi Sooful, Dr Nicola Grobler, Natalie Fossey, Cazlynne Peffer, Dr Sikho Siyotula, Diane Victor, Fouad Asfour, Prof Johan Thom and many more. The walkabout will be conducted by Mr Teboho Lebakeng, Lecturer in Fine Art (UP) and many of the participating artists will be present.  Time:                            12:00-13:00  Date:                            26 November 2024 Venue:                          The Bridge Gallery, Javett-UP  Enquiries & RSVP:          Please RSVP with Ms Zita Oranje at: rsvp.upstudentgallery@gmail.com   This exhibition takes as its central theme the notion of the plural. The curator of the exhibition, Wayne Matthews, writes that, "plurality ... is not just a state of being but also a strategy, a form of belonging to the many - being self-referential, auto-poetic and simultaneously social, cultural, and political. Plurality posits even truth and reality as continually renewed questions". Such ongoing questioning is the heart of the arts and humanities, dealing, as it does, with the very meaning of our lives. Meaning is of course always relative and thus requires constant scholarly investigation, testing and greater public discussion.    

Andre Breton In Front of the Curtain (2) To go back ten years is not only to identify, in the vortex surrounding the exhibition of ten years ago, something that fairly well expresses the spiritual climate of the year 1938, but also to identify the structure of the exhibition that corresponds to a plan, a plan that seeks to bring the tumultuous region that extends to the border between the poetic and the real into very general proximity within our psyche. The exhibition's structure, as such, can be accurately positioned in the context of the true vision of the exhibition - though, again, not the vision of art. The efforts of the exhibition organizers, in fact, tended to create, as much as possible, an environment oriented toward an "art" gallery. I emphasize the fact that they did not consciously follow any other order than the above. I emphasize the fact that they did not consciously follow any other imperative than the above, since, in retrospect, the totality of their attempts ultimately transcended their original intentions. Regarding the criticism of the time, which believed that the holding of the 1938 exhibition could be attributed, as usual, to the need to surprise and compromise the "snobbery" of the public, and which almost universally bemoaned the "gratuitousness," poverty, and bad taste of which we were more than once witnesses, we can say the following We can say the following. (Continue to next paragraph)