Afterimage: The Beauty of Distance (Sydney Biennale symposium)
17th Biennale of Sydney. Image by Jonathan Barnbrook
17th Biennale of Sydney. Image by Jonathan Barnbrook
Dates:
14 May 2010 - 15 May 2010
People:
Kader Attia, David Bailey, Roger Ballen, Adelaide Bannerman, Larissa Behrendt, Enrique Chagoya, Dana Claxton, Brenda Croft, Ekaterina Degot, Claudio Dicochea, David Elliott, Hu Fang, Cao Fei, Bruce Ferguson, Amareswar Galla, Leah Gordon, Ronald Graetz, Joy Gregory, Joe Gumbala, Gonkar Gyatso, Kim Jones, Isaac Julien, Axel Lapp, Ngahiraka Mason, Gerald McMaster, Kent Monkman, Djon Mundine, Simon Njami, Fiona Pardington, James Putnam, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Ben White and Eileen Simpson, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Allison Thompson, Fred Tomaselli, Mark Waugh. View 32 more
Location:
Sydney
This was a major ICF collaborative partnership with the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney to organise the 17th Sydney Biennale’s opening forum in May 2010 under the themes of ‘POWER, POVERTY, EQUALITY AND FREEDOM (and how we relate to art)’. This two-day forum was central to the core elements around which the 17th Biennale of Sydney – ‘THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age’ – had been built. It explored the external forces and hierarchies that affect how we perceive art – forces in relation to which modern and contemporary art have traditionally been defined.
The Forum was divided up into the following strands:
- ‘Poverty, Freedom & Rights.’ This strand explored the idea of individual freedom developed in relation to human rights.
- ‘Is It Smart To Be Materialist?’ This strand explored how materialism is an integral part of the world’s heritage and, along with capitalism, has been responsible for much of its economic growth. Yet today, when over 3 billion people (half the population) survive on under US$ 2.50 a day and 20% consumes 76% of the available resources, neither materialism nor capitalism can be deemed a great success in providing the basic needs for everyday living.
- ‘History, Experience, Truth & Empathy.’ This strand explored how origin and identity seem to figure more largely in fragmented cultures that have suffered marginalisation and oppression. Examining how empathy is one of the main tools for approaching both the art of both one’s own culture and that of others.
- ‘First People, Diaspora & Fourth Worlds.’ This strand explored that throughout history, art has always crossed cultural boundaries, often leaving traces in its wake. Culture has never been pure. Still, today our idea of ‘minorities’ is often expressed either by the still-surviving cultures of First Peoples or by the cultures of different diasporic groups who, for reasons of persecution or economic migration, have settled elsewhere.
- ‘Communities, Commons, Copyright.’ This strand explored the central question “What is common property?” The rights to quote, borrow, steal and parody images made by people in both one’s own and other cultures has traditionally been a way in which art has developed. Yet, increasingly, copyright law has led to a restriction on the use of images both for reasons of ideology and financial gain.
- ‘Curating What?’ This last strand explored the role of large thematic exhibitions of contemporary art in establishing and expanding ideas of aesthetic quality. Focusing on how does aesthetic quality relate to other ideas of quality and what is the relationship between art, value and the market and finally how should exhibitions connect with the immediate worlds around them?
The people who participated in these panel discussions were Ronald Graetz, Leah Gordon, Enrique Chagoya, Amareswar Galla, Larissa Behrendt, Gonkar Gyatso, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Bruce Ferguson, Kim Jones, Fred Tomaselli, Fiona Pardington, Ngahiraka Mason, Dana Claxton, Dr Joe Gumbala, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Kent Monkman, Claudio Dicochea, Kader Attia, Brenda Croft, Cao Fei, Djon Mundine, Ben White and Eileen Simpson, Gerald McMaster, James Putnam, Hu Fang, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Ekaterina Degot, Simon Njami and David Elliott.
In addition to this, the ICF was invited by the Biennale’s artistic director David Elliott to participate in a ‘Caribbean Forum’ being organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and Puma Creative. Some of the UK participants were Isaac Julien and Joy Gregory, this event was chaired by ICF Director David A Bailey.





Bruce Ferguson, Fiona Pardington, Dana Claxton, Teka Selman and Catriona Moore - History, Experience, Truth And Empathy panel, THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age, Sydney Biennale public programme (2010) Image by Waugh Office
People:
Kader Attia, David Bailey, Roger Ballen, Adelaide Bannerman, Larissa Behrendt, Enrique Chagoya, Dana Claxton, Brenda Croft, Ekaterina Degot, Claudio Dicochea, David Elliott, Hu Fang, Cao Fei, Bruce Ferguson, Amareswar Galla, Leah Gordon, Ronald Graetz, Joy Gregory, Joe Gumbala, Gonkar Gyatso, Kim Jones, Isaac Julien, Axel Lapp, Ngahiraka Mason, Gerald McMaster, Kent Monkman, Djon Mundine, Simon Njami, Fiona Pardington, James Putnam, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Ben White and Eileen Simpson, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Allison Thompson, Fred Tomaselli, Mark Waugh. View 32 more
This was a major ICF collaborative partnership with the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney to organise the 17th Sydney Biennale’s opening forum in May 2010 under the themes of ‘POWER, POVERTY, EQUALITY AND FREEDOM (and how we relate to art)’. This two-day forum was central to the core elements around which the 17th Biennale of Sydney – ‘THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age’ – had been built. It explored the external forces and hierarchies that affect how we perceive art – forces in relation to which modern and contemporary art have traditionally been defined.
The Forum was divided up into the following strands:
- ‘Poverty, Freedom & Rights.’ This strand explored the idea of individual freedom developed in relation to human rights.
- ‘Is It Smart To Be Materialist?’ This strand explored how materialism is an integral part of the world’s heritage and, along with capitalism, has been responsible for much of its economic growth. Yet today, when over 3 billion people (half the population) survive on under US$ 2.50 a day and 20% consumes 76% of the available resources, neither materialism nor capitalism can be deemed a great success in providing the basic needs for everyday living.
- ‘History, Experience, Truth & Empathy.’ This strand explored how origin and identity seem to figure more largely in fragmented cultures that have suffered marginalisation and oppression. Examining how empathy is one of the main tools for approaching both the art of both one’s own culture and that of others.
- ‘First People, Diaspora & Fourth Worlds.’ This strand explored that throughout history, art has always crossed cultural boundaries, often leaving traces in its wake. Culture has never been pure. Still, today our idea of ‘minorities’ is often expressed either by the still-surviving cultures of First Peoples or by the cultures of different diasporic groups who, for reasons of persecution or economic migration, have settled elsewhere.
- ‘Communities, Commons, Copyright.’ This strand explored the central question “What is common property?” The rights to quote, borrow, steal and parody images made by people in both one’s own and other cultures has traditionally been a way in which art has developed. Yet, increasingly, copyright law has led to a restriction on the use of images both for reasons of ideology and financial gain.
- ‘Curating What?’ This last strand explored the role of large thematic exhibitions of contemporary art in establishing and expanding ideas of aesthetic quality. Focusing on how does aesthetic quality relate to other ideas of quality and what is the relationship between art, value and the market and finally how should exhibitions connect with the immediate worlds around them?
The people who participated in these panel discussions were Ronald Graetz, Leah Gordon, Enrique Chagoya, Amareswar Galla, Larissa Behrendt, Gonkar Gyatso, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Bruce Ferguson, Kim Jones, Fred Tomaselli, Fiona Pardington, Ngahiraka Mason, Dana Claxton, Dr Joe Gumbala, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Kent Monkman, Claudio Dicochea, Kader Attia, Brenda Croft, Cao Fei, Djon Mundine, Ben White and Eileen Simpson, Gerald McMaster, James Putnam, Hu Fang, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Ekaterina Degot, Simon Njami and David Elliott.
In addition to this, the ICF was invited by the Biennale’s artistic director David Elliott to participate in a ‘Caribbean Forum’ being organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and Puma Creative. Some of the UK participants were Isaac Julien and Joy Gregory, this event was chaired by ICF Director David A Bailey.





Bruce Ferguson, Fiona Pardington, Dana Claxton, Teka Selman and Catriona Moore - History, Experience, Truth And Empathy panel, THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age, Sydney Biennale public programme (2010) Image by Waugh Office
Dates:
14 May 2010 - 15 May 2010
Location:
Sydney
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