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 Ahmed Mater, Later Be Past, 2013. From the series Desert of Pharan. Courtesy of the artist and Athr Gallery, Dubai |
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Extending the FotoFest 2014 Biennial mission to expose global audiences to dynamic contemporary art and artists from the Middle East and North Africa, FotoFest is posting updates on Biennial artists and continued related programming. |
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FOTOFEST at the HOUSTON FINE ART FAIR FotoFest presents a special series of Arab programs at the Houston Fine Art Fair, September 18-21, including an exhibition of selected works from the FotoFest 2014 Biennial Arab exhibition VIEW FROM INSIDE: Contemporary Arab Photography, Video and Mixed Media Art. On the fair's last day, Sunday, September 21 at 2pm, Wendy Watriss, 2014 Biennial co-curator, will lead a panel discussion on the development of contemporary Arab art over the last 15 years with Egyptian artist Khaled Hafez and Omar Donia, publisher of the Arab art journal Contemporary Practices. Complimentary Day-Passes to Houston Fine Art Fair are available at www.houstonfineartfair.com/day. View From Inside: Contemporary Arab Photography, Video and Mixed Media Art was first exhibited in Houston as part of the FotoFest 2014 Biennial, the Fifteenth International Biennial of Photography and Photo Related Art, March 15 - April 29, 2014, in Houston, Texas. The full exhibition features 49 artists from 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and was curated by Lead Curator Karin Adrian von Roques, with FotoFest Senior Curator Wendy Watriss. Ms. von Roques has over 20 years experience working with Arab artists, museums institutions and publications. |
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KHALED HAFEZ at the HOUSTON FINE ARTS FAIR Khaled Hafez, the internationally known Egyptian painter, videographer and multi-media artist presents a new Deborah Colton Gallery is also including Khaled Hafez, alongside two other artists, in the exhibition Mapping Strife at their Houston gallery September 20 - November 8. |
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AHMED MATER FILM SCREENING at ROTHKO CHAPEL Edge of Arabia, the cross-cultural arts initiative co-founded by Ahmed Mater, launches its multi-year CULTURUNNERS tour of the United States with a kick-off event at the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Sunday, September 21 at 7pm. Coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Peace, Edge of Arabia has partnered with Rothko Chapel and Art Jameel on the event, which honors the freedom of direct cultural exchange and physical mobility of artists across borders. The outdoor program, taking place on the chapel's plaza, will feature food, music and a panel discussion with Arab artists Taysir Batniji and Sarah Abu-Abdullah, local Arab scholars Dr. Ussama Makdisi and Dr. Dina Al-Sowayel, FotoFest Co-founders Fred Baldwin and Wendy Watriss, and Edge of Arabia's Stephen Stapleton. Following the discussion, Ahmed Mater's film Makkah Journey will be screened, projected on the facade of the chapel, and accompanied by live oud music by Essam Rafea. |
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FotoFest and Schilt Publishing, Amsterdam have published a new hardcover book to accompany the FotoFest 2014 Biennial Arab exhibition. The 340 page book features over 200 full color and duo-tone reproductions from 48 leading contemporary Arab artists, along with essays by four international Arab art scholars chronicling the development of the photographic art in the Middle East and North Africa.VIEW FROM INSIDE is available from FotoFest in Houston, online, and from booksellers worldwide. |
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TAREK AL-GHOUSSEIN in NEW YORK Artist Tarek Al-Ghoussein, featured in the FotoFest 2014 Biennial, is featured in a new exhibition at New York The artist will conduct a talk, September 17, 6pm, on the role of his work in the broader context of contemporary art, and the Middle East as a whole. The talk will include a conversation with Fawz Kabra, Assistant Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Abu Dhabi Project, New York; Taymour Grahne, Founder, Taymour Grahne Gallery; and FotoFest Senior Curator Wendy Watriss. Concurrent with the exhibition at NYU, Tarek Al-Ghoussein's K Files series will be presented at Taymour Grahne Gallery, New York. |
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SAUDI ARAMCO WORLD MAGAZINE Saudi Aramco World Magazine has just published an insightful overview of contemporary Arab photography by UK-based photographer and art writer Simon Bowcock. The story features eight of the artists showcased in the FotoFest 2014 Biennial, and a quote from Wendy Watriss. |
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NEWS and EXHIBITIONS LARA BALADI Awarded a 2014-2015 Fellowship and MIT Open Documentary Laboratory JOANNA HADJITHOMAS Une histoire, art, architecture et design, des années 80 à aujourd'hui at
Centre Pompidou, Paris HASSAN HAJJAJ Portfolio featured on Huffington Post Art & Culture Blog AHMED MATER Here and Elsewhere at the New Museum, New York Une histoire, art, architecture et design, des années 80 à aujourd'hui at
Centre Pompidou, Paris STEVE SABELLA Layers at CAP Kuwait Archeology of the Future at The
International Center for Photography Scavi Scaligeri, Verona Independence at Meem Gallery, Dubai Monograph Launch at Photographers Gallery, London WAEL SHAWKY Here and Elsewhere at the New Museum, New York CAMILLE ZAKHARIA Belonging: Photo collages by Camille Zakharia at
The Gallery at Emaar Pavilion, Dubai
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Vinod Hopson,
FotoFest Press
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MAJOR SPONSORS - FOTOFEST 2014 MAJOR SPONSORS - FOTOFEST 2014 BIENNIAL ARAB PROGRAMS Special support for the FotoFest 2014 Biennial Catalogue and the FotoFest Book on contemporary Arab photo-related art is provided by The Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation in Houston. ARAB PROGRAMMING PARTNERS MEDIA PARTNER - ARAB PROGRAMS - Contemporary Practices – Visual Art from the Middle East MEDIA PARTNERS - GENERAL BIENNIAL - Art in America; European Photography; Houston Public Media |
VIEW FROM INSIDE HARDCOVER BOOK