Franklin Furnace’s Goings On
February 25, 2004
CONTENTS:
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1. Mona Hatoum, FF Alumn, receives 2004 Sonning Prize for significant contribution to the advancement of European civilization – the first visual artist to win the award
2. David Hammons, FF Alumn, wins Larry Aldrich Foundation Award
3. Donna Henes, FF Alumn, Spirit Shop Open Day, March 13, 12-6 pm
4. Sol LeWitt, FF Alumn, at Kunsthaus Graz, Austria, Feb 28-May 2
5. Emma Amos, Ida Applebroog, Louise Bourgeois, Stephanie Brody Lederman, Claudia DeMonte, Clarissa Sligh, Brahna Yassky, FF Alumns, at Locus Media Gallery, NY, March 1-31
6. Marjorie Kouns in LA at Elephant Lab Theatre, Feb 27-29
7. Lynn Swanson, FF Alumn, at L’Arciliuto Teatro, Rome, Italy, opens Feb 27
8. Murray Hill, FF Alumn, Oscar Party at Fez, Feb 29, 7 pm
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1. Mona Hatoum, FF Alumn, receives 2004 Sonning Prize for significant contribution to the advancement of European civilization – the first visual artist to win the award
The 2004 Sonning Prize will be awarded to the British-Palestinian sculptor, performance and installation artist Mona Hatoum, FF Alumn. This is the first time the Sonning Prize is awarded to a visual artist. The award will be presented on Friday, 23 April 2004 in the Ceremonial Hall at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
The Sonning Prize is awarded every other year by the University of Copenhagen to a man or woman “who has significantly contributed to the advancement of European civilization”. According to the prize committee, Mona Hatoum’s contribution to the European visual arts tradition makes her an obvious recipient of the Sonning Prize. She has developed an aesthetically distinct, political language to express the experiences of refugees and immigrants and their need to balance identity somewhere between modern Europe and their non-European native countries. As the nominating committee put it: “In the world of culture, more specifically the world of visual arts, the British-Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum is someone who has found the most significant visual expression for the experience of ‘New Europeans’ as living on that unstable ground between two cultures, where you do not feel at home in either – not the one you left or fled from nor the one you have voluntarily or involuntarily become a part of.”
The Committee’s selection for the Sonning Prize winner is applauded by Oystein Hjort, professor in art history at the University of Copenhagen. “Mona Hatoum’s works are both distinctive and visually astonishing,” says Professor Hjort. “Her works reveal the individual, exposed and vulnerable, and she reflects disease, suffering and death, oppression, even torture in many of her pieces. The body is an important part of her working process, where taboos are challenged and dismantled in a continuous attempt to redefine the place of humanity in a politically infected world.”
Mona Hatoum’s relationship with the unsettled, fragmented and vulnerable identity felt by many “New Europeans” is nourished by personal experience with migration and exile – without this making her art a private affair. She was born in Beirut in 1952 to Palestinian parents who had been forced into exile, where she grew up with an ambivalent, unsettled sense of being both at home and homeless.
While on a visit to England at the age of 23, civil war erupted in Lebanon and she was prevented from returning home to her family. Instead, she applied to a school of art in London, where she has lived and work ever since. Among her most notable works is her video entitled Measures of Distance, which portrays, through portrait photos and excerpts of letters to and from her mother in Beirut, the Arab woman’s identity with distance and intimacy in the relationship between mother and daughter.
The installation entitled Homebound – furniture and household items united in an electrical circuit and fenced in by metal cables as a security zone – tells a story about the home and family as an unstable, exposed and dangerous zone. Mona Hatoum’s many years’ work with space, body, objects and meaning has made her an important inspiration for especially younger artists.
Mona Hatoum can be contacted through University of Copenhagen, Communication Department Mette Damgaard Sorensen, publicity coordinator
+ 45 3532 4264 / + 45 2875 4264
High resolution pictures can be downloaded from the following links. The pictures can be used for free in connection with this press release, if you credit the photographer.
Homebound (2000), foto: Edward Woodman.
http://www.ku.dk/kommunikation/temp/Homebound_high.jpg
Measures of Distance (1988), foto: Mona Hatoum.
http://www.ku.dk/kommunikation/temp/Measures_high.jpg
Portret af Mona Hatoum, foto: Johnnie Shand Kydd.
http://www.ku.dk/kommunikation/temp/Mona_shand_high.jpg
The Sonning Prize is awarded according to the provisions of the Sonning Foundation. The foundation was set up by the late author and editor C.J. Sonning. It is awarded to a man or woman who has significantly contributed to the advancement of European civilization
The DKK 1 million Sonning Prize is normally awarded every other year, when possible on C.J. Sonning’s birthday on 19 April. Nominations to the Sonning Prize may be submitted by European universities. The prize winner is selected by a committee appointed by the Academic Council at the University of Copenhagen. The Committee is chaired by Linda Nielsen, rector.
Prize recipients (title and native country):
1959 – Albert Schweitzer, theologian and philosopher, Germany
1960 – Bertrand Russell, philosopher, England
1961 – Niels Bohr, physicist, Denmark
1962 – Alvar Aalto, architect, Finland
1963 – Karl Barth, theologian, Switzerland
1964 – Dominique Pire, theologian, Belgium
1965 – Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, author and statesman, Austria
1966 – Sir Laurence Olivier, actor, England
1967 – W.A. Visser’t Hooft, theologian, the Netherlands
1968 – Arthur Koestler, author, Hungary
1969 – Haldor Laxness, author, Iceland
1970 – Max Tau, author, Germany
1971 – Danilo Dolci, social worker, Italy
1973 – Karl Popper, philosopher, Austria
1975 – Hannah Arendt, political theoretician, Germany
1977 – Arne Naess, philosopher, Norway
1979 – Herman Gmeiner, founder of the SOS Children’s Villages, Austria
1981 – Dario Fo, playwright, actor, director, Italy
1983 – Simone de Beauvoir, author, France
1985 – William Heinesen, author, Faroe Islands
1987 – Jurgen Habermas, philosopher and sociologist, Germany
1989 – Ingmar Bergman, film and theatre director, Sweden
1991 – Vaclav Havel, author and head of state, the Czech Republic
1994 – Krzysztof Kieslowski, film director, Poland
1996 – Gunter Grass, author, Germany
1998 – Jorn Utzon, architect, Denmark
2000 – Eugenio Barba, theatre director and founder of the Odin Theatre, Italy
2002 – Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for human rights, Ireland
2004 – Mona Hatoum, visual artist, Lebanon
An extra prize was awarded in 1950 to Sir Winston Churchill.
A major survey exhibition of Mona Hatoum’s work will be on view at Hamburg Kunsthalle, 26 March – 31 May 2004, Kunstmuseum Bonn, 17 June – 29 August 2004 and Magasin 3 Stockholm Konsthall, 9 September – 19 December 2004.
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2. David Hammons, FF Alumn, wins Larry Aldrich Foundation Award
David Hammons, FF Alumn, won the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award, given by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield Connecticut. The prize, which is awarded to an American artist, includes $25,000 and the opportunity to exhibit at the museum.
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3. Donna Henes, FF Alumn, Spirit Shop Open Day, March 13, 12-6 pm
Spirit Shop Open Day With Donna Henes, Urban Shaman
Rare ritual items and ceremonial supplies from cultures around the world. Charms, talismans, amulets, ritual tools, rare botanicals, books, CD’s, and Mama Donna’s Own Blend of Blessings Oils.
Saturday, March 13, 12-6PM
Mama Donna’s Tea Garden & Healing Haven
Park Slope, Brooklyn
For info: (718) 857-2247
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4. Sol LeWitt, FF Alumn, at Kunsthaus Graz, Austria, Feb 28-May 2
Kunsthaus Graz
Sol LeWitt
Wall
Feb 28, 2004-May 2,2004
Following on from the opening exhibition about perception in art, the Kunsthaus Graz shows two solitary positions of artistic examination that address the subject of space. In Space 02, Vera Lutter works with large surface photographs that portray various spaces using the pinhole camera technique. On the upper floor of Space 01 a completely different kind of spatial construction awaits the visitor: from more than 140 tons of lightweight concrete block, Sol LeWitt has created a vivid combination of reactive installation and autonomous sculpture.
Sol LeWitt is an icon of contemporary art. In the sixties, with his spatial structures he contributed to sculpture in a way that changed the understanding of artistic work, and thus became one of the founders of both Minimal and Concept Art. The reduction of forms and contents of his work, as well as the principal critique of its material character and the process of creation, are in the tradition of constructivism of the 20th century. With impressive consistency he developed abstract sculpture into minimalist concepts. Like no other artist of his generation, he thus gave an important impetus for the idea of the work of art as a concept. In this way the classical concept of authorship was finally revoked, thereby opening up a new field of possibilities for artistic interventions and manifestations. For Sol LeWitt, minimalism and concept do not mean a reduction of possibilities, but an endless variation of forms and images in the true sense of the word.
For the Kunsthaus he places himself at the beginning of a discourse with space and its perception. In abstraction according to Mondrian, aspects of the construction of images and illusion are addressed whilst, in minimalism, abstraction is concrete materialism. The object is perceived 1:1 in its physical existence, any significance is denied and tautology made the principle. In this clearly defined space, the beholder becomes the active subject, and it is this very space that becomes the metric for maneuver.
Here is where our interest in Sol LeWitt’s work sets in. The large-format stone sculpture, the artist’s designs for Space 01 in the Kunsthaus, surveys the room and subjects it to a perceptive experiment. The visitor experiences the massive wall as both built architecture, demarcation between inside and outside, and as minimalist sculpture and tactile object.
For Sol LeWitt the word perception has the meaning of “the apprehension of the sense data, the objective understanding of the idea and simultaneously a subjective interpretation of both.”
Curators: Peter Pakesch, Katrin Bucher
Alvin Lucier: Concert
In the context of the exhibition, there will be a concert in the spatial sculpture with the internationally renowned composer, musician and sound artist for New Music, Alvin Lucier. Alvin Lucier will compose a work especially for Sol LeWitt’s sculptural work that surveys the newly created space by means of sound.
Exhibition catalogue
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with illustrations of the sculpture in the space and texts by Peter Pakesch (Director of the Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz), Martin Prinzhorn (Professor of linguistics, University of Vienna), Marco De Michelis (Professor of architecture, University of Venice) and Paul Horwich (Professor of philosophy of science, Cornell University, New York). Published by Walther Konig, Koln.
Kunsthaus Graz am Landesmuseum Joanneum
Lendkai 1, A-8020 Graz
T +43 316/8017-9200
http://www.kunsthausgraz.at
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5. Emma Amos, Ida Applebroog, Lousie Bourgeois, Stephanie Brody Lederman, Claaudia DeMonte, Clarissa Sligh, Brahna Yassky, FF Alumns, at Locus Media Gallery, NY, March 1-31
LOCUS MEDIA GALLERY
594 Broadway (corner of Houston)
New York, NY 10012
Room 1010
Gallery Hours: Monday-Saturday 11-5
Women’s History Month at Locus Media Gallery
March 1 – March 31, 2004
During the month of March, Locus Media Gallery will be presenting two exhibits focusing on women artists and women’s issues. The first is a show curated by Marcia G. Yerman entitled Domestic Affairs. The work examines female identity and reflects upon the myriad roles that women are called upon to play in society. Fourteen artists look out at the world. Through painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture, they restructure what they see through the prism of their personal vision. Cultural heritage, relationships between the sexes, visual diaries, and the documentation of political realities that shape individual lives, are references that are explored. The exhibiting artists are: Emma Amos, Ida Applebroog, Tomie Arai, Louise Bourgeois, Stephanie Brody Lederman, Donna Clovis, Claudia DeMonte, Grace Graupe-Pillard, Marina Gutierrez, Adrienne Moumin, Lilna Pallotta, Clarissa Sligh, Susan Spencer Crowe, and Brahna Yassky. The reception for the artists will be on Thursday, March 4, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
In conjunction with Domestic Affairs, Locus Media Gallery is sponsoring an art benefit for Equality Now, a human rights organization that works to protect the rights of women and girls around the world (www.equalitynow.org). The gallery will host an evening for Equality Now on March 18 at 7 p.m. Original works on paper measuring 3.5″ x 5″ have been donated by women artists from states throughout America, as well as from countries including Kenya, Kuwait, Slovenia, and Croatia. Each image will be sold for $25, with the total proceeds going to
Equality Now.
Jessica Neuwirth, founder and president of Equality Now, will be at the gallery to share stories about the challenges and triumphs of women who have inspired the mission of the organization.
For further information, please contact:
Marcia G. Yerman
Locus Media Gallery
212-334-6424
212-213-1642
mgyerman@locus-media.com
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6. Marjorie Kouns in LA at Elephant Lab Theatre, Feb 27-29
For those going to Los Angeles (or otherwise in the area) this February:
You¹re invited to view a Solo Exhibition of oil stick and marker drawings in
Los Angeles at the Elephant Lab Theatre, February 27-29. There will be a Special Body Painting Performance by the artist, Marjorie Kouns on Friday and Saturday Feb 27-28.
The Body Painting will take place immediately after the production of ‘Beirut’ (by Alan Bowne, directed by Ty Donaldson and produced by Véronique Ory) http://www.athenatheatre.com
These are the last two weekends to see my new art works along with a great theatre production – Don’t miss it!
Elephant Lab Theatre
6322 Santa Monica Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
(Enter on Lillian Way just west of Vine)
For more information contact Marjorie:
Marjorie Kouns – Visual Artist
mkkouns@rcn.com
15 Minetta Street
New York, NY 10012 USA
T 212-254-1776 F 212-254-4449
http://www.marjoriekouns.com
http://www.marjoriekounsfineart.com
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7. Lynn Swanson, FF Alumn, at L’Arciliuto Teatro, Rome, Italy, opens Feb 27
Lynn Swanson, FF Alumn, appearing in the Rome, Italy English-language premiere of Donald Margulies’ “Dinner with Friends”,opening Friday, February 27 at L’Arciliuto Teatro, P.za Montevecchio 5, Roma.
To celebrate its 40th production, The (Not Only) English Theatre of Rome, in collaboration with Barrymore-award winning director Harriet Power, will mount “Dinner with Friends”, the 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning comic drama by Donald Margulies. Featuring Nick Nocivelli, Parysa Pourmoneshi, Mayo Purnell and Lynn Swanson in the roles of “Gabe”, “Beth”, “Tom” and “Karen”, respectively.
The play has played to sold-out houses across international borders, and garnered rave reviews. After its premiere at the Humana Festival of New American Plays, “Dinner with Friends” went on to critically acclaimed performances at the Comedie des Champs-Elysees in Paris. In addition, HBO Films produced a film version for cable television. Its critical and popular reception distinguishes it as one of the most witty yet moving plays of our time.
The Rome production runs from February 27 to March 20. Call 06-4441375 for dates and reservations, or email englishtheatre@libero.it.
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8. Murray Hill, FF Alumn, Oscar Party at Fez, Feb 29, 7 pm
Murray Hill hosts the annual Fez Oscar Party with Dirty Martini, Sunday, February 29. Doors open at 7 pm with the Joan Rivers E! Oscar Pre-Show. Tickets are $10.
Fez
380 Lafayette St.
reserve now 212-53302680 – this will sell out.
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~~end~~
Goings On are compiled weekly by Harley Spiller
Click http://www.franklinfurnace.org/goings_on.html
to visit ‘This Month’s World Wide Events’.
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