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Raqs Media Collective Appointed Artistic Directors Of Yokohama Triennale 2020
By Dennis Mao
RAQS MEDIA COLLECTIVE will helm the 7th Yokohama Triennale, slated to open in July 2020. Pictured (from left): Jeebesh
Yokohama Triennale announced in a press release dated November 29 that Raqs Media Collective will be the artistic directors of the 2020 edition.
Established by Jeebesh Bagchi, Monica Narula and Shuddhabrata Sengupta in 1992, the New Delhi-based art collective’s wide-ranging practice is at the intersection of art, philosophy and historical enquiry, spanning writing, performance and curation. The collective has curated exhibitions at major institutions around the world, including “In the Open or in Stealth: The Unruly Presence of an Intimate Future” (2018–19) at the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona; the 11th Shanghai Biennale (2016–17); and “INSERT2014: The Sharp Edge of the Global Contemporary” (2014) at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. Commenting on their appointment, Raqs Media Collective told ArtAsiaPacific: "We are excited and humbled by our selection as artistic directors of the 2020 Yokohama Triennale. We are looking forward to a period of intense and challenging thinking and work with our colleagues in the Yokohama Museum of Art leading up to 2020. Yokohama as a city has the historic legacy of being an outward-looking harbour, a refuge and haven for new ideas. We take this as an opportunity to think about what can be the new vessels—ideas, concepts and images that need to be berthed in the harbors of our time."
Elaborating on the decision, Akira Asada, chairperson of the Artistic Director Selection Committee for the 7th Yokohama Triennale, stated: “Raqs Media Collective was selected due to our belief that their experience as artists in a variety of places, including Japan, and their proven ability and flexibility as curators would lead to the realization of a truly unique triennale. [. . .] It is my belief that the appointment of Raqs Media Collective will not only serve as an inspiration for the Yokohama Triennale, but also for the Japanese art scene as a whole. [. . .] It is our hope that, like a plant growing and extending its roots, Yokohama Triennale 2020 will transcend a superficial type of globalism and mature into a genuinely international art festival.”
The 7th Yokohama Triennale is organized in collaboration with the City of Yokohama, Yokohama Arts Foundation, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and The Asahi Shimbun. The Triennale will run from early July through mid-October 2020. Participating artists are yet to be announced.
Dennis Mao is an editorial intern of ArtAsiaPacific.
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