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Weekly News Roundup: July 26, 2024
By The Editors
Portrait of TONY ALBERT with The Aboriginal Memorial (1987-88) by Ramingining artists, Djon Mundine, and Bundjalung people. Courtesy the National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra.
Artistic Director for 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial Announced
The National Gallery of Australia in Kamberri/Canberra has named Girramay, Yidinji, and Kuku-Yalanji artist Tony Albert as the artistic director for the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial (NIAT), titled “After the Rain.” Albert draws on collective and personal histories to challenge systemic injustices. His “Aboriginalia”—a term he coined for kitsch objects and images of Aboriginal cultural materials—were presented in past editions of the Triennial “unDisclosed” (2012) and “Defying Empire” (2021). A founding member of the Queensland Indigenous art collective proppaNOW, Albert has long supported urban-based Aboriginal artists. As the first artist to lead the Triennial, he seeks to honor intergenerational legacies and introduce new immersive projects that explore themes of rebirth and cycles of cleansing. Established in 2007, the NIAT celebrates the diversity of First Nations art in Australia. The Triennial’s fifth edition will open at the National Gallery in Kamberri/Canberra in December 2025, followed by a national tour in 2026.
Portrait of (from left to right) THIERRY MATHOU and RAHAAB ALLANA at the French embassy in New Delhi. Courtesy Flickr.
Indian Curator Receives French Government Award
On July 24, New Delhi-based curator and author Rahaab Allana received Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Order of Arts and Letters) from the French government for his outstanding work in South Asian contemporary photography. The prestigious award, which celebrates significant contributions to art and literature, also honors Allana’s efforts in strengthening French-Indo relations. In a ceremony at the French embassy in New Delhi, French ambassador to India Thierry Mathou said: “For almost 20 years, the curatorial work of Rahaab has truly helped France and India to learn from each other and change our perceptions.” Allana is a curator at the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts in New Delhi, an institution dedicated to the research and preservation of Indian culture and history. Most notably, Allana curated the “Alkazi Collection of Photography” exhibition at the Arles Photo Festival in 2007, marking his first project with France. He has also collaborated with major institutions such as Les Rencontres d’Arles and Musée du Quai Branly in France.
Visitors viewing an object in the Korean gallery at the National Museum of Asian Art. Courtesy National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
Smithsonian's Asian Art Museum Announces Major Award From Korea
On July 23, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA) announced that it will receive a significant award from the National Museum of Korea (NMK). As one of six beneficiaries of the NMK’s Overseas Korean Galleries Support Program, the NMAA will use the grant—the largest to date at USD 1.4 million—to expand and diversify its Korea program over the next four years. The donation will be funneled into various cultural and educational projects led by recently appointed curator Sunwoo Hwang, including an art loan exhibition in 2025–26 featuring the collection of former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, and a reinstallation of the museum’s permanent Korean art collection. In a press release, NMAA director Chase F. Robinson expressed his gratitude to the NMK “for this pacesetting gift that will allow us to continue to foreground the rich history of Korean arts and culture as we begin a new chapter in our museum’s history.”
Exterior of restored heritage properties located at 52 to 56 Kampong Java Road, Singapore. Courtesy Singapore Land Authority.
Singapore Government
Launches Joint Tender for Experimental Arts Hub
On July 20, the National Arts Council and the Singapore Land Authority announced a Price and Quality (PQ) tender for five restored heritage properties located at 52 to 56 Kampong Java Road in Singapore’s Central Region, aimed at establishing a “multidisciplinary arts sandbox.” Formed in response to feedback from arts practitioners, this initiative endeavors to create dedicated spaces for artist-led experimentation and innovation, cultivate emerging talent, and transform the area into an epicenter for cultural and community activities. The tender, comprising five units with a total gross floor area of approximately 996 square meters, marks the first time State properties in Singapore are being offered through a joint PQ tender on a 5+4-year tenure for the development of its arts sector. Proposals will be assessed based on Price (30%) and Quality (70%), with particular focus on plans for accessibility, pricing strategies, and the implementation of sustainability initiatives. Prospective tenderers are invited to submit their proposals by September 18.
Installation view of The Queer Muslim Project. Photo by Simon Hadley. Courtesy Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria.
Winners Announced for State of the ART(ist) 2024
The recipients of the State of the ART(ist) 2024 award were announced on July 22 by Austrian cultural, educational, and scientific institute Ars Electronica. Launched jointly in 2022 with the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the initiative honors artists who are exposed to political, social or ecological threats and confront these issues through their work. Two projects received the “State of the ART(ist) – Main Prize,” each awarded EUR 3,000 (USD 3,260), one of which was Haawriya, an installation by Sudanese artist Said Ahmed Mohamed Alhassan that employs visual and auditory elements to trace the Sudanese revolution (2018–19). The inaugural Digital Deal Award 2024, presented by its namesake initiative co-funded by the EU, honored The Queer Muslim Project’s founder Rafiul Alom Rahman, communications and social media lead Rachita Sai Barak, and programs and innovations officer Maniza Khalid. Established in 2017, the India-based digital platform connects over 70,000 people globally to amplify the voices of the Muslim LGBTQ+ community.
Clockwise from top left: ANUJ MALHOTRA, BUNU DHUNGANA, KEHKASHA SABAH, SANDEV HANDY, and SARAH RAJPER. Courtesy Art South Asia Project and LUX, London.
Art South Asia Project and LUX Announce Curators
London’s nonprofit Art South Asia Project (ASAP) and arts organization LUX announced the selection of curators for the South Asian edition of its “Art Exchange: Moving Image” program. The participants are Bangladeshi artist and researcher Kehkasha Sabah, New Delhi-based filmmaker and critic Anuj Malhotra, Kathmandu-based artist Bunu Dhungana, Pakistani graphic designer and artist Sarah Rajper, and Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka’s senior curator Sandev Handy. Supported by the British Council, the collaborative initiative aims to help early to mid-career visual art curators develop their profession. The program engages experienced professionals from both art organizations to provide comprehensive online mentorship and includes a fully funded research visit to the United Kingdom, coinciding with London’s Asian Art Week in late October 2024, as well as a day in Birmingham. Each selected curator will develop an exhibition in their respective countries inspired by moving image works from the British Council Visual Arts Collection, scheduled to open from early 2025 onward.
