SCAPE 08 Biennial of Art in Public Space Curators

SCAPE 2008 BIENNIAL OF ART IN PUBLIC SPACE
September – November 2008 Christchurch, New Zealand

PRESS RELEASE: SCAPE 2008 Biennial of Art in Public Space Announces Curators
From: Art & Industry Biennial Trust
Date: 16 July 2007

Internationally renowned Turkish curator Fulya Erdemci joins New Zealand’s Danae Mossman to form the curatorial partnership for Art & Industry’s 5th SCAPE 2008 Biennial of Art in Public Space.

The Art & Industry Biennial Trust with Director Deborah McCormick are delighted to announce the pairing of Fulya Erdemci and Danae Mossman. Fulya Erdemci brings a wealth of international experience to this position and as Director of the International İstanbul Biennial for 7 years, (she directed the 4th, 5th, 6th and partly 7th Biennials) as well as curator of “Istanbul Pedestrian Exhibitions”(Istanbul Yaya Sergileri) – the first exhibition designed for pedestrians in public space in Turkey – she has an impressive background in art in public space.

Local curator, Danae Mossman whose presence at Christchurch project space The Physic’s Room has been hugely influential, comes to SCAPE as one of New Zealand’s most promising curators. As well as two international curatorial residencies (Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne and DAAD, Berlin) Danae recently co-curated TRANS VERSA, (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo / Matucana 100 / Galeria Metropolitana) in Santiago, Chile.

The pairing of an international and a New Zealand curator for SCAPE 2006 was a big success and both the Art & Industry Biennial Trust and SCAPE team are delighted with the collaboration between Danae Mossman and Fulya Erdemci. Like the last biennial in 2006, SCAPE 2008 will be developed in conjunction with Christchurch’s major cultural stakeholders and will be located within the Cultural Precinct. The SCAPE 2008 Hub and Indoor Exhibition will once again feature at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, as major partner of SCAPE it will become an important venue for symposia, discussion and lectures.

As the 5th biennial and 10 year anniversary of the Art & Industry Biennial Trust SCAPE 2008 will open at the end of September, 2008 with a specific programme. With site-specific interventions by participating artists from around the world, SCAPE 2008 will propose ‘a new culture of space’ to reinvent the democracy, equality and “publicness” through the unique space, place and locality of Christchurch City. As well as visiting artists, SCAPE will attract speakers, arts professionals and new audiences to Christchurch, stimulating and questioning the way we experience and enjoy the public space.

Born in 1962 in Eskisehir, Turkey, Fulya Erdemci lives and works in Istanbul. From 1994- 2000 she was Director of the International Istanbul Biennial, and collaborated closely with international curators Rene Block, Rosa Martinez, Paolo Colombo and Yuko Hasegawa. Previous curated exhibitions include Iskorpit 1998, Berlin; Aller Retour, III.Cetinjski Biennale, 1997, Montenegro and Biennial of the Young Artists of Europe and Mediterranean, 1997, Torino. In 2003 Fulya was appointed Director of Proje4L-Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art. Around this time she also initiated the Istanbul Pedestrian Exhibitions (Istanbul Yaya Sergileri) 2002 & 2005, co-curated Where?/Here?, Saitama, 2003 and was involved in the Istanbul section of the 25th São Paulo Biennial. In 2004 she became Temporary Exhibitions Curator at Istanbul Modern and was part of the curatorial team for the 2nd Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art, 2007. She is also working as a freelance curator for the inauguration exhibition of SantralIstanbul, a cultural complex initiated by the Istanbul Bilgi University.

From 2002-2004 Danae Mossman was Gallery Assistant and Education Facilitator at the Adam Art Gallery, Wellington. While living there she founded the SHIFT Trust, a charitable organisation orientated toward the development of short-term exhibitions in vacant sites around the city. She curated The Ouse Project in local co-opted office spaces and House Work, Blue Oyster Gallery, Dunedin. In 2005 Danae was resident at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces on the International Visiting Curator Programme. The following year she was co-hosted by DAAD International Residency Programme and Goethe-Institut; spending a month in Berlin. Also that year she Co-Curated TRANS VERSA, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo / Matucana 100 / Galeria Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile and Single Currency, VCA Gallery, University of Melbourne, Australia, an exhibition included as part of the Festival Melbourne 2006. In August 2007 Danae will step down as Director/Curator of The Physics Room, Christchurch. During her three years there she was responsible for presenting more than 30 exhibitions, developing an artist residency programme, and producing a number of publications, events and performances, as well as curating breathing space, 2005.

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This unique curatorial pairing is supported through funding from Creative New Zealand, the Arts Council of New Zealand.

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visit www.artanindustry.org.nz or contact: info[at]scapebiennial.org.nz

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ENDS

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