Chronus Art Center and Maraya Art Centre
jointly present ‘Secret Cinema’ film screening for
‘أنا [ana] please keep your eyes closed for a moment’
Korean Contemporary Art Exhibition at Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, UAE
21 October, 2015 – 2 January, 2016
Chronus Art Center
Bldg18，NO.50 Moganshan Rd，Shanghai, China
14:00-16:00, Saturday, 19 December, 2015
Masrah Al Qasba Theatre (located across Maraya Art Centre)
Block (B), Second Floor, Al Qasba, Sharjah, UAE
17:00-19:00, Saturday, 19 December, 2015
Hyun Mi Yoo, Bleeding blue-A man, 2009, Single channel video,16:26 mins
Chronus Art Center and Maraya Art Centre present “Secret Cinema” screening programme on the 19th December, 2015 at the Chronus Art Center in Shangahi, China. .
‘Secret Cinema’ is a film screening programme part of the first Korean contemporary art exhibition presented by a public art institution in the MENA region,” أنا [ana] please keep your eyes closed for a moment” curated by JW Stella for Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, UAE.
The screening programme invites the audience to the stories of ana, told by ana, and encourages them to emotionally connect with the protagonists in the stories.
The Arabic term, أنا, pronounced as [ana], means ‘I or oneself’ in English, whereas it is written as ‘나’ and pronounced as [na] in Korean. The three words, ‘أنا’, ‘나’ and ‘I’, signify the same meaning within semiotics. The signification of the characters, however, can vary in accordance with the different ideologies, paradigms and value systems of the diverse cultures and societies from which they are derived. In pursuit of questioning the notion of identity and the condition of the individual being, the exhibition acts as an artistic forum, from within which the artworks facilitate a broarder debate on the varying cultural conditions across different geographical boundaries; and, more specifically, of cross-cultural societies, which have adapted and evolved into hybrids.
The exhibition actively has engaged with wider audiences through its ‘Secret Cinema’ programme, which has been being shown at Masrah Al Qasba Theatre in Sharjah on every Saturdays and will continue until the exhibition ends (2 January, 2016). It also has travelled to ‘Abu Dhabi Art’, ‘A4’ in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. As it’s final destination, ‘Secret Cinema’ is travelling to Chronus Art Center in Shanghai, on the 19th of December to meet more audiences in China.
The selected short films allow us a glimpse into the diverse lives of individuals told by individuals, and encourage us to emotionally connect with the protagonists in the stories.The films, shown for the first time in the region, are directed by Ayoung Kim, Sojung Jun, Hyun Mi Yoo and the artist collective Red Carpet Sprit, lead by Ingeun Kim.
This exhibition is hosted by Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, sponsored by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Art Council Korea, Cheyul, noblesse/ artnow (Korea, China) and supported by Korea-Arab Society, Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Chronus Art Center, China, A4 (Alserkal Avenue) and King’s Cultural Institute, UK
About Curator
JW Stella is the founding director of JW STELLA Arts Collectives, a London based non-profit curatorial research lab. She also works as the International Associate Curator with Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, China. Her curatorial focus is socio-cultural anthropology that examines cultural relativism through contemporary art practices.
Her curatorial practice includes أنا [ana] please keep your eyes closed for a moment (Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, UAE, 2015-2016), ‘TIME CAPSULE: Allegories of Shanghai’ (Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, China, 2015), '우리[WOO:RI]: the poetic intervention’, a site-specific contemporary art project in the national & UNESCO cultural heritages in Czech Republic (TINA B. Prague Contemporary Art Festival 2012 & Centre for Theology and Arts, Prague, 2012-2013). ‘NABATT: a sense of being’, the Saudi Arabian contemporary art exhibition for 2010 Shanghai World Expo (Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, China, 2010), ‘SU:MBISORI’- the inaugural contemporary art exhibition for Jeju Museum of Modern Art (Jeju Special Self –governing province, Korea, 2009)
About Maraya Art Centre
Established in 2006, Maraya Art Centre is a three-storey non-profit creative space located in Sharjah, UAE. Since its inception, Maraya has offered the public an innovative exhibitions programme, showcasing the work of leading Middle Eastern and international artists. The centre also boasts multi-media facilities, a video archive, an art library and a regular public programme of workshops and events designed by its in-house team and guest curators. Outside of the main building, Maraya also has several public park art sites within its local vicinity that feature interactive projects and sculptures.
About Chronus Art Center
Established in 2013, Chronus Art Center (CAC) is China’s first nonprofit art organization dedicated to the presentation, research / creation and scholarship of media art. CAC with its exhibitions, residency-oriented fellowships, lectures and workshop programs and through its archiving and publishing initiatives, creates a multifaceted and vibrant platform for the discourse, production and dissemination of media art in a global context. CAC is positioned to advance artistic innovation and cultural awareness by critically engaging with media technologies that are transforming and reshaping contemporary experiences. CAC brings to the public awareness of the impending post-human reality and the resulting social and political implications by accentuating the dynamic synergy of art and science as a response to the challenges and opportunities that contemporary media society has given rise to.
For further information about the exhibition please visit www.maraya.ae www.jwstella.com , www.chronusartcenter.org
Contact:
Yusur Wissam (Maraya Art Centre)
Mobile: 050-2933896
Email: y.aldabbagh@maraya.ae
Bruce Ding (Chronus Art Center)
Email: bruce@chronusartcenter.org, bruceonart@gmail.com
