V&A announce new Photography Centre in London
In lieu of acquiring the Royal Photographic Society’s huge archive of prints, books and equipment, the Victoria and Albert Museum looks set to expand—creating a new photographic arts centre in London, scheduled to open in Autumn 2018. Celebrating the opening, the museum will host a photography festival, in addition to the initiation of a new history of photography course at the Royal College of Art.
The transfer added over 270,000 photographs, 26,000 publications, and 6000 pieces of equipment to the V&A’s holdings – which was already one of the largest and most important in the world, including around 500,000 works collected since the foundation of the museum in 1852. The collection will include work by key historical figures such as William Henry Fox Talbot, Roger Fenton, Julia Margaret Cameron, Alfred Stieglitz, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Paul Strand, among many more. Details via British Journal of Photography
Left to right | Poppy from Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Flowering Plants and Ferns (1852-4) by Anna Atkins (1799-1871). Still Life with Fruit and Decanter (1860) by Roger Fenton (1819-69). Albumen print © The RPS Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Twenty one artists revealed for 21st edition of Sydney Biennial
Mami Kataoka, artistic director of the 21st Biennale of Sydney, revealed today the first group of artists selected for Asian Pacific’s leading contemporary art event, opening on March 16, 2018 and running through June 11, 2018. With around 70 artists expected to be participate to the 21st Biennale, the initial selection includes internationally renowned names such as Ai Weiwei, Laurent Grasso, Haegue Yang and Eija-Liisa Ahtila.
The title of the biennial will be announced later on this year in July, though Kataoka has revealed that “next year's Biennale will explore multiple viewpoints in search of a state of equilibrium. Rather than focusing on a specific concept or theme, the exhibition will suggest multi-layered perspectives of the world and its histories.” Since its inception in 1973, the Biennale of Sydney has showcased the work of nearly 1,800 artists from more than 100 countries. Hence, on occasion of the organisation’s 45th anniversary, the exhibition will revisit the Biennale’s rich history, drawing on 45 years of art and encounters. The full list of artists is available here.
Laurent Grasso, Sean Kelly Gallery at Art Basel Hong Kong 2017
Wang Bing wins the 2017 EYE Art and Film Prize
Following in the footsteps of Hito Steyerl and Ben Rivers, Chinese artist Wang Bing has been awarded the 2017 EYE Art and Film Prize, receiving £25,000 ($31,000) towards the creation of a new work. The Beijing-based artist first made waves in 2003 with his documentary West of the Tracks, a nine-hour film on the decline of the once-vibrant Tiexi district of Shenyang. It was the artist’s 2012 film Three Sisters, however that won the award for Best Film in the Orizzonti category — a section which honors emerging film-making — at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.
Amsterdam’s EYE Filmmuseum will present an exhibition in 2018, showcasing the work of Wang, Steyerl, and Rivers — the three winning artists since its inception in 2015.
Wang Bing, Still from Three Sisters (2012)
Richard Parry appointed director of Glasgow International
The eighth edition of Glasgow International will open April 20 2018 and run through May 7, with newly appointed Richard Perry at its helm. Replacing Sarah McCrory, who oversaw the 2014 and 2016 biennials, Parry is expected to release more details about the festival’s programming this fall.
Since 2013, Parry has been the director and curator of the Grundy Art Gallery, organizing more than 25 exhibitions for the space. He received an Art Fund New Collecting Award for the gallery’s 2015 exhibition “Sensory Systems.” In 2016, he curated “Neon: The Charged Line,” the largest presentation of neon works to date in the UK. Applications are now open for Glasgow International 2018.
Richard Parry, at Grundy Art Gallery
Okwui Enwezor awarded prestigious 2017 International Folkwang Prize
The Museum Folkwang in Essen has announced that Munich-based curator, critic, and art historian Okwui Enwezor, has been awarded the 2017 International Folkwang Prize. The $26,600 award recognizes individuals and institutions that have made a special contribution to contemporary art. The award ceremony will take place on October 9.
Currently the artistic director of the Haus der Kunst, Enwezor previously served as artistic director of the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015 and Documenta 11 in 2002. Previous winners of the award include Neil MacGregor at the British Museum; art collector and business magnate Reinhold Würth; and curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist. Details via artforum
