PAVILION OF MAURITIUS AT THE 56th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION – La Biennale di Venezia
PAVILION OF MAURITIUS AT THE 56th INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION – La Biennale di Venezia
(first official participation)
From One Citizen You Gather an Idea
Participants: Sultana Haukim, Nirmal Hurry, Alix Le Juge, Olga Jürgenson, Helge Leiberg, Krishna Luchoomun, Neermala Luckeenarain, Bik Van Der Pol, Vitaly Pushnitsky, Römer + Römer, Kavinash Thomoo, Tania Antoshina, Djuneid Dulloo
Commissioner: pARTage
Curators: Alfredo Cramerotti and Olga Jürgenson (Office for Roles & Responsibilities)
Venue: Palazzo Flangini, Campo San Geremia, Cannareggio 252, 30121 Venezia, Italy
Inauguration: 5 May 2015, 5pm
The first national Pavilion of the Republic of Mauritius at the Art Biennale 2015, 9th May – 22nd November 2015, is based on a dialogue between Mauritian and European artists. Mauritius is a fusion of cultures, languages and ethnicities, with its population made of Indian, African, Chinese and European descendants; the co-presence of temples, churches and mosques in every town of this island nation reveals this diversity.
Virtually uninhabited until the end of the 16th century, the island was then ruled by the Dutch, French and British, before gaining independence in 1968. The newly born state has managed to maintain close ties with their former rulers, and also to establish an economic relationship with the USSR. Since 2000 the Ibrahim Index of African Governance has consistently rated Mauritius as the best-governed African nation in terms of safety, economic development and human rights.
However in art and culture, different sets of assessments apply; there is a short distance to questioning the value and relevance of the contemporary cultural output of a region in relation to the global artworld. The Pavilion is not only a slice of the Mauritian artistic and cultural scene, but also a take on Western conventions when it comes to assessing the ‘art now’ and the canons and critical approaches to the issues of the day.
The Pavilion’s underlying assumption is that art has meaning when challenging its own structure and relationships. Consequently the participating artists from Europe, based in established art centres such as the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Russia, are each invited to present a work in response to the work by seven artists based in Mauritius, a remote island in the Indian Ocean. The artists are invited to challenge each other’s aesthetic and ideological canons, initiating discussions about art theory and practice, colonial heritage and postcolonial relations, education and politicisation of culture.
With this indirect approach to the idea of inclusiveness and difference, carried out by the work of thirteen prominent artists in their respective countries, the Pavilion of Mauritius aims to ‘take the temperature’ of the global art world, and possibly provide – besides a lot of questions – some answers.
The commissioning body and responsible for the Pavilion of Mauritius is pARTage Association of Contemporary Artists on behalf of the Mauritius National Gallery and the Ministry of Culture.
Project advisers: Alessio Antoniolli, Maria Arusoo, Pamela Auchincloss for Arts Management and Cultural Agency ELEVEN +, Giorgia Mis for ArtICE / Arts production, Dimitri Ozerkov, Georg Schöllhammer, Joanna Sokołowska, Olesya Turkina, Gabriella Uhl
Supporters: Ministry of Arts and Culture of the Republic of Mauritius, Mondriaan Fund, Prince Claus Fund, Galerie Vallois. With thanks to Fariba Derakhshani, Cédric Rabeyrolles Destailleur, Jean-Luc Maslin, Julie Penfold, Veronika Poptsova, John Prime, Aleksandra Smirnova, Robert Vallois, Nicola Wright, Eduard Piel, L’Orizzonte, Art-Events and Valorizzazioni Culturali.
New photography books from Intellect
Two new books part of the Critical Photography book series
Series Editor: Alfredo Cramerotti
Publisher: Intellect Books
Press coverage for MOSTYN exhibitions: Broomberg & Chanarin and WAR, Jul-Nov 2014
Art Monthly 380
Cover
28 September 2014
This Is Tomorrow
by Rory Duckhouse
18 September 2014
PHOTOMONITOR
by Rory Duckhouse
17 September 2014
The Independent
by Karen Wright
9 August 2014
Mousse Magazine
Divine Violence & WAR exhibitions previews
6 August 2014
We Heart
by Rob Wilkes, Executive Editor
31 July 2014
ARTINFO.com
by Ashitha Nagesh
23 July 2014
Design Week
by Tom Banks
21 July 2014
The Guardian Guide
by Rob Clarke
19 July 2014
The Art Newspaper
‘In the Frame’ column
15 July 2014
The Telegraph
by Lucy Davies
12 July 2014
MOSTYN new exhibition season opening: Open 19 + We’ve Got Mail II
I am pleased to announce the opening of MOSTYN’s new season of exhibitions, on FRIDAY 13 March 2015
MOSTYN Open 19
38 artists selected from open call submission.
The winner of the £10,000 prize will be announced on the night.
Participating artists for MOSTYN Open 19 are Caroline Allen, Mark Beldan, Hannah Birkett, Jorge Lizalde Cano, Ciriaca + Erre, Briony Clarke, Teresa Cos, Maria Ana Vasco Costa, Fiona Curran, Peter Doubleday, Mark Doyle, Alex Duncan, Catrin Llwyd, Rosie Farey, Carlos Noronha Feio, Rebecca Gould, Shreepad Joglekar, Gethin Wyn Jones, Justyna Kabala, Debbie Locke & Sara Dudman, Robert Lye, McGilvary/White, Lindsey Mendick, Fay Nicolson, Timea Anita Oravecz, David Paddy, Simon Parish, Alice Pedroletti, Jonathan Phillips, Susan Phillips, Serena Porrati, Steph Shipley, Tim Simmons, Kristian Smith, Matthew Smith, Catrine Val, Dominic Watson, Ben Woodeson.
MOSTYN Open 19 has been selected by Claire Norcross, Designer; Philip Hughes, Director of Ruthin Craft Centre; Marinella Senatore, Artist; Adam Carr, Visual Arts Programme Curator of MOSTYN; Alfredo Cramerotti, Director of MOSTYN and you, the visiting audience, for the People’s Choice.
The fourth in a series that examines the MOSTYN building’s rich heritage, We’ve Got Mail II continues the gallery’s response to its former use as a postal sorting office. In 2014 We’ve Got Mail I presented a history of the Royal Mail alongside artworks by contemporary artists. This second show looks specifically at the history of the postcard in the town of Llandudno and presents a selection of classic examples of the use of the postcard in the visual arts.
Artists: Carl Andre, Daniel Buren, Sophie Calle, Robert Filliou, Richard Hamilton, Lawrence Weiner
Private View of De/coding the Apocalypse
De/coding the Apocalypse
A new exhibition by the visual artist Michael Takeo Magruder exploring contemporary creative visions inspired by and based on the Book of Revelation
Thursday 6 November 2014, 18.30 – 20.00
Followed by an Artist’s Talk, 20.15 – 21.00
Exhibition: Inigo Rooms, Somerset House East Wing, Strand, WC2R 2LS
Talk: Edmond J. Safra Lecture Theatre, Strand Campus, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS (free)
Please RSVP by Monday 27 October to sophie.cornell@kcl.ac.uk stating whether you would also like a free ticket to the Artist’s Talk at 20.15.
De/coding the Apocalypse is a new exhibition by the visual artist Michael Takeo Magruder. It explores contemporary creative visions inspired by and based on the last book of the Bible – the Book of Revelation – investigating our enduring fascination with the Book, updating and interrogating both its positive and negative aspects.
The word ‘apocalypse’ originally indicated an ‘unveiling’, and the Book not only documents the destruction of the current world, but also maps out the creation of a new, better one. Using the latest in technology, from 3D printing to virtual reality, the show brings various elements to life in ways that are as playful as they are challenging.
The exhibition is an interdisciplinary collaboration supported by the Cultural Institute that blends arts practice and academic research and follows a one-year artist residency by Michael Takeo Magruder in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies with Lead Academic Professor Ben Quash at King’s College London and Curator Alfredo Cramerotti (MOSTYN). By aligning contemporary art and theological study, the collaboration aims to create new ways of looking at an ancient text and make it relevant for modern audiences. The exhibition is an opportunity for the public to think differently about theology and to gain unique behind the scenes access to the work of leading King’s academics.
Find out more at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/culturalinstitute.
The exhibition is open to the public from 7 November until 19 December, Tuesday – Sunday, 12.00 – 18.00. Admission is free.
Presented by the Cultural Institute at King’s College London in partnership with contemporary art centre MOSTYN and the Department of Theology & Religious Studies at King’s. 3D printer and materials generously supplied by PrintME 3D.

MOSTYN – Talk and Tour on Broomberg & Chanarina and Rebecca Gould’s exhibitions
Guided tour of Broomberg & Chanarin and Rebecca Gould exhibitions with MOSTYN Director, Alfredo Cramerotti.
Sunday 14 September 2014, 2pm.
Over 18s only, unless accompanied by an adult. Exhibition contains images of an explicit nature.
In partnership with Artes Mundi
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