Weekly News Roundup: January 5, 2024
By The Editors
From left to right: portraits of BO WANG, ERI SAITO, and MAURICIO CHADES. (Middle) Photo by Shun Ikezoe. (right) Photo by Rodrigo Costa. Courtesy e-flux, gnik.fr, Entrevues Belfort IFF.
E-flux Film Award Winners Announced
On January 4, e-flux named the first prize winners for the inaugural edition of its Film Award: Brazilian artist and filmmaker Maurício Chades for Green Cemetery (2023), on growing an agroforestry garden in a Brazilian savanna; and Japanese visual artist Eri Saito for May All Your Wounds Heal (2021) about experiencing others’ pain through neural transference. The announcement also included an honorable mention for Amsterdam-based artist, filmmaker, and researcher Bo Wang for An Asian Ghost Story (2023), inspired by the “Communist Hair Ban,” a 1965 US embargo against the Chinese wig industry. E-flux Screening Room will host the awards ceremony in New York on January 18, where the winning films will be screened. Green Cemetery is to have its international premiere, while May All Your Wounds Heal and An Asian Ghost Story will receive their United States premiere at the evening ceremony. The awardees, jury member Anocha Suwichakornpong, and pre-selection committee members including Lukas Brasiskis, Dmitry Frolov, and Steff Hui Ci Ling will all be in attendance. Meanwhile, the award’s 12 shortlisted winners will have their works screened later in February, details of which have yet to be announced.
Exterior of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Courtesy WikiCommons.
Japanese Museum Shuts After Earthquake
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa announced its temporary closure in the wake of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which struck Japan on New Year’s Day just after 4pm local time. The disaster has initiated a much-needed inspection and maintenance check of the museum’s facilities and equipment; the security review began as of January 2. Planned exhibitions and programs will also be suspended during this time, including a collaborative group show “DXP (Digital Transformation Planet): Towards the Next Interface,” the museum’s collection showcase “Collection Exhibition 2: Electricity-Sound,” and visual and sound artist Ryoji Ikeda’s eponymous special exhibition. The closure will also be extended to all programs planned to be held in the People's Gallery and Theatre 21, cafe-restaurant Fusion 21, museum shop, and nursery. Despite these cancellations, the museum has assured to refund all tickets purchased online with a date and time during the suspension period. Further notice on the status of the museum’s reopening will be released on their website and social media platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter).
Installation view of the India Art Fair facade, 2023. Courtesy India Art Fair.
Sashikanth Thavudoz Awarded IAF Commission
On January 3, India Art Fair announced that the 2024 “The Future is Born of Art” Commission winner is Sashikanth Thavudoz. Based in Baroda, Gujarat, the artist has become best known for his installations embedded in landscapes that range from a sub-arctic iron mining town in Quebec, Canada, to a quarry in Rajasthan. Thavudoz is the recipient of the third edition of the award, which is co-led by BMW India and India Art Fair. Having expanded to a generous prize of INR 1,000,000 (USD 12,000), including a direct cash prize and reimbursement for travel and lodging, the award will assist in the winning artist’s creation of a newly commissioned, large-scale installation that will be unveiled at the upcoming India Art Fair on February 1. This year’s fair will surround the all-electric BMW i7 which embodies the theme of “Forwardism.” Thavudoz’s work titled Symphony of Nature: The Harmonic Forest will combine different materials and mediums, incorporating lights and wood blocks while alluding to previous installations and experiences. The artist commented: “In my installation, which will combine natural and manufactured materials, I hope to highlight the fragility of this balance that we must all consider as we go into the future.”
Installation view of "Right Foot First," 2024, at Hampi Art Labs. Courtesy Pelham Communications.
Hampi Labs Opening Date Announced
The new contemporary art center Hampi Art Labs announced their opening date of February 6, 2024, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Located near the ruins of the 15th-century city Hampi, Hampi Art Labs is the latest initiative of the JSW Foundation—the social-development branch of the Indian mega conglomerate JSW Group—founded by billionaire Sangita Jindal and her daughter Tarini Jindal Handa. The latter is Hampi Art Labs's creative director, who hopes that the site will “encourage a cross-disciplinary approach to art making and driving engagement with the region's heritage and artisanal legacy alongside India's contemporary arts scene.” The art space’s inaugural exhibition, titled “Right Foot First,” will last until May 31, 2024, showcasing works from the Jindal Collection from 1998 and 2023 that feature works by international artists, from pop pioneer Andy Warhol and sculptor Annie Morris, to Chinese artist-activist Ai Weiwei. Meanwhile, the art center has launched its inaugural residency cycle, which will span January 3 to March 31, involving local Indian artists such as multidisciplinary artist Bhasha Chakrabarti, Delhi-based photographer Sharbendu De, painter and performer Madhavi Gore, Bangladeshi mixed-media artist Promiti Hossain, and sculptor Anirudh Singh Shaktawat.
