Fondazione Prada: 'Art or Sound’ Opening

 

Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venezia

7 giugno - 3 novembre 2014

Venezia, 4 giugno 2014 - La Fondazione Prada presenta nella sua sede veneziana di Ca’ Corner della Regina la mostra “Art or Sound”, a cura di Germano Celant, dal 7 giugno al 3 novembre 2014.

Concepita come un’indagine attraverso il passato e il presente, “Art or Sound” affronta le problematiche, scaturite dal Cinquecento a oggi, relative al rapporto tra arte e suono, agli aspetti iconici degli strumenti musicali, nonché al ruolo dell’artista musicista e agli ambiti in cui arti visive e musica si sono incontrate. La mostra vuole indagare la relazione di simmetria e ambivalenza che esiste tra opera d’arte e oggetto sonoro. L’intento è di proporre una rilettura dello strumento musicale che diventa entità plastico-visiva e del manufatto artistico che produce suono, in una continua invasione e inversione di campo.

Il percorso espositivo si sviluppa nei due piani principali di Ca’ Corner della Regina e riunisce più di 180 opere e oggetti, tra automi e macchine musicali, dipinti e partiture, sculture e readymade, strumenti musicali decorati, assemblati, immaginari e silenziosi. Per la prima volta sono utilizzati il portego e le stanze laterali del secondo piano nobile: 800m2 ^{restaurati nel quadro del programma di recupero architettonico intrapreso nel 2011 dalla Fondazione Prada.}

Il titolo “Art or Sound” tende a non esprimere un’opposizione, ma piuttosto il confronto tra due ambiti indipendenti. Individua un territorio di libero transito che negli ultimi cinque secoli ha fatto fluire l’arte nel suono e il suono nell’arte, mantenendone la reciproca autonomia. Pertanto lo spettatore, osservando e ascoltando le opere in mostra, è invitato e stimolato a identificare la varietà di trame e percorsi attraverso i quali arte e suono hanno intrapreso un itinerario comune o si sono intrecciati.

Il risultato espositivo e museale aspira a offrire una partecipazione allargata rispetto al percepire univoco del manufatto artistico, dominato dalla dittatura dello sguardo, così da affiancare l’elemento sonoro a quello visivo. Il fine è di esplorare la possibilità di un esporre sempre più multisensoriale dove al vedere si aggiungano l’ascoltare, il toccare, l’odorare e il gustare, così da arricchire attraverso tutti i sensi la conoscenza dell’arte.

Cercando di documentare questo passaggio tra ascoltare e vedere e viceversa, il percorso storico prende il via con i dipinti a soggetto musicale realizzati da Bartolomeo Veneto e Nicola Giolfino tra il 1520 e il 1530 e una serie di strumenti musicali del secolo successivo che, pur riproducendo i suoni in maniera tradizionale, sono caratterizzati da un elemento estetico e visivo che si traduce in una plasticità sorprendente. Si va, ad esempio, dalle chitarre e violini in marmo intarsiato di Michele Antonio Grandi e Giovanni Battista Cassarini, a un cornetto a forma di serpente e testa di dragone del Seicento, oggetto unico per l’originalità del suo aspetto esteriore e la qualità della lavorazione, nonché per i risultati sonori. A seguire, l’esposizione riunisce una serie di automi musicali settecenteschi, come i preziosi orologi a forma di gabbietta dello svizzero Pierre Jaquet-Droz, già famoso all’epoca in tutta Europa per il grado di eccellenza raggiunto nella costruzione di meccanismi musicali. Prosegue

con strumenti automatici dell’Ottocento come il pirofono, lo strumento a gas inventato nel 1870 da Frédéric Kastner che, se suonato, produce segnali luminosi. Sono presentate anche le ricerche nel campo della sinestesia e le sperimentazioni che, dal Futurismo al Dadaismo, hanno comportato l’integrazione e l’assunzione in musica di rumori, come i celebri intonarumori (1913) di Luigi Russolo, o di suoni vernacolari come il Ciac Ciac (1914) di Giacomo Balla, mentre in With Hidden Noise (À bruit secret) (1916) Marcel Duchamp esplora per la prima volta la dimensione del silenzio nell’arte.

Un particolare rilievo è dato alle partiture originali della fine degli anni Cinquanta elaborate da John Cage, compositore d’avanguardia e figura di riferimento per il movimento Fluxus - rappresentato in mostra dalle opere di George Maciunas e Joe Jones - e per tutti gli artisti che hanno esplorato il principio d’indeterminazione e casualità nella musica e nell’arte contemporanea. Sul piano dell’oggetto che comunica in maniera tautologica il suono prodotto in fase di costruzione o in grado di esprimersi autonomamente una volta acceso, vengono esposte le scatole di Robert Morris, Nam June Paik e Bruce Nauman, oppure sculture cinetiche realizzate da artisti come Stephan von Huene e Takis. Le opere dei Nouveaux Réalistes, come Arman e Jean Tinguely, documentano attraverso strumenti o dispositivi musicali fenomeni di distruzione e assemblaggio fortuito, mentre Oracle (1962- 65) dell’artista americano Robert Rauschenberg, nel seguire gli stessi principi, si presenta come un environment sonoro costruito con oggetti di recupero e materiali d’uso comune.

In mostra sono presenti anche esempi di appropriazione iconica e formale dello strumento musicale, come gli insiemi pop - da Tom Wesselmann a Claes Oldenburg e Coosje van Bruggen - o i pianoforti di Günther Uecker, Richard Artschwager e Joseph Beuys, a cui si aggiungono strumenti ibridi, vere e proprie sculture da suonare, come le chitarre e i violini di Ken Butler e i banjo di William T. Wiley. Nel territorio dell’esecuzione e della performance che allarga il significato della pittura, affiancando la presenza di un violinista e di una ballerina che eseguono lo spartito visivo, si pone l’opera Senza Titolo (da inventare sul posto) (1972) di Jannis Kounellis, mentre Handphone Table (1978) di Laurie Anderson, Crossfading Suitcase (2004) di Loris Gréaud e Marble Sonic Table (2011) di Doug Aitken sono opere che richiedono l’interazione con il pubblico per esprimere la loro sonorità.

Questa esplorazione nel territorio aperto, ibrido ed ambiguo tra arte e suono si spinge verso le ricerche più recenti di artisti quali Christian Marclay, Janet Cardiff, Martin Creed, Thomas Demand, Maurizio Cattelan e Rebecca Horn, fino a documentare la produzione di una nuova generazione di artisti sonori o visivi, di performer o compositori rappresentata, tra gli altri, da Anri Sala, Athanasios Argianas, Haroon Mirza, Ruth Ewan, Walter Kitundu, Tarek Atoui, Riccardo Beretta, Pedro Reyes, Alberto Tadiello e Maywa Denki.

Il progetto di allestimento di “Art or Sound”, ideato dallo studio 2x4 di Michael Rock, richiama uno spartito, dove la struttura lineare crea la planimetria e la disposizione ambientale dei supporti, mentre i singoli elementi della scrittura musicale sono sostituiti dagli oggetti e dagli strumenti in mostra. Un materiale fonoassorbente ricopre piedistalli e pavimenti dei due piani di Ca’ Corner e attenua la diffusione allargata dei suoni così da consentirne la percezione relativa ad ogni singola opera.

La mostra è arricchita e completata da una pubblicazione che ricostruisce storicamente e analizza le analogie, le osmosi e le corrispondenze tra le ricerche e le sperimentazioni in campo artistico, sonoro e musicale dal Rinascimento a oggi. Attraverso i numerosi contributi scientifici di artisti e musicisti, storici d’arte e di musica come

Jo Applin, Germano Celant, Luciano Chessa, Christoph Cox, Geeta Dayal, Patrick Feaster, Christoph E. Hänggi, Bart Hopkin, Douglas Kahn, Alan Licht, Andrea Lissoni, Noel Lobley, Deirdre Loughridge, Simone Menegoi, Holly Rogers, Jonathan Sterne, David Toop, John Tresch, Eric de Visscher e Rob Young, il volume intende essere un ulteriore contributo allo studio di una percezione multisensoriale delle arti.

Informazioni sulla mostra

TITOLO: “Art or Sound”

SEDE: Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venezia

INDIRIZZO:

Calle de Ca’ Corner, Santa Croce 2215 - 30135 Venezia

Fermate Vaporetto Linea 1: San Stae e Rialto Mercato

DATE E ORARI DI APERTURA AL PUBBLICO: 7 giugno - 3 novembre 2014; dalle 10.00 alle 18.00.

Giornata di chiusura: martedì. La biglietteria chiude alle 17.30.

BIGLIETTI:

Biglietto Intero: 10 €

Biglietto Ridotto: 8 € (studenti entro i 26 anni; Aderenti Carta Giovani Venezia, FAI, Rolling Venice, Touring Club Italiano, Venice Card; gruppi composti da 5 a 25 persone).

Ingresso gratuito: Aderenti ICOM, Deutsche Bank Art Card, visitatori con età inferiore ai 18 anni, senior oltre i 65 anni, giornalisti accreditati o in possesso della tessera stampa in corso di validità.

SERVIZI PER IL PUBBLICO:

Visite guidate, a cura di Coop Culture - Venezia, disponibili su prenotazione:

+39 041 5240119, fondazioneprada@coopculture.it

Prezzo della visita guidata: 80 euro, oltre il costo del biglietto d’ingresso

PUBBLICAZIONE:

“Art or Sound”, a cura di Germano Celant, pubblicato da Progetto Prada Arte, Milano: 520 pagine, 150 illustrazioni, prezzo di copertina 70 euro (prezzo in mostra 60 euro)

INFORMAZIONI PER IL PUBBLICO:

T + 39 041 8109161, Venezia

T + 39 02 54670515, Milano

info@fondazioneprada.org

www.fondazioneprada.org

 

Fondazione Prada

“Art or Sound”

Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venice

June 7 - November 3, 2014

Venice, June 4, 2014 - Fondazione Prada presents “Art or Sound”, curated by Germano Celant, at its Venetian venue, Ca’ Corner della Regina. The exhibition runs from June 7 to November 3, 2014.

 

Conceived as an investigation of past and present times, “Art or Sound” explores the relationship between art and sound and the way it has developed from the 16th century to the present day, examining the iconic aspects of musical instruments, the role of the artist-musician, and the areas in which the visual arts and music have come together. The exhibition sets out to investigate the relationship of symmetry and ambivalence that exists between works of art and sound objects. The intention is to offer a reinterpretation of the musical instrument that turns into a sculptural-visual entity and of the artworks that produce sound, in a continual encroachment and inversion of fields.

 

The exhibition will comprise more than 180 artifacts—clocks and carillons, automata and musical machines, paintings and scores, sculptures and readymades, together with decorated, assembled, imaginary and silent musical instruments—and will occupy the two main floors of Ca’ Corner della Regina. For the first time the rooms on the second piano nobile will be used: 800 sq. m that have been restored as part of the program of renovation of the building undertaken by Fondazione Prada since 2011.

The title “Art or Sound” is not intended as an expression of opposition, but rather as the encounter between two independent realms. It identifies an area of free transition that, over the last five centuries, has allowed art to flow into sound and sound into art, while maintaining their mutual independence. Therefore the visitor, observing and listening to the works on display, is invited to identify the variety of ways through which art and sound have embarked on the same journey or become intertwined.

The exhibition is organized in order to offer the viewer a broader engagement than that provided by the categorical perception of the artwork dictated by the eye, thus giving both the acoustic and visual elements equal prominence. The aim is to explore the possibilities of a multisensory approach to appreciating exhibits, where the act of seeing is accompanied by those of hearing, touching, smelling and tasting, enriching the understanding of art through all our senses.

Seeking to document the transition between hearing and seeing and vice versa, the exhibition takes a historical perspective, starting out with music-themed paintings by Bartolomeo Veneto and Nicola Giolfino realized between 1520 and 1530, moving on to a series of musical instruments from the following century that, while producing sounds in a traditional manner, are characterized by an aesthetic and visual element that translates into a surprising plasticity. They range, for instance, from the inlaid marble guitars and viola created by Michele Antonio Grandi and Giovanni Battista Cassarini to a 17th-century cornett in the form of a serpent with a dragon’s head, an object that is unique in the originality of its external appearance and the quality of its craftsmanship and of the sounds

it produces. These are followed by a series of 18th-century musical automata, such as the precious clocks in the form of a birdcage made by Swiss craftsman Pierre Jaquet-Droz, already famous all over Europe for the level of excellence he had achieved in the construction of musical mechanisms. The exhibition continues with automatic instruments of the 19th century like the pyrophone, the gas-powered instrument invented in 1870 by Frédéric Kastner that produces luminous signals when played. It also looks at research carried out in the field of synesthesia and at musical experiments that, from futurism to dadaism, have been made in integrated noises, such as Luigi Russolo’s famous intonarumori (1913), or vernacular sounds like Giacomo Balla’s Ciac Ciac (1914), while in With Hidden Noise (À bruit secret) (1916) Marcel Duchamp explored the dimension of silence in art for the first time.

Particular prominence is given to the original scores from the late 1950s written by John Cage, avant-garde composer and figure of reference for the Fluxus movement—represented in the exhibition by works by George Maciunas and Joe Jones—and for all the artists who have explored the principle of indeterminacy and chance in music and contemporary art. On the side of the object that tautologically communicates the sound produced during its construction or is capable of expressing itself autonomously once turned on, the exhibition presents the boxes of Robert Morris, Nam June Paik and Bruce Nauman, as well as kinetic sculptures made by artists like Stephan von Huene and Takis. The works of the Nouveaux Réalistes, such as Arman and Jean Tinguely, document phenomena of fortuitous destruction and assembly through musical instruments or devices, whilst Oracle (1962- 65) by Robert Rauschenberg, in line with the same principles, is a sound environment constructed out of salvaged objects and commonly used materials.

Also on display in the exhibition are examples of appropriation of the image and form of the musical instrument, such as the pop assemblages by artists from Tom Wesselmann to Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen or the pianos of Günther Uecker, Richard Artschwager and Joseph Beuys, along with hybrid instruments, genuine sculptures that can be played, like the guitars and violins of Ken Butler and the banjo of William T. Wiley. Jannis Kounellis’s work Senza Titolo (da inventare sul posto), in which a violinist and a ballerina improvise in front of a painted score, is an example of a performance that broadens the meaning of painting, while Laurie Anderson’s Handphone Table (1978), Loris Gréaud’s Crossfading Suitcase (2004) and Doug Aitken’s Marble Sonic Table (2011) are works that require interaction with the public to produce their sounds.

This exploration of the open, hybrid and ambiguous territory that lies between art and sound leads us to the more recent research of artists like Christian Marclay, Janet Cardiff, Martin Creed, Thomas Demand, Maurizio Cattelan and Rebecca Horn, and then to the production of a new generation of sound or visual artists, performers or composers, represented by Anri Sala, Athanasios Argianas, Haroon Mirza, Ruth Ewan, Walter Kitundu, Tarek Atoui, Riccardo Beretta, Pedro Reyes, Alberto Tadiello and Maywa Denki, among others.

The display system for “Art or Sound”, designed by global consultancy 2x4 led by Michael Rock, is informed by the structure of a musical score. The linear organization determines the arrangement of the bases and pedestals in the environment, while the objects and instruments in the exhibition act as individual elements of a musical notation. The floors and display stands on both floors of Ca’ Corner are covered with sound-attenuating materials allowing visitors to focus on individual works.

The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive publication that reconstructs the analogies, osmosis and parallels

between the research and experimentations in art, sound and music from the Renaissance to the present day. Through numerous essays by artists, musicians and historians of art and music like Jo Applin, Germano Celant, Luciano Chessa, Christoph Cox, Geeta Dayal, Patrick Feaster, Christoph E. Hänggi, Bart Hopkin, Douglas Kahn, Alan Licht, Andrea Lissoni, Noel Lobley, Deirdre Loughridge, Simone Menegoi, Holly Rogers, Jonathan Sterne, David Toop, John Tresch, Eric de Visscher and Rob Young, the book sets out to make a further contribution to the study of a multisensory perception of the arts.

 

INFORMATION ON THE EXHIBITION

TITLE: “Art or Sound”

VENUE: Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venice

ADDRESS:

Calle de Ca’ Corner, Santa Croce 2215 - 30135 Venice

Vaporetto Line 1 stops: San Stae and Rialto Mercato

DATES AND OPENING TIMES: June 7 - November 3, 2014; from 10am to 6pm.

Closed on Tuesdays. Ticket office closes at 5:30pm.

ADMISSION FEE:

Full: € 10

Reduced: € 8 (students under 26; holders of Carta Giovani Venezia, FAI, Rolling Venice, Touring Club Italiano or Venice Card; groups of 5 - 25 people).

Admission free: holders of the ICOM or Deutsche Bank Art Card, visitors under the age of 18 or over the age of 65, journalists with accreditation or a valid press card.

SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC:

Guided tours, organized by Coop Culture - Venice, available by appointment: +39 041 5240119, fondazioneprada@ coopculture.it

Cost of the guided tour: 80 euros, in addition to the admission fee

BOOK:

“Art or Sound”, curated by Germano Celant, published by Progetto Prada Arte, Milan: 520 pages, 150 illustrations, cover price 70 euros (exhibition price 60 euros).

INFORMATION:

Tel + 39 041 8109161, Venice

Tel + 39 02 54670515, Milan

info@fondazioneprada.org

www.fondazioneprada.org

 

Art or Sound

Fondazione Prada

 

Jaquet-Droz Pendule automate aux oiseaux chanteurs dans une cage accaompagnés de six mélodies ca. 1785 51,5 x 30,5 cm

Jaquet-Droz
Pendule automate aux oiseaux chanteurs dans une cage accaompagnés de six mélodies
ca. 1785
51,5 x 30,5 cm

 

“Art or Sound”

Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venezia

7 giugno – 3 novembre 2014

Vernice: 4 – 6 giugno 2014

 

Venezia, 10 marzo 2014 - La Fondazione Prada presenterà nella sua sede veneziana di Ca’ Corner della Regina la mostra “Art or Sound”, a cura di Germano Celant, dal 7 giugno al 3 novembre 2014. La vernice si svolgerà da mercoledì 4 a venerdì 6 giugno.

Concepita come un’indagine attraverso il passato e il nostro presente, “Art or Sound” ha l’obiettivo di analizzare lo sviluppo di un dialogo produttivo e articolato. Affronta le problematiche del rapporto tra arte e suono e degli aspetti iconici dello strumento musicale, nonché del ruolo dell’artista musicista e degli ambiti in cui arti visive e musica si sono incontrate e confuse.

Il percorso espositivo si svilupperà dal piano terra nei due piani principali di Ca’ Corner della Regina. Per la prima volta, dopo la riapertura al pubblico del palazzo veneziano, saranno utilizzate le stanze del secondo piano nobile, 1.000 m2 restaurati nel quadro del programma di recupero dell’edificio intrapreso nel 2011 dalla Fondazione Prada.

“Art or Sound” vuole sottolineare il rapporto di simmetria e ambivalenza che esiste tra opera d’arte e oggetto sonoro. Intende proporre una rilettura dello strumento musicale che diventa entità plastico-visiva e viceversa, in una continua invasione e inversione di campo, fenomeni riscontrabili nel corso della storia dal Seicento a oggi. Il progetto analizza lo sconfinamento tra produzioni artistiche e sonore, tra musica e arti visive, con l’idea di evidenziarne il costante scambio, senza ricercare inutili classificazioni.

Unknown Guitare-Lyre 18th century Photo: Jean-Marc Anglès Courtesy Cité de la musique, Paris

Unknown
Guitare-Lyre
18th century
Photo: Jean-Marc Anglès
Courtesy Cité de la musique, Paris

 

Il percorso storico prenderà il via con gli strumenti musicali realizzati con materiali inusuali e preziosi da Michele Antonio Grandi e Giovanni Battista Cesarini nel Seicento e con gli automi musicali - complessi oggetti artistici che uniscono valore estetico e produzione sonora - creati, ad esempio, dall’orologiaio svizzero Pierre Jaquet-Droz nel Settecento. Proseguirà con strumenti automatici e dispositivi meccanici dell’Ottocento in grado di visualizzare la musica attraverso luci e colori. Saranno presentate le ricerche nel campo della sinestesia e le sperimentazioni delle Avanguardie storiche come i celebri Intonarumori (1913) dell’artista futurista Luigi Russolo e alcuni oggetti di Giacomo Balla.

La mostra riunirà, inoltre, strumenti e opere di musicisti come Alvin Lucier e John Cage, lavori di artisti degli anni Sessanta, quali le scatole sonore di Robert Morris e Nam June Paik, sculture cinetiche realizzate da artisti come Takis e Stephan von Huene e, ancora, installazioni sonore come Oracle (1962-’65) di Robert Rauschenberg e Handphone Table (1978) di Laurie Anderson. Saranno in mostra anche esempi di appropriazione iconica e formale dello strumento musicale, come i pianoforti di Arman, Richard Artschwager e Joseph Beuys, così come strumenti ibridi, vere e proprie sculture da suonare, come le chitarre e i violini di Ken Butler e i banjo di William T. Wiley. Questa esplorazione nel territorio ambiguo tra arte e suono si spingerà verso le ricerche più recenti di artisti come Christian Marclay, Janet Cardiff, Martin Creed e Doug Aitken, fino a documentare la produzione di una nuova generazione rappresentata, tra gli altri, da Anri Sala, Athanasios Argianas, Haroon Mirza, Ruth Ewan e Maywa Denki.

La mostra sarà arricchita e completata da un’approfondita pubblicazione edita dalla Fondazione Prada. Attraverso il saggio introduttivo di Germano Celant e numerosi contributi di musicologi, artisti visivi, musicisti, compositori e storici dell’arte come Jo Applin, Luciano Chessa, Christopoh Cox, Geeta Dayal, Patrick Feaster, Christoph E. Hänggi, Bart Hopkin, Douglas Kahn, Alan Licht, Andrea Lissoni, Noel Lobley, Deirdre Loughridge, Simone Menegoi, Holly Rogers, Jonathan Sterne, David Toop, John Tresch, Eric de Visscher e Rob Young, il volume ricostruirà storicamente e analizzerà le ambiguità, le analogie e le corrispondenze tra oggetti d’arte, dispositivi sonori e strumenti musicali.

Unknown Violon de fer 19th century Photo: Claude Germain Courtesy Cité de la musique, Paris

Unknown
Violon de fer
19th century
Photo: Claude Germain
Courtesy Cité de la musique, Paris

Informazioni sulla mostra

 

 

TITOLO: “Art or Sound”

SEDE:

CA’ CORNER DELLA REGINA

Calle de Ca’ Corner

Santa Croce 2215 - 30135 Venezia

Fermata San Stae, Linea 1

VERNICE: da mercoledì 4 a venerdì 6 giugno 2014

DATE E ORARI DI APERTURA AL PUBBLICO: 7 giugno - 3 novembre 2014; dalle 10.00 alle 18.00 (chiuso il martedì)

INFORMAZIONI:

T + 39.041.8109161, Venezia

T + 39.02.54670515, Milano

info@fondazioneprada.org

www.fondazioneprada.org

 

Adolphe Sax Trompettes naturelle 1866 Photo: Thierry Ollivier Courtesy Cité de la musique, Paris

Adolphe Sax
Trompettes naturelle
1866
Photo: Thierry Ollivier
Courtesy Cité de la musique, Paris

 

 

Fondazione Prada

“Art or Sound”

Ca’ Corner della Regina, Venice

June 7 - November 3, 2014

Preview: June 4 – 6, 2014

Cocchi Giuseppe, Giovanni Battista Bacigalupo, Antonio Graffigna Street Organ 1898 Photo: Albertine Dijkema ©/inv. 0193, Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, The Netherlands Courtesy Museum Speelklok, Utrecht

Cocchi Giuseppe, Giovanni Battista Bacigalupo, Antonio Graffigna
Street Organ
1898
Photo: Albertine Dijkema ©/inv. 0193, Museum Speelklok, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Courtesy Museum Speelklok, Utrecht

Venice, March 10, 2014 - The Fondazione Prada will present the exhibition “Art or Sound” at its Venetian venue of Ca’ Corner della Regina. Curated by Germano Celant, it will run from June 7 to November 3, 2014. The preview will be held from Wednesday June 4 to Friday June 6.

Conceived as an investigation of the past and our present, the purpose of “Art or Sound” is to analyze the development of a productive and complex dialogue. It will consider the relationship between art and sound, iconic aspects of the musical instrument, the role of the artist-musician, and the areas in which the visual arts and music have come together and blurred.

The exhibition will occupy the ground floor and two main floors of Ca’ Corner della Regina. For the first time since the Venetian palazzo was reopened to the public, the rooms on the second piano nobile will be used. This provides 1000 square meters of exhibition space that has been restored as part of the renovation of the building undertaken in 2011 by the Fondazione Prada.

“Art or Sound” aims to emphasize the symmetrical and ambivalent link that exists between works of art and sound objects. It will offer a reinterpretation of the musical instrument and the way it can become a sculptural-visual entity and back again, in a continual reciprocal relationship of encroachment and inversion, a phenomenon seen since the 17th century. The project analyzes the overlap between the production of both art and sound, music and the visual arts, with the aim of highlighting the constant exchange between them, though eschewing unnecessary categorization.

Joe Jones Bird Cage 1964 Photo: ©Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, former Hahn Collection, Cologne Courtesy Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien

Joe Jones
Bird Cage
1964
Photo: ©Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, former Hahn Collection, Cologne
Courtesy Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien

Organized on a historical basis, the exhibition will commence with musical instruments made from unusual and precious materials by Michele Antonio Grandi and Giovanni Battista Cesarini in the 17th century, and musical automata—complex artworks that combine the production of sounds with aesthetic values—created, for instance, by the Swiss watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz in the 18th century. It will continue with 19th-century examples of automated musical instruments and mechanical devices capable of giving visual expression to music through light and color. Research in the field of the synesthesia will be presented, along with experiments carried out by the historical avant-gardes, such as the celebrated Intonarumori (1913) created by Futurist artist Luigi Russolo, and some of Giacomo Balla’s objects.

Ken Butler Pool Cue Archery Bow Cello 1981 Courtesy of the artist

Ken Butler
Pool Cue Archery Bow Cello
1981
Courtesy of the artist

Also exhibited will be instruments and works by composers like Alvin Lucier and John Cage, works by artists of the Sixties, such as the sound boxes of Robert Morris and Nam June Paik, kinetic sculptures made by artists like Takis and Stephan von Huene, and sound installations like Robert Rauschenberg’s Oracle (1962-’65) and Laurie Anderson’s Handphone Table (1978). There will also be examples of the iconic and formal appropriation of the musical instrument, such as the pianos created by Arman, Richard Artschwager and Joseph Beuys, and hybrid instruments like the guitars and the violins of Ken Butler and the banjos of William T. Wiley, which are genuine sculptures that can be played. This exploration of the ambiguous overlap between art and sound will go on to cover the more recent research of artists like Christian Marclay, Janet Cardiff, Martin Creed and Doug Aitken, and the production of a newer generation, represented by Anri Sala, Athanasios Argianas, Haroon Mirza, Ruth Ewan and Maywa Denki, among others.

 

Wiley William T. Debilslied 1986 Wood, Mixed media Courtesy Ethan Wiley & Ochi Gallery

Wiley William T.
Debilslied
1986
Wood, Mixed media
Courtesy Ethan Wiley & Ochi Gallery

The exhibition will be accompanied and completed by an exhaustive publication by the Fondazione Prada. Through the essay by Germano Celant and various contributions by musicologists, visual artists, musicians, composers and art historians, such as Jo Applin, Luciano Chessa, Christopoh Cox, Geeta Dayal, Patrick Feaster, Christoph E. Hänggi, Bart Hopkin, Douglas Kahn, Alan Licht, Andrea Lissoni, Noel Lobley, Deirdre Loughridge, Simone Menegoi, Holly Rogers, Jonathan Sterne, David Toop, John Tresch, Eric de Visscher and Rob Young, the book will reconstruct the history of the relationship between art objects, sound-making devices and musical instruments, analyzing its ambiguities, analogies and parallels.

Anderson Laurie Numbers Runners 1979 Wood, telephone, video tape, artificial grass Courtesy Deste Foundation

Anderson Laurie
Numbers Runners
1979
Wood, telephone, video tape, artificial grass
Courtesy Deste Foundation

Information on the exhibition

 

 

TITLE: “Art or Sound”

VENUE:

CA’ CORNER DELLA REGINA

Calle de Ca’ Corner

Santa Croce 2215 - 30135 Venice

Stops on Vaporetto Linea 1: San Stae and Rialto Mercato

PREVIEW: from Wednesday 4 June to Friday 6 June 2014

DATES AND TIMES OF OPENING TO THE PUBLIC: 7 June to 3 November, 2014; 10am To 6am (closed on Tuesdays)

INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC:

T + 39.041.8109161, Venice

T + 39.02.54670515, Milan

info@fondazioneprada.org

www.fondazioneprada.org

 

Arman The Spirit of Yamaha 1997 Baby Grand Piano sliced in three parts with two Yamaha motorcycles in between Courtesy The Arman Studio Archives, New York

THE EXHIBITION: "EIGHT MASTERPIECES!/?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 On view from 27 November 2013 to 19 February 2014, the exhibition "Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’oeuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé" ("Auguste Perret: Eight Masterpieces!/? – Reinforced Concrete Buildings") is organised by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) in collaboration with Fondazione Prada at the Palais d'Iéna – ESEC headquarters. For this tribute to one of the most inspiring architectural careers of the 20th century, Joseph Abram, the scientific curator is in charge, with his team, of the theoretical and historical coherence of the project. The architectural office OMA AMO, under the direction of Rem Koolhaas, the artistic curator, is the exhibition designer.

 

Son of a stonemason who had taken part in the Paris Commune uprising in 1871, Auguste Perret (1874–1954) played a core part in defining a specific aesthetic for reinforced concrete. His entire career was devoted to a rigorous practice of architecture based on innovative strategies that combined intellect, design and construction into a powerful creative mechanism that generated an impressive number of masterpieces. His talent received due recognition in 2005 when part of his oeuvre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

While several exhibitions have been dedicated to Auguste Perret, this exhibition has the ambitious goal to share with a wider audience the intimacy of a creative process that is amongst the highest in the history of architecture.

It is only natural that the chosen venue is the Palais d'Iéna, one of Perret's most significant projects. Perret invented a new classical order comparable to those of ancient times but rooted in modern construction techniques: the reinforced concrete order, with the Palais d'Iéna as its finest achievement.

The presentation of this major event at the Palais d'Iéna reflects the ESEC's policy of hosting cultural and artistic projects as a stimulus for public dialogue, also promoted by many events and debates organized within the institution. A cultural programme will run during the exhibition dedicated to Auguste Perret: the Palais will be opening its doors to the public and will host talks, debates, workshops, concerts and screenings in the hemicycle.

THE EXHIBITION: "EIGHT MASTERPIECES!/?"

With a solid theoretical perspective and today's production possibilities, the exhibition aims at a thoroughgoing transformation of the way this intellectual builder is seen. The focus is on eight major works: in Paris, immeuble de la Rue Franklin (1903), Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (1913), église Notre Dame du Raincy (1923), salle Cortot (1929), Mobilier national (1937) and Palais d’Iéna (1939); and in Le Havre, Hôtel de Ville (1957) and église Saint Joseph (1956). With their technical inventiveness and unique relationship with their materials, these eight buildings represent a decisive addition to 20th-century architecture.

The Palais d’Iéna itself is the first exhibit. For the exhibition, located in the pillared hypostyle room, OMA AMO has reused designs made for earlier Prada events: since 2011 the office has been exploring the interior of the Palais in its staging of fashion parades and cultural events. The scenography of the exhibition is a collage of these explorations, designed as contemporary interpretations of Perret's architecture. This temporary construction – this building within a building – is a deeply contextual installation that highlights the enduring virtues of its concrete setting.

Among the numerous archival items that introduce the eight masterworks are:

- Some 100 original architectural drawings from the Perret agency

- Photographs from the Chevojon studio, that worked intimately with the Perret office over five decades

- Analytical models

- A fascinating mixed bag of personal and biographical material: letters, albums, objects, books, magazines, etc.

The exhibition includes over 400 original items, some of them on public display for the first time. Lenders include the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Le Havre municipal archives, the Musée Maurice Denis, the Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, the Corbusier Foundation, the Musée Bourdelle, the Musée des Années Trente, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Friends of Auguste Perret, the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) and the Musée des beaux-arts in Grenoble.

A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT

As a complement to the indispensable contributions from scientific curator Joseph Abram and the OMA AMO architecture office, under the direction of artistic curator Rem Koolhaas, the national schools of architecture in Versailles and Nancy have provided input under the supervision of their respective directors: early in 2013 Vincent Michel and Lorenzo Diez set up a team of teachers, researchers and students to lead a prospective project. Sixteen students from Versailles came up with eight projects for the exhibition, aimed at stimulating interest in the architectural, constructive, conceptual and cultural aspects of Auguste Perret's legacy.

In addition artists have been called in to give a contemporary outlook on the buildings' on-going existence and evolution: Gilbert Fastenaekens' photographs show the traces of human activity while Louise Lemoine and Ila Bêka film the residents and the use of these places. The result is an eloquent expression of the buildings' intangible aspects.

"Since 1959 the Economic, Social and Environmental Council has been making Auguste Perret's Palais d'Iéna a lively, welcoming venue for the endless diversity of human activity: discussion and debate for the honing of convictions through dialogue; art and culture as a window onto otherness through shared feelings; and festive events. In a somewhat bewildered society looking to the future with anxiety and seeing rapid, radical change in a world it can no longer grasp nor control, art remains a vital challenge, a way of projecting ourselves into the times ahead. I sincerely hope that this exhibition, in bringing together the Palais d'Iéna and other major works by Auguste Perret, will represent a further step in ESEC's responsiveness to cultural and artistic initiatives." - Jean-Paul Delevoye, President ESEC

Joseph Abram

Architect/historian Joseph Abram is a teacher at the National School of Architecture in Nancy and a researcher at the History of Contemporary Architecture Workshop. He has published many books on 20th-century architecture and curated some thirty exhibitions.

The OMA AMO agency

OMA is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism, and cultural analysis. The research studio AMO operates in areas beyond the traditional boundaries of architecture, including media, politics, sociology, renewable energy, technology, fashion, curating, publishing, and graphic design.

HONOUR COMMITTEE

The Honour Committee of the exhibition « Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’oeuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé » is composed by Jean-Paul Delevoye, President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC); Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, Presidents of Fondazione Prada; Édouard Philippe, Seine Maritime Deputy and Mayor of Le Havre; Antoine Rufenacht, former Mayor of Le Havre; Vincent Berjot, General Director for Heritage, Ministry of Culture and Communication; Guy Amsellem, President of the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine; Raymond Soubie, Chairman of the Board of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées ; Annie Perret and Christophe Perret; Benjamin Mouton, President of the association of Friends of Auguste Perret.

VISIT INFORMATION


The exhibition is open daily from 27 November 2013 to 19 February 2014 (11am - 6pm) Closure days: 14 December, 25 December and 1 January

Free admission

Address: Palais d’Iéna, ESEC headquarters | 9 place d'Iéna - 75016 Paris

Underground: Iéna stop (Line 9) and Trocadéro stop (Line 6)

Bus: Iéna stop (Lines 32, 63 and 82)

*  *  *

 

La mostra « Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’oeuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé » ("Auguste Perret, otto capolavori!/? – Architetture di cemento armato") è organizzata dal Conseil économique, social et environnemental (CESE - Consiglio Economico Sociale e Ambientale) in collaborazione con Fondazione Prada. Si svolge dal 27 novembre 2013 al 19 febbraio 2014 a Parigi presso il Palais d’Iéna, sede del CESE, e indaga uno dei percorsi più affascinanti nel campo dell’architettura del Novecento. Joseph Abram, in qualità di curatore scientifico, garantisce con il suo team la coerenza teorica e storica del progetto. Lo studio d’architettura OMA AMO, sotto la direzione di Rem Koolhaas, curatore artistico, è responsabile del progetto allestitivo.

 

Figlio di uno scalpellino della Comune di Parigi, Auguste Perret (1874-1954) ha avuto un ruolo chiave nella definizione di un’estetica propria al cemento armato. Ha sviluppato nel corso della sua carriera una rigorosa pratica architettonica fondata su nuovi dispositivi che uniscono il pensiero, il disegno e il costruire in una potente creatività in grado di tradursi in un numero considerevole di capolavori. Il suo talento è stato riconosciuto nel 2005 attraverso l’iscrizione di una parte della sua opera nella Lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dell'UNESCO.

Differenziandosi dalleprecedenti rassegne dedicate a Auguste Perret, questa mostra si pone un obiettivo ambizioso: condividere con un vasto pubblico la singolarità di un percorso creativo tra i più importanti in campo architettonico.

È naturale che questa mostra sia ospitata al Palais d’Iéna, uno degli edifici più significati concepiti dall’architetto. Nel corso della sua carriera, Perret ha inventato un nuovo canone classico, comparabile alle tradizioni antiche, ma derivato dalle tecniche moderne di costruzione: il canone del cemento armato, di cui il Palais d’Iéna costituisce una delle realizzazioni più riuscite. .

La scelta di accogliere questa mostra al Palais d’Iéna è parte di una strategia di apertura del CESE verso progetti culturali e artistici che contribuiscono ad arricchire il dialogo tra i cittadini, promosso inoltre attraverso numerose occasioni di dibattito e di riflessione organizzate dall’istituzione francese. Un intenso programma culturale accompagna la mostra dedicata a Auguste Perret: il Palais d’Iéna ospita, infatti, all’interno del proprio auditorium, un ciclo di conferenze, dibattiti, workshop, concerti e proiezioni per tutta la durata della mostra.

LA MOSTRA «HUIT CHEFS D’OEUVRE !/ ? » ("OTTO CAPOLAVORI !/?")

 

 

Grazie ad un serio approfondimento teorico e a moderne modalità espositive, la mostra vuole rinnovare radicalmente la prospettiva con cui si studia l’opera di Auguste Perret focalizzandosi su otto importanti edifici realizzati da questo intellettuale-costruttore: a Parigi l’edificio de la rue Franklin (1903), il Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (1913), la Chiesa di Notre Dame du Raincy (1923), la Sala Cortot (1929), il Mobilier national (1937) e il Palais d’Iéna (1939); a Le Havre, l’Hôtel de Ville (1957) e la Chiesa di Saint Joseph (1956). Queste otto costruzioni hanno segnato con la loro innovativa modalità di progettazione e il loro rapporto alla materia, un arricchimento decisivo per la pratica architettonica del Novecento.

La mostra è presentata nella sala ipostila del Palais d’Iéna che costituisce la prima opera di Perret che il visitatore incontra. L’allestimento concepito da OMA AMO riutilizza alcuni dispositivi realizzati nel Palais d’Iéna per Prada dallo stesso studio di architettura. Dal 2011 OMA AMO esplora questo spazio creando le scenografie di sfilate ed eventi culturali. L’allestimento della mostra è una combinazione di queste differenti ricerche, concepite come delle letture contemporanee dell’archittetura di Perret. Questa costruzione temporanea, una sorta di architettura nell’architettura, è un’installazione legata profondamente al contesto ambientale e sottolinea la presenza di questa imponente costruzione di cemento armato.

I visitatori potranno scoprire gli otto capolavori attraverso numerosi documenti d’archivio:

- Un centinaio di disegni architettonici originali prodotti dallo studio d’architettura di Perret

- Alcune serie di fotografie prodotte dallo Studio Chevojon che ha avuto per cinquant’anni una relazione privilegiata con lo studio Perret

　

- Modellini dettagliati

- Una collezione eterogenea di documenti personali e biografici (lettere, album, oggetti, libri, riviste)

In totale sono riuniti più di 400 documenti originali, alcuni mai esposti al pubblico, che provengono da collezioni e istituzioni importanti come la Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, gli Archivi Municipali di Le Havre, il Musée Maurice Denis, la Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, la Fondation Le Corbusier, il Musée Bourdelle, il Musée des Années Trente, il Musée des Arts Décoratifs, l’Association des amis d’Auguste Perret, le Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) e il Musée des beaux-arts di Grenoble.

 

UN PROGETTO COLLETTIVO

 

 

Oltre ai contributi fondamentali offerti da Joseph Abram, curatore scientifico, e lo studio di architettura OMA AMO, sotto la direzione di Rem Koolhaas, curatore artistico, due scuole d’architettura - l’ENSA-Versailles e l’ENSA-Nancy - sono associate al progetto sotto la responsabilità dei loro rispettivi direttori Vincent Michel e Lorenzo Diez. Questi ultimi coordinano un team costituito, a partire dai primi mesi del 2013, da professori, ricercatori e studenti per dare al progetto una dimensione innovativa. Sedici studenti dell’École de Versailles producono otto progetti per la mostra, come stimolo ad appropriarsi dell’eredità architettonica e costruttiva, concettuale e culturale di Auguste Perret.

Due progetti artistici contribuiscono a gettare un nuovo sguardo sull’evoluzione e la mutazione di queste architetture: da una parte Gilbert Fastenaekens fotografa le tracce lasciate dagli individui all’interno degli otto edifici, dall’altra Louise Lemoine e Ila Bêka filmano gli abitanti e la vita quotidiana dei luoghi. Insieme testimoniano l’aspetto immateriale di queste costruzioni.

 

"Il Conseil économique, social et environnemental si è impegnato dal 1959 a rendere il Palais d’Iéna costruito da Auguste Perret un luogo vivo e aperto a tutti, in grado di accogliere e rappresentare la diversità delle attività umane: attraverso la riflessione e il dibattito per costruire dei valori condivisi grazie al dialogo, con l’aiuto dell’arte e della cultura per aprirsi alle differenze condividendo emozioni ed esperienze. In una società un po’ disorientata che guarda il futuro con angoscia e avverte il mondo cambiare rapidamente e in profondità, senza conservare né l’esperienza né la comprensione di questo mutamento, l’arte ha il ruolo di interpellarci e di spingerci verso il futuro. Mi auguro che questa mostra, che crea un incontro tra le opere più importanti di Perret e la nostra sede, s’inserisca a pieno titolo all’interno del percorso d’apertura del CESE verso progetti culturali e artistici", così ha dichiarato Jean-Paul Delevoye, Presidente del CESE.

 

Joseph Abram

 

 

Architetto e storico, Joseph Abram è professore à l’École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture di Nancy e ricercatore presso il Laboratoire d’Histoire de l’Architecture Contemporaine. Nel corso della sua carriera ha scritto numerose pubblicazioni sull’architettura del Novecento e ha curato più di trenta mostre.

 

Lo studio OMA AMO

 

 

OMA è uno studio internazionale di architettura, urbanismo e analisi culturale. Il suo think tank ed unità di ricerca, AMO, lavora nei settori che tradizionalmente non rientrano nelle

discipline architettoniche come la comunicazione mediatica, la politica, la moda, l’arte, la curatela di mostre, l’edizione e il design.

 

COMITATO D’ONORE

 

 

ll comitato d’onore della mostra « Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’oeuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé » è composto da Jean-Paul Delevoye, Presidente del Conseil économique, social et environnemental; Miuccia Prada e Patrizio Bertelli, Presidenti della Fondazione Prada; Édouard Philippe, Deputato della Seine Maritime et Sindaco di Le Havre ; Antoine Rufenacht, ex Sindaco di Le Havre ; Vincent Berjot, Directeur général des patrimoines au Ministère de la Culture et de la communication ; Guy Amsellem, Presidente della Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine ; Raymond Soubie, Presidente del Consiglio d’amministrazione del Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Annie Perret e Christophe Perret; Benjamin Mouton, Presidente dell’associazione Amis d’Auguste Perret.

 

INFORMAZIONI PER IL PUBBLICO

 

 

La mostra è gratuita e aperta al pubblico tutti i giorni dal 27 novembre 2013 al 19 febbraio 2014 (dalle ore 11 alle 18). Giorni di chiusura: 14 dicembre, 25 dicembre e 1 gennaio.

Indirizzo: Palais d’Iéna, sede del Conseil économique, social et environnemental

9 place d'Iéna - 75016 Parigi

Trasporti : Metro linea 6 (fermata Trocadéro) e linea 9 (fermata Iéna)

Bus n° 32, 63, 82 (fermata Iéna)

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Curate

Qatar Museums Authority and Fondazione Prada

global curating prize open for entry

Curate, a global competition organized by Qatar Museums Authority and Fondazione Prada to find new curating talent is accepting entries online on www.curateaward.org until 31 December 2013.

Curate opens up and challenges people’s ideas of what an exhibition can be. It will provide one winner with the unprecedented opportunity to curate the exhibition of their dreams.

A world-renowned Jury will judge ideas on their creativity and social significance, rewarding those with a contemporary and culturally relevant point of view. They will be looking for an exemplary exhibition that is both far-sighted and critical to the future. Participation in the competition is not limited to aspiring or established curators, but is open to anyone with a great concept for creative expression, with the emphasis on encouraging young people to compete, whether as individuals or as collaborative groups.

Twenty finalists will be selected by the Jury, and will be showcased on the Curate website. The winner will be announced in Spring 2014.

The Jury is: Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums Authority; Miuccia Prada, President, Fondazione Prada; Rem Koolhaas, architect, urban theorist, OMA/AMO founder; Nadine Labaki, Lebanese film-maker and actress; Nawal El Moutawakel, the first woman from a Muslim majority Country to win an Olympic gold medal; and Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director, Serpentine Gallery, London.

Proposals can be uploaded to the Curate website for consideration by the Jury. The format of the proposal should be a self-made video no longer than two minutes in length, with a one page accompanying text explaining the idea.

As stated by the Curate Jury: “The notion of ‘curating’ no longer belongs just to the museum. With the development of digital and social media, it has now become possible for anyone to participate in the selection, editing and communication of ideas. We hope that people, whatever their age or background, will make the most of the opportunity offered by Curate to think about the future potential of exhibition making, where there are no imposed boundaries to media, scale, content and formats, and ideas, whether from the fields of science or the arts, can come from anywhere.”

CURATE VIDEO: www.curateaward.org

 

CURATE KEY DATES:

Applications close: 12.00 GMT Tuesday 31 December 2013

Finalists announced: Spring 2014 / Winner announced: April 2014

To enter, upload a video and a one page document that explains your concept to Curate website on www.curateaward.org. The video must be no longer than two minutes and no bigger than 250MB. Supported formats include .mov .mp4 .avi .wmv and .flv. The one page document should be no longer than 500 words and include: statement of intent and list of materials/works used in your exhibition. Supported formats include .doc .docx .txt .pdf.

 

 

The Jury

H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has played a pioneering role in the fields of culture, education and outreach, spearheading and supporting a number of local and international organisations. As the Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority Board of Trustees, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa guides the vision for future museums and cultural projects, with the aim of transforming the State of Qatar into a leading centre of culture and education for its region and the world. The Museum of Islamic Art, the flagship project of the QMA, embodies Her Excellency’s vision of bridging East and West, as well as past and present. In addition to her work on cultural initiatives, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa is also the Chairperson of Doha Film Institute and of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), a philanthropic non-governmental organisation that is dedicated to assisting the victims of recent natural disasters, as well as aiming to improve the quality of primary and secondary education in Asia.

 

Miuccia Prada

Attracted by the challenges of contemporary art and culture and animated by a profound passion for her work, fashion designer Miuccia Prada has been leading the Fondazione Prada for the past twenty years. Together with her husband Patrizo Bertelli she has shaped the foundation’s rich agenda, ranging from international art projects to cinema, philosophy and architecture. Desirous to further expand its radius of activity, Miuccia Prada is currently working on the Fondazione Prada’s new exhibition venues in Milan and Venice.

 

Rem Koolhaas

Rem Koolhaas is the founding partner of The Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). His work as an architect, theorist, urbanist and professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design led to him being named one of the World’s Most Influential People by Time in 2008. He also heads AMO, the research brand of OMA, operating in areas such as media, politics, renewable energy and fashion. In 2000, he won the Pritzker Prize and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Lion at the 2010 Venice Biennale.

 

Nadine Labaki

Nadine Labaki is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers and actresses of her generation in the Arab world, known for tearing down stereotypes, and touching on fundamental issues in humorous and poetic ways. Her first feature film, Caramel, premiered at Cannes in 2007 and put her on the 10 Directors to Watch list at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2008, she was awarded the insignia of Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. Her second feature, Where Do We Go Now? was an international success, collecting awards around the world and a nomination for best foreign film at the Critics Choice Awards.

 

 

Nawal El Moutawakel

Nawal El Moutawakel was the first women from a Muslim majority country to win an Olympic gold medal and is renowned for her work championing female athletes all over the world. Hailing from Casablanca, Nawal’s win in the women’s 400m hurdles at the 1984 Olympics heralded a breakthrough for sporting women in Muslim countries. In 1933 she started Courir pour le plaisir, a 5km run that has become the biggest women’s race held in a Muslim country. Since 2007, she has been the Moroccan Minister of Youth and Sports. A Vice President of International Olympic Committee, Nawal was the Chair of the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games Evaluation Commission and holds a place in the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

Hans Ulrich Obrist

A contemporary art curator, critic and art historian, Hans-Ulrich Obrist is currently Co-Director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery, London. He is author of The Interview Project (an extensive ongoing project of interviews) and initiator of the Marathon series (public events that have so far included interviews, experiments, manifestos and poetry). An advocate and archivist for artists, he was named 2009’s Most Powerful Person in Art by Art Review. That same year he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

 

The Founders

 

Qatar Museums Authority

 

 

www.qma.com.qa

 

Under the patronage of His Highness the Emir, Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) is securing the country’s position as a leading centre of culture and education. Led by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QMA seeks to engage and connect diverse audiences with a programme that welcomes the world to Doha. Since its establishment in 2005, QMA has preserved and protected historic sites, monuments and artefacts.

The 2008 opening of I.M. Pei’s landmark Museum of Islamic Art provided a space to create dialogue and education around the collections. In 2010, the opening of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern, offered a unique Arab perspective on modern and contemporary art. The construction of the new National Museum of Qatar, designed by Jean Nouvel and due to open in 2014, further demonstrates this vision and cultural commitment.

 

Fondazione Prada

 

www.fondazioneprada.org

 

 

Fondazione Prada, co-chaired by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli since 1995, is an institution dedicated to contemporary art and culture. Its cutting-edge exhibitions conceived in dialogue with major contemporary artists like Louise Bourgeois, Walter De Maria, Thomas Demand and John Baldessari, as well as other cultural activities related to cinema, philosophy, and architecture, have enjoyed a wide international consensus. Special international projects included Carsten Höller’s Double Club in London, the Prada Transformer in Seoul by OMA and Franceso Vezzoli’s 24h Museum at the Palais d’Iéna in Paris.

In 2011 the Fondazione Prada opened a new exhibition space in Venice, Ca’ Corner della Regina, an historic palazzo on the Grand Canal, which is going to be restored over the next few years with the goal of offering a stimulating cultural programme. A keynote of the architectural programme is the Fondazione Prada’s new exhibition space in Milan designed by Rem Koolhaas, to be unveiled in 2015