Alejandra Labastida is the winner of Akbank Sanat International Curator Competition 2012
Akbank Sanat
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Alejandra Labastida from Mexico City is the winner of the Akbank Sanat International Curator Competition 2012.
In its first year, The Akbank Sanat International Curator Competition received a large number of applications from over 100 curators of various nationalities. These applications were sent from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Republic of Guatemala, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, and USA. After a long period of review and evaluation, Alejandra Labastida’s application was highly commended by the jury, consisting of Jack Persekian (Director and Head Curator of the Palestinian Museum), Francis McKee (Director of CCA, Glasgow; tutor and research fellow at Glasgow School of Art), and Basak Senova (independent curator).
The jury found Alejandra Labastida’s proposal thought-provoking and well articulated. For the jury, the conceptual framework of the proposed exhibition is quite rich with ideas, particularly her focus on artistic strategies of appropriation, citation, translation and recreation of historical pieces and events, yet open enough to allow the artist’s work to be the focus of attention for the exhibition and its ensuing program of lectures, screenings and talks. Furthermore, there is a sophisticated curatorial instinct informing her exhibition that has shone through in a competitive, high quality field of applications.
Developed and coordinated by Basak Senova, the competition is intended to provide support for emerging curators, reinforce interest in curatorial practices, and encourage new projects in the field of contemporary art. Accordingly, Alejandra Labastida’s proposal will be realized as an exhibition that will run from February 19 to April 27, 2013 at Akbank Art Centre, Istanbul, accompanied with an exhibition catalogue and a program of activities.
Alejandra Labastida (b. 1979, Mexico) holds a BA degree in History from Iberoamericana University. While continuing her education on aesthetics, art theory and philosophy, her curatorial research and work focuses on the intersection points of art and politics. She is the assistant curator of the Mexican Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale (2011). She attended the 7th Berlin Biennale Curatorial Workshop Curating in Times of Need (2012). Currently, she acts as the Associate Curator at MUAC (Universitary Museum of Contemporary Art) in Mexico City, where she has worked in the Curatorial Department since 2008. She has authored numerous publications (catalogues and magazines) on contemporary art. Her recent curatorial projects include Petit mal, Ergo materia, Arte Povera, For the love of dissent and A partir de mañana, todo. She lives and works in Mexico City.
For further inquiries please email to icc [at] akbank.com.
