Mona Hatoum
Projection
22 June–24 September 2012
Opening: Thursday, 21 June, 7:30pm
Fundació Joan Miró
Parc de Montjuïc
08038 Barcelona
info [at] fundaciomiro-bcn.org
www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org
The exhibition
On the occasion of the third Joan Miró Prize, awarded in 2011, the Fundació Joan Miró and “la Caixa” Foundation dedicate an exhibition to the work of the winning artist, Mona Hatoum (b. 1952; Beirut, Lebanon). Projection brings together some forty pieces from the last twenty years, with an emphasis on recent works, including a new work entitled Turbulence made especially for this exhibition. The selection and installation of works intends to contradict the commonly-held notions regarding the output of this British-Palestinian artist as well as her position vis-à-vis the geopolitical references that have become synonymous with her production. Including installations, videos, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper, the exhibition expands the semantic field usually associated with Hatoum’s work and opens up new possibilities, hints at new meanings, and proposes a complex and renewed reading of her vast body of work.
The exhibition has been curated by Martina Millà, head of Programmes and Projects at Fundació Joan Miró, in close collaboration with the artist.
The Joan Miró Prize
The Joan Miró Prize is a biennial international contemporary art award organized by Fundació Joan Miró and “la Caixa” Foundation. It consists of a trophy and a cash prize of 70,000 EUR. It stems from the intentions set out in the by-laws of the Fundació Joan Miró to award prizes to assist artists in their work and in the dissemination and recognition of their art, and to carry out any other activities aimed at promoting a better knowledge of art and enhancing the aesthetic sensibilities of present and future generations.
It is also one of the obligations of the Fundació Joan Miró to make known to the public the life and work of Joan Miró, one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. In this respect, the creation of the Joan Miró Prize has helped keep alive Miró’s connections with the development of contemporary art, while at the same time distinguishing the winner, whose work is underpinned by the spirit of exploration so characteristic of Miró’s art.
The winner is selected by an international jury of specialists in contemporary art, which is newly appointed for each edition of the Prize. Mona Hatoum was chosen as the winner of the Joan Miró Prize by a jury formed by Mr. Alfred Pacquement, Director of the Centre Georges Pompidou; Mr. Vicent Todolí, Director, Tate Modern; Mr. Poul Erik Toejner, Director of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; and Ms. Rosa Maria Malet, Director of the Fundació Joan Miró.
By giving the Prize to Mona Hatoum, the jury brought to the forefront an artist’s ability to connect personal experience with universal values. Ms. Hatoum was able to singlehandedly open up art practices to non-Western realities while showing the links between Western high culture and transnational political and cultural events. After Hatoum, the art world became a much more open, less self-centered arena. Hatoum’s compromise with human values that concern all cultures and societies is similar to Miró’s view of mankind after having experienced three devastating wars. It was for these points of confluence that the jury was unanimous in awarding the Joan Miró Prize to Mona Hatoum.
Previous recipients of the Joan Miró Prize have been Olafur Eliasson (2007) and Pipilotti Rist (2009).
Publication
A trilingual catalogue (Catalan, Spanish, English) accompanies the exhibition. It includes an essay by Catherine de Zegher.
*Image above:
Mona Hatoum, Turbulence, 2012. Marbles, 400 x 400 cm. Photo by Pere Pratdesaba. Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona. © the artist.
