Collateral event at the 59th Venice Biennale
Commissioners of the Collateral Event: Zeljko Jovanovic, Chairman of the Board, and Tímea Junghaus, Executive Director of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) publish the present call for the curator of the Roma exhibition, to demonstrate the institution’s founding principles—including the highest quality standards in arts and culture, and Roma leadership—at the 59th International Venice Biennale, which opens on April 23, 2022.
ERIAC has a unique and single mandate as the transnational, European-level organisation for the recognition of Roma arts and culture.
Submission:
Please send your proposal electronically, both as a Word document and as one pdf document in English. To be sent to: eriac [at] eriac.org
Deadline for applications: September 10, 2021, 5pm CET
Call for curator
ERIAC seeks a courageous and visionary curator with a project proposal that speaks deeply, sensitively and authentically from within the Roma subjectivity. The proposed project shall have the capacity to use the transformative power of art to make an impact on Roma lives. We foresee an initiative through which the widely fragmented, diverse and dispersed Roma communities may have a transformative and inspiring opportunity to transcend national boundaries and invite universal participation.
The accepted proposal will be presented in the framework of the ongoing ERIAC project RomaMoMA.
Requirements:
–A demonstrated history in curating and/or cultural management
–Knowledge of the contemporary Roma arts and culture scene
–Relevant education and experience
–Ability to contact artists, prepare and manage the exhibition
–Proven record in project administration and reporting
–Demonstrated commitment to equal opportunities and diversity
In the curatorial proposal, please include the following:
–Curator’s CV or biography (max. one A4 sheet)
–Curatorial concept: title, the themes the project deals with, information regarding the format and the realisation of the exhibition (max. two A4 sheets). The concept must be accepted and supported by all participating artists of the proposal
–CV or biography of the participating artists (one A4 sheet; in the case of more than one participating artist, max. five A4 sheets in total), with selection of low-resolution images of their works
–The description of the works and/or projects to be exhibited, with low-resolution images (max. five A4 sheets). In the case of selection, the project that will actually be realised and the participating artists must entirely coincide with those described in the approved proposal
–Illustrative images of the works to be placed on exhibit, which meet the standards set for publication (minimum format 24 x 32 cm, 300 dpi, tiff/jpg file), with complete captions and photography credits
–A chart of the exhibition budget of maximum 25,000 Euros, including curatorial and artists’ fees, material costs, installation, shipping, insurance, and other related expenses of the project
Applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, religion, or sexual orientation are welcome.
Candidates of self-declared Roma origin are particularly encouraged to apply.
Evaluated by:
International Advisory Committee composed of distinguished experts from within the ERIAC membership:
Daniel Baker, contemporary artist, curator of the FUTUROMA Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale (2019)
Prof. Dr. Ethel Brooks, Associate Professor at Rutgers University (U.S), School of Arts and Science, and Chair of Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Research interests: visual cultures, artistic practice, camps and encampment, digital media and belonging, nationalism, post-colonialism and critical race theory
Tímea Junghaus, art historian, contemporary art curator, Executive Director of ERIAC, curator of the Roma Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Contemporary Art Biennale (2007)
Miguel Ángel Vargas, art historian, theatre director, Flamenco researcher and member of Factoría Cultural – Polígono Sur, Institute for Culture and Arts of the Council of Seville
Location:
The proposal shall be adaptable to a space of maximum 250 square meters, approx. 3.8 meters internal height.
For more background information on previous Roma Exhibitions curated in the frame of Venice Art Biennales please read the Call for Curator here.
Image information:
Similarly to other colonised communities, Romani culture has been perceived and studied as “exotic,” “oriental,” “primitive,” and “naïve art.” The panel painting by Tamás Péli is an allegorical vision of the origin of the Roma people and their integration into mainstream society in Hungary. Within the exhibition, Collectively Carried Out, the aim is to engage in a process of restitution of Romani artworks and artefacts and to provide Roma communities with access to their own cultural heritage, while ensuring Roma participation in shaping their own discourse and knowledge production. Roma participation at the Venice Biennale is an integral part of the same decolonial struggle.
