January 30–March 19, 2016
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Teijin Auditorium
Rozenstraat 59
1016 Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday 11am–5pm
Curator: Vivian Ziherl
Co-Curator: Aruna Vermeulen (HipHopHuis)
Production: Imara Limon / Joram Kraaijeveld
Design: Julie Peeters
When invited by the Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam to undertake this exhibition Richard Bell—one of Australia’s most renowned, challenging and provocative artists—responded by passing the invitation forward.
The result is a show that examines cultural sovereignty through black radical performance and image-making from Aboriginal Australia, the United States and the Netherlands. It features Bell’s long-time collaborator Emory Douglas (former Minister for Culture of the Black Panther Party), as well as a local team of artists brought forward by Aruna Vermeulen, director of the HipHopHuis, including painter Brian Elstak, designer Farida Sedoc (HOSSELAER), and dancers 020 Crew.
The project also takes place in partnership with the University of Colour, a student bloc dedicated to “decolonising the University” that emerged from the major occupation of the University of Amsterdam Maagdenhuis in 2015. The original version of artist and performer Quinsy Gario’s Zwarte Piet Is Racisme t-shirt forms part of a display exploring the t-shirt as a performance medium in itself.
Richard Bell’s Embassy was featured in Performa 15 and the 2015 Jakarta Biennale. It will be on show at the SMBA before continuing to the 2016 Biennale of Sydney and the 8th Jerusalem Show.
Symposium
The symposium Global Performance will bring these dialogues to the Stedelijk Museum itself, moderated by Bell and curator Vivian Ziherl. Taking place in a specially designed setting, Global Performance will investigate what is meant by the notion of the “global museum” through lectures, performance and debate held as a Socratic dialogue. While the discussion of global art has been spurred by the emergence of new art markets in regions such as the Middle East and East Asia—what if this is just one example of the global in art?
The symposium will be held in two sessions: “The Directors” and “The Artists.” It will draw upon concrete experiences of what “the global” can mean for art practice and for institutional agendas.
Speakers include the artists Akwasi, Emory Douglas, Farida Sedoc (HOSSELAER), Patricia Kaersenhout and Mercedes Zandwijken, as well as directors Charles Esche (Van Abbemuseum), Ernestine Comvalius (Bijlmer Parktheater), Aruna Vermeulen (HipHopHuis), Jack Persekian (Al Ma’mal Foundation) and Catherine de Zegher (Museum of Fine Arts Ghent). The programme will also feature a performance by Alida Dors (Solid Ground) and an ending by Quinsy Gario.
BELL invites is made possible by Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst (AFK) and the Australia Council for the Arts. Special thanks to Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
