ETHNIC MARKETING

ETHNIC MARKETING
Tracing the Limits of Artworld Internationalism

Contemporary Art Exhibition

Artspace: 13 Vanak Street & Azad Gallery, 41 Salmas Square

Conference and Screening: Shahid Avini Auditorium, University of Tehran
Tehran, 14th – 27th of April 2006

This project raises the question of what is expected or demanded of an artist who attempts to penetrate the “international art circuit”. What does the European market, in particular, wish to buy, and why does it wish to do so. It is now plain to see that the West is not a mere observer of globalized cultural flows, but a consumer playing a decisive role. Just as any other demanding client, it actively defines the supply. Which strategies might be useful when facing such hegemonic structures? This theme was addressed at curator Tirdad Zolghadr’s 2004 exhibition “Ethnic Marketing: Art, Globalization and Intercultural Supply and Demand” (curated with M. Anderfuhren), and is now revisited in Tehran.

The event includes:

• April 14th, 4 PM: opening of group exhibition with seven artists at 13, Vanak Street: Shirin Aliabadi, Bilal Khbeiz, Farhad Moshiri, Erkan Özgen, Sener Özmen, Natascha Sadr-Haghighian
  
• April 14th, 6 PM: opening of group exhibition with eleven artists at Azad Gallery: Atlas Group, Ursula Biemann, David Blandy, Jakup Ferri, Shahab Fotouhi, Jens Haaning, IRWIN, San Keller, Ahmet Ögüt, Sener Özmen, Michael Snow, Peter Stoffel
  
• April 18th, 5:30 PM: film screening at Shahid Avini Auditorium, Tehran University, with films by: Fikret Atay, COM & COM, Dirk Herzog, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Sener Özmen, Space Campaign, Hito Steyerl, Erik van Lieshout
  
• April 19th, 4 PM: conference with Giovanni Carmine, San Keller, Farhad Moshiri, Natascha Sadr Hagighian, Solmaz Shahbazi, Tirdad Zolghadr et al
  
• a catalogue in Farsi and in English
  
• student workshops (on invitation only)