EXODUS : A MIRROR OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF ART BIENNIALS
Murray : What do you plan for the upcoming biennial ?
Ali Chaouche : Everything depends on finances . If our association sustained financial support from the ministry of culture for this event , it would have been different : we would have an open call to find an event agency that could create the programming for this international event a year in advance . We would choose three independent professional curators , with each proposing a different theme : 1 curator for the Algerian diaspora abroad , 1 curator to choose the local artists and 1 curator to choose the foreign artists . The biennial would extend to other spaces around the city of Oran and we would create a catalogue before the opening of the exhibition and other brochures to share around the city and to attract tourism . There would also be guided visits for students and scholars with mediators of contemporary art .
Murray : How much do you think the venue and the support of the organizations involved has affected the outcome of the biennials of the past and the current biennial ?
Ali Chaouche : Without a doubt , the place of exhibition and the support of state institutions plays a crucial role in the continuation of this art event : previously we had no financial support from the Ministry of Culture , and yet , thanks to various sponsors and partners , we were able to mount this biennial anyway ( in the basement of the Mediateque ( former Cathedral of Oran , which is currently empty ). Now with the new Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art , the director is in favor of a partnership and so the financing for the next edition is open to possibilities and we have an optimistic vision for the future .
Murray : Tewfik , what do you as a curator and / or artist bring to the biennial that is unique ?
Ali Chaouche : As the curator and artist founder of this biennial , I do everything I can with the organization , administration , and the making of the different exhibitions . There are multiple objectives for this biennial : to create a platform of contemporary art for exchange between artists of the Mediterranean region ; also to create an Algerian art market in partnership with the international art market ; to make the work of contemporary Algerian artists known internationally , to participate in the confrontation of some of the themes that unite us and , finally , to participate in the evolution of contemporary art in the Mediterranean region with conferences and round tables , as well as to create catalogues and brochures .
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