Urban Jealousie - the 1st International Nomad Biennial of Tehran

Urban Jealousie - the 1st International Nomad Biennial of Tehran?1st station: Istanbul, 30th May - 6th July 2008 ?Curated by Amirali Ghasemi and Serhat Koksal
Tehran is a different kind of Megalopolis. It is said to have one of the most dynamic art scenes in the Middle East, even as the city itself deals with a rudimentary public transport system, an exploding population crisis, and an ever-increasing sprawl of mass housing: an unsightly city of experimental architecture that swallows entire villages and towns without offering them any sort of public services.
In such a complicated urban situation—which, according to experts, has already spiraled out of control—artists’ societies in Tehran continue to hold numerous biennials in semi-tribal fashion. 95% are government-sponsored projects, whose outlook and premises can shift 180 degrees from one year to the next. Each community has its own ceremonies (painters, calligraphers, sculptors, etc.), destroying any sense of solidarity that might exist among artists. The Tehran Visual Art Festival, The Calligraphy Biennial, The Sculpture Biennial, The Cartoon Biennial, The Painting Biennial of the Islamic World, The Graphic Design Biennial, The Poster Biennial, The Children’s Book Illustration Biennial, The Painting Biennial, and The Poster Biennial of the Islamic World… the list is endless.
Although the history behind the legendary “TEHRAN BIENNIAL” goes back to 50 years ago, not even a single one of those mentioned above can be considered as a  biennial by “the global standards”(!).  An artists’ society recently published a call to boycott the upcoming Painting Biennial in order to demand a professionally curated exhibition, protesting the open call process and a “jury” that they find unacceptable. But it seems impossible to have a proper Tehran biennial in Tehran. So our sprawling city and its elitist art scene remain excluded from the “highly competitive art market” of the region, despite being surrounded from all sides by lucrative biennials and auctions. We may have great artists living and working in Iran, but we still don’t have a share of the profits. Tehran, one must suppose, is not interested in presenting herself as a perfect destination for cultural tourism, in playing it as cool as other global cities, in scrambling to be hip by coughing up the fee for membership in the international art market.
So to jumpstart the process, and after a long discussion with my friend Serhat Koksal—who is pretty critical of the global biennialisation process—We decided to curate a mini-Tehran biennial on the move. to stop complaining about the current situation and to use the advantage of it, to have an independent low budget, traveling exhibition which can be presented almost any where, we will travel like nomads, carrying artworks/objects/texts in a package no bigger than a medium-sized suitcase, preferably less than 20 kg, so they can be carried on to any cheap flight.
The theme of this biennial is URBAN JEALOUSY. A Jalousie * (“jealousy” in French) is a window that one can see through but not be seen; barriers that allow us to observe the world without being invited to the table. Iranian artists are given an understanding of what goes on in the world without being offered a single opportunity to communicate their thoughts—outside of our very own jalousie window: a rigid ethnic frame within an extremely politicized context.

??Call for Art?Urban Jealousy ?The 1st International Nomad Biennial of Tehran?30th May - 6th July 2008?Curated by Serhat Koksal and Amirali Ghasemi

Dead line: Monday 21st of April 2008
??Venue: Urban Jealousy, the 1st International Nomad Biennial of Tehran will be landing in Istanbul The Hafriyat Karaköy Necatibey Cad. No:79 Karakoy Istanbul Turkey

Categories: ?A - Video / Short Films / slide show

?The video works should be sent in DVD / Pal with English subtitles and the maximum length is 7 min, participants for this category should submit a digital file for preview in Quick time format, this can be sent by Email or can be uploaded in a hosting server (See the rules below), otherwise it also can be sent to Parkingallery Address by post on a data CD/DVD.

B - Ambient Sound/Music composition /Audio Collage/Speech ?participants for this category submit a digital file for preview in MP3 format, this can be sent by Email or can be uploaded in a hosting server (See the rules), otherwise it also can be sent to Parkingallery Address by post on a data CD/DVD.

C - Photography / Still frame:?participants should send a digital image/scan from their the submission via E-mail and then the works are selected (See the rules), a hard copy of photos is requested with these specifications :
For medium format photos: 20x20 cm
For 135/digital photos: 20x30 cm
Polaroid ( Original or a 20x20 reproduction in 20x20 cm )

D - Painting/Drawing/Illustration/Doodling/Sketch/3D Image/Cartoon/Comics?Because of the nature of the project: ”The smaller, the better!” Participants should send a digital image/scan from their submission (See the rules), the maximum size for this category is A4. And art works should not be framed or mounted on cardboard (and works on canvas should be rolled and be sent without the wooden frame)

E - Poster/paste up: ?A3 size poster to be posted in public space (each participants should send 2 hard copies of the poster) ?along with the requested digital files

F-Post cards To Tehran Biennial ?For this category participants are being asked to select (or design) and send post card to the imaginary “Tehran Biennial” expressing themselves, and sharing what they wish for it or how they think it looks like… participants are being asked to sent these post cards to Parkingallery project Room in Tehran (find the address below this form)

G - Stickers:?Each participants can submit up to 5 different stickers, these stickers will be posted in the destination cities where the “Urban jealousy” is being presented.

Rules:
• This exhibition is open to artists from around the world from any country and any background and discipline

• Every participant / or collaborative team can submit only ONE piece, in each categories

• A digital image/ file in (Quick Time/JPG A4 300 dpi/MP3 128kps)  of the work should be sent to biennialtehran@gmail.com the size of the file shouldn’t be larger than 10 MB for photos and digital images ( for sending the videos maximum file size is 100 MB using website http://www.mailbigfile.com/ ). The participants whom their application is approved will be contacted through email to send their original artwork to organizers.

• The art works will not be returned until the end of the project approximately May 2010, and the organizers will not have the right to sell/distribute/use them commercially, but they preserve the rights to use the images/still frames/documentation/ extracts of audio/video works in Press release/publication/website of the project under the name of the artists.

• Every participant is responsible for the information they provide in the application form and the same details will be used for publication/website and credits and etc.

• IMPORTANT: Every participant should submit a black and white portrait with their application taken from them while they are pretending that they are being jealous of some one/some thing in a JPG 300 dpi, file sized : 9x13 cm, these photos will be used in the catalog / website as a side project to the main exhibition.

Any questions ?Please feel free to write to us:
Amirali Ghasemi ?Parkingallery: No. 11,4th Milad Street, Dadman Blvd. Shahrak-e Gharb, Tehran 14686 IRAN?Phone (studio): +9821 88579727?Mobile: +9821 912 122 3220?Email: amiralionly@gmail.com
Serhat Köksal ?Email: serhatkoksal@hotmail.com?P.K.55 Suadiye 34741 Istanbul Turkey

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Urban Jealousy ?Application form:
First Name:
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