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Nafas - Screenings and Dialogues in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore

Pat Binder and Gerhard Haupt, editors of Nafas and publishers of Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art, will present the Nafas Art Magazine, published by the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), and the Nafas exhibition project of the ifa at the following places:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:
12 December 2008, at 3 pm
National Art Gallery, Auditorium
Balai Seni Lukis Negara
2, Jalan Temerloh, Off Jalan Tun Razak
53200 Kuala Lumpur

Ipoh, Malaysia:
13 December 2008, at 8 pm
Perak Arts Foundation
Yayasan Kesenian Perak
32, Laluan Tasek
Timur 12, Taman Seri Dermawan
Ipoh 30100

Jakarta, Indonesia:
18 December 2008, at 7:30 pm
Goethe-Institut
Jl. Sam Ratulangi 9-15, Menteng
Jakarta Pusat

Bandung, Indonesia:
21 December 2008, at 3 pm
Selasar Soenarjo Art Space
Jl. Bukit Pakar Timur No. 100
Bandung 40198

Yogyakarta, Indonesia:
5 January 2009, at 7 pm
Centre Culturel Français de Yogyakarta
Lembaga Indonesia Prancis - LIP
Jalan Sagan 3
55223 Yogyakarta

Singapore:
14 January 2009, from 5 pm to 8 pm
NUS Museum, Celadon Room
NUS Centre For the Arts
National University of Singapore
50 Kent Ridge Crescent
Singapore 119279

Additional press information:

The online art magazine Nafas is published since March 2003 by the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa – Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations) in Germany. Commissioned by the ifa, Dr. Gerhard Haupt and Pat Binder developed the concept and are editorially and technically responsible for Nafas. They host the online magazine on their own website, Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art (started in 1997).

The ifa initiated the Nafas Art Magazine with the aim to counter the "West's" reservations, hostilities, and prejudices against a supposed "Islamic world", which had increased after September 11, 2001. One primary task of Nafas is to confront the widespread homogeneous view of countries and regions in which Muslims are a majority of the population with a wide variety of individual artistic positions, behind which extremely divergent personal, cultural, religious, social, and other contexts become visible. The title Nafas was especially chosen because the word is etymologically closely tied to the existence of the individual and some of its derivations can be directly applied to creative work. Beyond that, it is important that the word nafas is present with similar meanings in so many of the cultural realms included in the magazine.

In the almost six years of its existence, Nafas Art Magazine has become the most extensive and most frequently visited online publication with such a focus. The pages, published in English, German, and Arabic, are consulted about 120,000 times each month. The magazine is used for instruction at art schools, universities, and schools in many countries. It serves curators and art institutions as an important source for selecting artists for the major biennials and other international exhibitions. Furthermore, Nafas plays a big role in networking among art creators world wide.

In their presentation, Binder and Haupt will explain the concept, goals and effects of the Nafas Art Magazine. Sharing also their experience as curators of a "real" Nafas exhibition in Germany they will show - in photos and videos - significant examples of artworks and artistic strategies featured in the Nafas project. They will introduce interesting developments in several countries and regions, for example: art and ecology initiatives in Morocco, the committed alternative art scene in Egypt, international exhibitions and workshops in the Middle East and in Central Asia, the gigantic cultural projects and museums planned in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Explaining some mechanisms of the international art system, specially Biennials, Haupt and Binder will refer to working strategies and effects of Universes in Universe since almost 12 years, and in particular of the Nafas Art Magazine since early 2003.

Haupt and Binder propose their presentation as a point of departure for a dialogue and exchange with the audience.

For more information, please see the Nafas Art Magazine:
http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas

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