Artes Mundi 7 presented a major exhibition of seminal and new works by the shortlisted artists from 21 October 2016 to 26 February 2017 at National Museum Cardiff and Chapter, Cardiff. There will also be an extended programme across the city, in partnership with other organisations.
JOHN AKOMFRAH OBE (UK)
For 30 years, Ghanaian-born British director, writer and theorist, John Akomfrah OBE has been highlighting the legacy of African diaspora in Europe through films that explore marginalised histories of European society. Akomfrah was a founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective and he is well-known for films including The Nine Muses (2010), Speak Like a Child (1998) and The Stuart Hall Project (2013). In 2008 Akomfrah was awarded an OBE for his services to the British film industry.
NEÏL BELOUFA (FRANCE/ALGERIA)
Award winning French-Algerian artist Neïl Beloufa uses video and multimedia to explore and parody social interaction, through subjects as diverse as extra-terrestrials, nationalism and terrorism. Beloufa’s videos have been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the International Film Festival, Rotterdam, and the London Film Festival. He has won grand prizes at the 54th and 57th Oberhausen Kurzfilmtage, the 2011 Audi Talent Award and the 2013 Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art. He has been nominated for the 2015 Prix Marcel Duchamp.
AMY FRANCESCHINI / FUTUREFARMERS (USA/BELGIUM)
Futurefarmers is a group of art and farming practitioners founded in 1995 by California-based artist Amy Franceschini. The collective work towards creating a diverse programme of public commissions, exhibitions and publications, which explore and challenge systems of public transportation, rural farming networks and food policies. The collective’s work has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MOMA, Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York Hall of Sciences and the Walker Art Center. Franceschini was the recipient of the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2006 Eureka Fellowship.
LAMIA JOREIGE (LEBANON)
Lamia Joreige is a Lebanese artist and filmmaker who uses archival documents to reflect on the relationship between ‘individual’ and ‘collective’ memory. Her work explores the trauma of the Lebanese wars with emphasis on her home city, Beruit. In 2011, Joreige’s work Objects of War, a series of video testimonials on The Lebanese Civil War, was the first major piece of Lebanese art to be acquired by Tate Modern. Joreige has exhibited internationally at institutions including, SFMOMA and Centre Pompidou.
NÁSTIO MOSQUITO (ANGOLA)
Nástio Mosquito is a multimedia, performance and spoken word artist who often places himself centre stage in his work, using mimicry to explore global and African politics. He is particularly well known for works that refer to the Angolan Civil War, as well as sexual politics, consumerism and other symptoms of globalization. Mosquito has performed at institutions including Tate Modern and the Walker Art Center. In 2014 Mosquito was announced as joint winner of the 3rd Future Generation Art Prize and named by The Guardian as one of Ten African Artists to Look Out For. He gained widespread attention earlier this year for his exhibition Daily Lovemaking at IKON, Birmingham, a piece that was later exhibited at the 56th Venice Biennale.
BEDWYR WILLIAMS (UK/WALES)
Bedwyr Williams uses multimedia, performance and text to explore the friction between ‘the deadly serious’ and ‘the banal’ aspects of modern life. Williams is known for satirizing the relationship between the artist and curator by creating absurd scenarios for them to appear in. More recently he has explored, through video, themes of dystopia and mankind’s significance in the universe. Williams is shortlisted for the Film London Jarman Award 2015 and represented Wales at the 55th Venice Biennale with work that also forms the basis of his current show at The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester. His most recent work, Century Egg, will be presented at the British Art Show later this year.
About Artes Mundi
Artes Mundi is an international arts organisation based in Cardiff, UK. Established in 2002, Artes Mundi is committed to supporting ground-breaking, international, contemporary, visual artists whose work engages with social reality and lived experience. The Artes Mundi Exhibition and Prize takes place biennially, running a sustained programme of outreach and learning projects alongside the public exhibition. In 2015 the Artes Mundi 6 Prize was awarded to Theaster Gates. Previous winners were; Teresa Margolles (2013), Yael Bartana (2010), N S Harsha (2008), Eija-Liisa Ahtila (2006), and Xu Bing (2004). Artes Mundi is publicly funded by the Arts Council of Wales and Cardiff City Council. Other funders include The Colwinston Charitable Trust, The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Myristica Trust.
Huge thanks to Wales Arts International to support the organisation to take part in this festival.