The sixth edition of the Global Art Forum, the Middle East’s leading platform for contemporary art discourse, will open here today at the Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf) at Education City.
The two-day forum is presented by Art Dubai, in partnership with Mathaf, and is supported by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. The Forum was founded by Art Dubai in 2007, and this is the third year Doha will be staging it.
Under the guidance of Qatar Museums Authority Chairperson H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Mathaf’s mission is to expand people’s ideas about art in the region.
The forum will explore the relationship between news-makers and history-making in the Arab world. Directed by writer and curator Shumon Basar, the sixth edition of the Forum will explore ‘The Medium of Media’ featuring live debates and innovative presentations plus an ‘expanded forum’ that will include commissioned artists’ projects and research.
Thematically, the Forum looks at the double meaning of the term ‘media’, both within the art world and referring to the world of publishing and reportage.
Underpinning this is a look back at the past year in the Arab world, and how fundamental events have been both produced and consumed as media.
One of the topics under discussion on the first day of the Forum is ‘Report or Upload: News and the Arab Awakening.
Demotix founder and Cheif Executive Officer Turi Munthe will host Al Jazeera’s Ghida Fakhry Khane, Gulf News columnist Mishaal Al Gergawi and Cairo based writer/journalist Yasmine El Rashidi to measure how and why events in the Arab world over the past year challenged traditional and new news media, according to the programme listed on Mathaf website.
The Forum is effectively a media production about media. The Forum concludes March 19 in Doha and will continue in Art Dubai from March 21 to 24.
Global Art Forum 6 at Mathaf is free and open to public.
All sessions will be held in English with translation into Arabic. Participants seeking to attend the Forum should visit http://gaf6.eventbrite.com QNA
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