Leah Gordon on Ghetto Biennale's origins addressing class barriers in global art
In 2006, Leah Gordon, who curates the Ghetto Biennale, encountered the Haitian group Atis Rezistans while commissioning pieces for the International Museum of Slavery in Liverpool. This collective, based in Grand Rue, Port-au-Prince, comprises André Eugène, Celeur Jean Herard, and Guyodo, all under the leadership of Mario Benjamin. Their sculptures, inspired by Vodou, are crafted from repurposed materials. To tackle the mobility challenges Haitian artists face, such as visa rejections for the 2012 exhibition 'Kafou: Haiti, Art and Vodou' at Nottingham Contemporary, Gordon and Eugène established the Ghetto Biennale. The 2013 event, titled 'Decentering the Market and Other Tales of Progress,' took place from November 26 to December 16, critiquing art distribution while celebrating Haiti's founding in 1804.
Key facts
- Leah Gordon is a curator of Ghetto Biennale
- Ghetto Biennale was conceived after 2008 Geneva exhibition
- Atis Rezistans is a Haitian artist collective in Port-au-Prince
- André Eugène and Celeur Jean Herard faced visa denials for exhibitions
- The biennial runs from November 26 to December 16, 2013 in Haiti
- First impulse was to bring international artists to Haiti for networking
- Project addresses class barriers in global art circuit
- Inspired by Nicolas Bourriaud's 'The Radicant'
Entities
Artists
- Leah Gordon
- André Eugène
- Celeur Jean Herard
- David Frohnapfel
- Guyodo
- Mario Benjamin
- Alex Farquharson
- Jason Metcalf
- Nicolas Bourriaud
- Harald Szeemann
- Liza McAlister
Institutions
- Ghetto Biennale
- International Museum of Slavery
- Atis Rezistans
- Museum of Ethnography Geneva
- Nottingham Contemporary
- ArtReview
Locations
- Haiti
- Port-au-Prince
- Grand Rue
- Liverpool
- United Kingdom
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Petionville
- USA
- Nottingham