Manifesta 8 in Murcia and Cartagena Critiqued for Curatorial Disarray and Visual Monotony
Manifesta 8, the contemporary art biennial in Europe, took place from October 9, 2010, to January 9, 2011, at 15 locations in Murcia and Cartagena, Spain. Curated by tranzit.org, Chamber of Public Secrets (CPS), and Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum (ACAF), the event sought to establish a link between the Murcia region and Northern Africa. The exhibition was criticized for its disjointed curatorial strategy, leading to a perceived lack of unity. Among the highlighted pieces were Kajsa Dahlberg's postcards, Jasper Rigole's installation, and Nikolaus Schletterer's digital prints. Conversely, video installations like Stefanos Tsivopoulos's 'Amnesialand' were poorly executed. Additionally, the event included a residency for artists with visual impairments and a talk by Professor John M. Kennedy on Esref Armagan, which raised questions about authenticity.
Key facts
- Manifesta 8 ran from October 9, 2010, to January 9, 2011, in Murcia and Cartagena, Spain.
- Three curatorial collectives—Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum (ACAF), Chamber of Public Secrets (CPS), and tranzit.org—organized the event.
- The exhibition aimed to open dialogue between the Murcia region and Northern Africa.
- Works included long-winded videos, installations, and research compilations, with few objects or drawings.
- Notable artists featured were Kajsa Dahlberg, Nikolaus Schletterer, Jasper Rigole, Stefanos Tsivopoulos, and Melanie Gilligan.
- A residency for visually impaired artists and a presentation on blind artist Esref Armagan by Professor John M. Kennedy were part of the event.
- The review compared the biennial to a scene from Federico Fellini's 1958 film 'La Dolce Vita'.
- A parallel Fellini exhibition occurred at Madrid's Caixa Forum during Manifesta 8.
Entities
Artists
- Beata Hock
- Kajsa Dahlberg
- Nikolaus Schletterer
- Jasper Rigole
- Stefanos Tsivopoulos
- Melanie Gilligan
- Esref Armagan
- Federico Fellini
- Anita Ekberg
- Joseph Kosuth
Institutions
- Manifesta 8
- Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum (ACAF)
- Chamber of Public Secrets (CPS)
- tranzit.org
- Caixa Forum
- Istanbul Biennale
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Murcia
- Cartagena
- Spain
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Madrid
- Rome
- Italy
- Turkey
- Northern Africa