Sharjah Biennial 9: Provisions for the Future

The ninth edition of the Sharjah Biennial, titled Provisions for the Future, ran from March 19 to May 16, 2009, under the artistic direction of Jack Persikian and curated by Isabel Carlos. It featured around sixty artists selected via an open call, responding to local and global issues. Works addressed armed conflicts, economic crisis, and rapid urbanization, balanced with humor. Highlights included Halil Altindere's Portrait of the Sheikh (2009) hiding a safe, Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen's In Shallah (2005) neon and Rendez-vous (2009) video on immigrant labor, Sharif Waked's To Be Continued subverting martyr videos with One Thousand and One Nights, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige's Faces altering martyr portraits, Reem Al Gaith's Dubai: What's Left of Her Land? critiquing architectural excess, Yonamine's Katchokwe Style (2009) referencing Angolan sand drawings with G.W. Bush effigy, Basma Al Sharif's We Began By Measuring Distance (2009) video on information futility, Haris Epaminonda's Polaroids (2009) from 1950s-60s magazines, Laurent Grasso's neon The wider the vision, the narrower the statement and video Spy Falcon (2009), and a performance and film program Past Of The Coming Days curated by Tarek Abou El Fetouh, including Tarek Atoui's Un-drum/Strategies of Surviving Noise (2008-2009). The Mumbai collective Camp created a radio for Indian immigrants and Wharfage, a documentary catalog of ship cargoes between Somalia and the Emirates.