The GCC-based initiative has changed its 2020 programme to respond to current events.
Art Jameel, a GCC-based initiative (with locations in Dubai and Jeddah) that aims to support regional art and creative communities, has launched an open call for its 2020 commissions programme, themed ‘digital’.
While it was originally themed ‘drawing and painting’, the organisation has adjusted its plan to respond to the ongoing challenges presented by the outbreak of Covid-19.
Through an open call, Art Jameel Commissions: Digital invites artists based in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, as well as around the world with links back to the region, to submit projects that create interactive experiences for online audiences. With a focus on ‘time’, the competition is looking for submissions that “think through how our usual concept of time has been challenged by technology and circumstance, and even at times, appears to be cancelled, lost or frozen.”
The jury includes Nadim Samman, curator for the Digital Sphere at KW Institute for Contemporary Art; Jenna Sutela, Finnish digital and organic media artist; Ben Vickers, publisher and chief technology officer at the Serpentine Gallers; and members of Art Jameel’s curatorial team.
The winner of Art Jameel Commissions: Digital will receive a cash prize of $7,500, technical mentorship from MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab, and curatorial and production support.
The programme is part of Art Jameel’s longstanding interest in commissioning artists to make new works, often for the public realm. Intended to run a three-year cycle, the Art Jameel Commissions theme was ‘sculpture’ in 2018, and ‘arts, writing and research’ in 2019.
The deadline for submissions is 10 June, 2020. Those interested can click this link to see the full brief.