Philagrafika 2010 | January - April 2010
Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious is the inaugural presentation of a multi-sited international festival of contemporary art that will occur in Philadelphia every four years. Philagrafika 2010 will focus on artistic practices that engage the visual, intellectual and creative frontiers in printmaking and how these approaches relate to social and political issues in the public sphere.
Led by Artistic Director José Roca, co-curator of the 27th São Paulo Bienal and the first San Juan Poli/Graphic Triennial, the project’s framework reflects leading cultural and aesthetic concerns. It will involve a variety of venues, including museums, colleges and universities, galleries, print shops and professional organizations in an examination of printmaking thru its wide-ranging impact. The quadrennial will comprise exhibitions, installations, an international conference, public programs and events around the city.
Mr. Roca assembled a curatorial team from Philadelphia institutions. The team members represent a broad range of experience and are distinguished nationally. They include: Sheryl Conkelton, Director, Temple Gallery, Temple University; Lorie Mertes, Director/Chief Curator of The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design; and Shelley Langdale, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
This first incarnation of Philagrafika takes inspiration from the city of Philadelphia itself. Philagrafika 2010 is anchored intentionally in the history of the city and its art and historical collections. Philadelphia enjoys both an unusual level of cooperation among institutions, as well as a wealth of materials in their collections that serve as iconographical sources for new work. In this nexus of exploration, artists who appropriate or respond to historical materials and technologies as inspiration will have more than 20 special collections to mine for projects. This collaborative initiative will include Philadelphia's most prominent cultural and educational institutions along with community-based organizations and non-traditional sites throughout Philadelphia. To date, more than 40 institutions are interested in participating in the quadrennial at large. Within the framework of Philagrafika 2010, each institution will develop exhibitions and/or residency-based artist projects. Other non-traditional venues await selection, pending the development of site-specific projects.
For The Graphic Unconscious José Roca will work with the curatorial team to assemble the work of approximately 100 artists to present a state-of-the-art cross section of today’s art. This multi-sited exhibition will establish the thematic frame for the festival. Partnering institutions for the thematic exhibition include: Moore College of Art and Design, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Temple Gallery, Temple University and The Print Center.
For more background on the curatorial team, the institutional partners and the Curatorial Advisory committee please click on the links to the left.For more information about Philagrafika 2010, please visit this page again for updates, or email cperkins@@philagrafika.org.
Support for the development of Philagrafika 2010 has been provided by the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, funded by the Pew Charitable trusts, and administered by The University of the Arts.