A Global Conversation in Art

World Factory: Shotgun Review

Mario Rizzi, Murat and Ismail, 2005. DVCAM film, Dolby stereo sound

In recent years, San Francisco has experienced an influx of internationally-respected curators, whose work here challenges the often-criticized provincialism of our city. Most palpably, the healthy rivalry between SFAI and CCA to bring in top names in the field has had a galvanizing effect on the Bay Area scene, as newcomers and locals alike compete to heighten our awareness of global issues and artists. Hou Hanru—famous for exhibitions such as Z.O.U.—Zone of Urgency at the 2003 Venice Biennale and the touring exhibition Cities on the Move, and now SFAI’s Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs—launched an ante-upping volley this spring with his epic three-part exhibition World Factory.

"We are again a city to be reckoned with, our local politicians promoting environmentalism and diplomacy on the national and international stages. So should we encourage a global conversation in art, which neither prioritizes nor excludes our own." - Anuradha Vikram.

Dialogues

SFAI announces the launch of Dialogues, an ongoing series of podcasts featuring some of our distinguished visiting artists and scholars. The podcasts can be played in a browser window and are also available for free in the iTunes store, where you can subscribe to the series. Available now are Carlos Basualdo, Paul Chan, Laura Hoptman, Alfredo Jaar, William Kentridge, Rem Koolhaas, and Chris Kraus.




Alfredo Jaar
The Eyes of Gutete Emerita, 1996
Two quad vision light boxes with six b/w text transparencies and two colour transparencies

Private Desire Vs. Public Virture in Architecture

KQED Forum:

Explores the intersection between public and private spheres in the world of architecture.
Host: Michael Krasny

Guests:
Didier Faustino, artist and architect

Donald MacDonald , architect

Hou Hanru, director of exhibitions and public programs at the San Francisco Art Institute

Sandra Vivanco, architect

Castro fears biofuel plans will hurt world's poor

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro returned again to public debate -- if not view -- on Wednesday with a newspaper column denouncing U.S. promotion of using food crops for biofuels.

For the second time in less than a week, Castro chided the Bush administration for its support of ethanol production for automobiles, a move that the 80-year-old revolutionary said would leave the world's poor hungry.

"From where and who will they supply the more than 500 million tons of corn and other cereals that United States, Europe and the rich countries are going to need to produce the quantity of gallons of ethanol that the big companies of the United States and other countries demand in return for their many investments?" he asked.

Ortega Government Shows Some Response to Civil Society Demands

While nothing is certain about the direction of this new government, it merits attention that within the first week of taking office, the Ortega administration announced the end of the IMF-pushed school autonomy policy, the launch of a program to revitalize small-scale farming, and the appointments of an anti-privatization activist to head the public water utility and a labor rights activist to lead the Labor Ministry. At the same time, these policy shifts are not the brainchild of any one politician or political party. They are the result of a growing civil-society consensus, backed by mounting public pressure, that the U.S.-promoted neoliberal model has only further impoverished Nicaragua.

China's Power Erodes Free-Trade Support in Developing Nations

China's emergence as a world trade powerhouse, blamed in the U.S. and Western Europe for the loss of thousands of factory jobs, is having an even more severe impact on developing nations. Support for free trade is dwindling as industry groups in countries around the globe lobby for protection against Chinese competition.