BARCELONA.- Han Nefkens Foundation—in partnership with MACBA Barcelona, MUAC Mexico City, and The Bass Miami Beach—announces a new art initiative: The Han Nefkens Foundation, MACBA, Barcelona, MUAC, Mexico City and The Bass Miami—Moving Image Commission 2023.
The Moving Image Commission 2023 will be be an important resource and tool for increasing and supporting contemporary artistic production in the moving image field. This trans-institutional partnership is the inaugural edition of the commission: each will be biennial —starting in autumn 2023—and each edition will be guided by a thematic and investigative concept agreed upon by the three partner institutions.
The awardee (an artist or a collective of artists) will receive 100,000 USD for the production of a new work, which will be co-owned and presented by each of the partner institutions. Furthermore, one edition of the work will be included in their collections in the form of a co-ownership, bringing fresh discourses to the institutions while enabling a broader outreach for the work.
The Moving Image Commission involves the production of a screen-based video artwork, excluding feature-length documentary filmmaking. The award is intended to further the work of artists or collectives with a proven professional trajectory in this field of artistic practice who have not yet had an opportunity to present their work extensively, serving as an important source of support to enhance their career. There is no age, nationality, nor geographical restrictions for nominated artists and they do not need to be specialists in the theme of each edition, however related work or ongoing research is a plus.
Ecology is the concept for the first edition. The increasing urgencies related to the environmental crisis engulfing Planet Earth has amplified humankind’s unsustainable reliance on the natural habitat. In the name of unrelenting progress over the centuries, Earth has been pushed to its limits through unbridled exploitation of its natural resources. This has in turn led to the extreme weather conditions and pollution impacting daily life and thus the extreme social and economic inequalities. How can humankind come to terms with these conditions and create a path towards an ecological transition that reformulates the relationship between humans and nature?
Han Nefkens, Han Nefkens Foundation: “I’m excited to start this new commission. Not only because we will be collaborating with three renowned art institutions but also because the need to focus on ecology becomes every day more urgent. As our world faces unprecedented environmental crisis, I look forward to seeing how the chosen candidate will give form to this burning issue.”
Elvira Dyangani Ose, Director of MACBA Barcelona: “MACBA is thrilled to be part of this trans- institutional initiative that generates a platform for critical dialogues between esteemed colleagues to reflect on urgent matters of our time and to support and accompany artists who will be key figures in this medium while fostering sustainable forms of collecting.”
Amanda De La Garza Matam Director of MUAC Mexico DF: “For MUAC, participating in this joint initiative with two renowned museums and the Nefkens Foundation, is a key opportunity to engage in a relevant and productive dialogue, and at the same time to foster art works that can shape the conversation on critical issues of our times.”
Silvia Karman Cubiñá, Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Bass Miami, “The Bass is proud to be part of this new initiative with Han Nefkens Foundation, in partnership with MACBA Barcelona and MUAC Mexico City. The Moving Image Commission 2023 is an innovative framework to support commissioning new media works by international artists while taking the support a step further by providing a mechanism for the works to become part of museum collections.”
Han Nefkens Foundation
The Han Nefkens Foundation is a private, non-profit organisation set up in Barcelona in 2009 by Dutch writer and patron, Han Nefkens. It focuses on the production of video art, with the aim of connecting people through art across the world, collaborating with renowned international art institutions. The Foundation’s founding values have defined it from the beginning as an innovative and forward-thinking model: a production hub that oversees and promotes contemporary creation from the very first moments until the final presentation. Positioned as a platform for video artists to advance their careers, its main activity is to commission new works through production grants on an international level.
The Bass, Miami Beach
The Bass, Miami Beach’s contemporary art museum, creates connections between international contemporary art and the museum's diverse audiences. The Bass shares the power of contemporary art through experiences that excite, challenge and educate. Focusing on exhibitions of international contemporary art, The Bass presents mid-career and established artists reflecting the spirit and international character of Miami Beach. The Bass seeks to expand the interpretation of contemporary art by incorporating disciplines of contemporary culture, such as design, fashion and architecture, into the exhibition program. The exhibition program encompasses a wide range of media and artistic points of view that bring new thought to the diverse cultural context of Miami Beach. Central to the museum’s mission, The Bass maintains a vigorous education program for lifelong learning and visitors of all ages. The Bass IDEAS education initiative uses art as a catalyst for creativity and positive growth, especially in the area of early childhood education. The active school program led by the City of Miami Beach called STEAM+, takes The Bass IDEAS off-site by engaging children in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and integrating arts education into the curriculum.
MACBA, Barcelona
MACBA is a public institution dedicated to contemporary art and a platform for encounters and experimentation. Since it opened its doors in 1995, it has established itself as a preeminent centre thanks to its singular and often innovative museological praxis, consolidating its position as a space for the formulation of collective consciousness, professional rigour, and public debate. The museum fosters the production of knowledge at the intersection of art, social sciences, and political intervention. It has become a nexus for leading voices and movements of contemporary times, achieving a balanced tension between its institutional role and its commitment to critical thinking and social transformation. An international institution for raising awareness through contemporary art and cultural practices MACBA is an open, inclusive, forward-thinking museum and driving force in supporting contemporary artistic practices in Barcelona’s diverse and vibrant landscape and beyond.
MUAC, Mexico DF
Since its foundation, the University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC) has been a cornerstone in the evolution of Mexican contemporary art institutions by providing a wide audience with a far- reaching artistic program that combines the experience of aesthetic excitement with intellectual depth. As a university and public museum, it is a centre for the construction of knowledge and encounters, somewhere conversations about society, academia and art history take place. MUAC is a space that produces sensory, affective and intellectual experiences, offering different publics a diverse array of possibilities for exploring their own individuality. MUAC presents itself as a productive and inventive agent and implements its work following five strategic lines: Academic, which produces and disseminates critical knowledge; Curatorial, which generates platforms and aesthetic experiences; Educational, responsible for facilitating meaningful learning and promoting knowledge; Communicational, which intends to build and engage with communities; and Sustainability, which allows the Museum to establish socially responsible alliances in support of the space and its purposes.
