Today I Made Nothing



PRESS RELEASE  Whitstable Biennale 2008,  21 June to 6 July


Whitstable Biennale 2008 announces winners of major award:

"Let art be the balm that heals society"

says Bob and Roberta Smith one of the judges for the The Whitstable Biennale
2008 Open Submission Award.  The selection committee comprised Bob and
Roberta Smith (artist), Sue Jones (Director, Whitstable Biennale) and
Charlotte Cullinan (Cullinan & Richards, artists)

This major award was open to both established and emerging artists living
both in the UK and internationally. There were a massive two hundred and
seventy seven entries with many submissions coming from outside the UK and
applications from as far away as Japan. The recipient(s) of the cash prize
win the opportunity create a new work for the Whitstable Biennale 2008
providing them with huge audiences.

Winners: Oreet Ashery and Mike Chavez-Dawson

Oreet Ashery¹s work tends to be complex and relational, but at the same time
humorous and accessible to a wide variety of audiences and communities.

Frequently Ashery will produce work as a character. Her characters include a
rabbit, a black man, a Norwegian postman, a fat farmer and an Arab man,
among others. Marcus Fisher, an orthodox Jewish man is Ashery¹s most
consistent character.

Oreet Ashery will be creating a new performance work entitled ŒThe Saints of
Whitstable¹. Ashery, The Saint, together with disciples, will set up a study
centre from which to carry out a range of saintly activities over the two
weeks. 

Mike Chavez-Dawson is creating a temporary cinema-inspired environment,
designed to play host to a series of performances using the skills of a
local hypnotist and the artist's ability to visualise an entire film from
memory.  The work is entitled ŒThe Mind Projected Cinema¹ . Audiences will
be asked to take part, watching Rorschach images from the titles of Peter
Cushing films, and imagining the films into being.

Within easy reach of London, 45mins by car and just over an hour by train,
Whitstable is fast becoming the coolest art event in the UK.

Under the directorship of Sue Jones the event is now recognized
internationally, and is one of the UK's most important platforms for both
established and emerging contemporary artists: Sue Jones says " I encourage
the artists I commission to take risks and this has really paid off. People
are very excited by this year¹s line up"

2008 Whitstable Biennale Artists include:

Major new works by:

Jananne Al-Ani €  Oreet Ashery €  Clio Barnard €  Mike Chavez-Dawson €  Nick
Crowe €  Ryan Gander €  Serena Korda

Artists giving performances include:

Neil Bromwich & Zoe Walker €   Sian Robinson Davies €   Natash Vicars €
Beatty Hallas €   Roz Hilton €   Robin Deacon €   Chris Yates €   Mark
Butcher €   Sandra Pearson €   Charlie Tweed €   Emma Leach €   Frog Morris
€   Kim Noble €   Katy Richardson €   Lee Campbell €   Victor Mount €
Leigh Clarke €   Mark Quinn €   Andy Malone €   Sally O¹Reilly & Mel
Brimfield €   Charlotte Young €   James Topple €   Colin Riddle €   Darren
Callow

Screenings include:

Bruce Naumann €   Vito Acconci €   Roman Signer €   Rebecca Horn €   Gordon
Matta Clark €   Sarah Turner €   Tony Foster €   Hope Fitzgerald €   Ruth
Beale & Karen Mirza €   Joan Jonas €   Erwin Wurm

Education Programme (including new works):

Alex Schady €   Abigail Hunt €   Abi Gilchrist €   Alice Walton €   Serena
Korda

Satellite Programme:

Over 70 artists are participating in the Whitstable Biennale Satellite
programme entitled ŒLOCAL¹. The title is somewhat ironic and questions the
idea of Œbelonging¹ or Œrelating to¹ a particular area or neighbourhood. The
fringe programme has evolved in parallel with the Whitstable Biennale and
showcases the work of up and coming artists from all over the UK.

Biennale Bag 2008:

Bob and Roberta Smith has been commissioned to design a limited edition
Biennale Bag for Whitistable Biennale 2008

Contact:

Simon Steven
Press Office (UK)
Whitstable Biennale 2008
+44 (0)1843 596 194
press@whitstablebiennale.com

http://www.whitstablebiennale.com