Salma Tuqan and Stefan Benchoam visited Aotearoa New Zealand as guests of the Creative New Zealand Te Manu Ka Tau international visitor programme. Spending time in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (hosted by Artspace Aotearoa and the Office for Contemporary Art Aotearoa), Ōtautahi Christchurch (hosted by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and The Physics Room) and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington (hosted by Te Papa Tongarewa), their programme included studio and gallery visits, alongside meetings with curators in each location.
Stefan Benchoam from Guatemala City is an artist and exhibition maker with a strong interest in collaboration. As an artist, he has participated in exhibitions at, amongst others, La Casa Encendida, Madrid; The White Cubicle Toilet Gallery., London; La Loseta, San Juan; LACMA Los Angeles; MAZ (Guadalajara; and MADC, San José. He is co-founder of Buró de Intervenciones Públicas, which develops projects in public spaces. He is co-founder and director of Proyectos Ultravioleta, a multivalent hybrid space/gallery for contemporary art, and is co-founder / co-director of NuMu-Guatemala's only contemporary art museum.
Salma Tuqan is a Palestinian contemporary art and design curator and cultural strategist. She is Director of Nottingham Contemporary, a leading centre of contemporary art in the UK. Prior to this she has been Deputy Director of Delfina Foundation and the Contemporary Middle East Curator at the V&A. She is also a committee member of the Santo Domingo Centre of Excellence for Latin American Research at the British Museum, London; Arab Image Foundation, Beirut; Art on the Underground, London; and Rivers Institute, New Orleans; Strategic Advisor to NuMu, Guatemala City; and former trustee of the Crossway Foundation, London, and The Palestinian Museum, Birzeit.
Events
Question time: A lecture by Stefan Benchoam and Salma Tuqan
An opportuity to hear Stefan Benchoam and Salma Tuqan introduce their work as curators and arts organisers through the lens of the Artspace Aotearoa 2024 annual question “do I need territory?”
The lecture was followed by a Q&A
Booking encouraged but not essential
Wednesday 30 October 2024
6pm - 7pm
Artspace Aotearoa, 292 Karangahape Road
Free and open to all, information on access
RSVP here
In focus with Stefan Benchoam and Salma Tuqan: Curatorial emergence
Stefan Benchoam and Salma Tuqan led this In Focus session to explore the practical challenges faced by emergent practitioners as they develop curatorial practice, set up artist-run spaces, or look to establish new models for supporting, displaying, and exchanging within the cultural sector. In sketching out the challenges, the group discussed and developed potential strategies to support projects forward.
Friday 1 November 2024
10am - 2pm
Artspace Aotearoa, 292 Karangahape Road
This session required an expression of interest, there are no drop ins. Spaces limited to 15 participants.
This kaupapa is presented in association with Creative New Zealand and Artspace Aotearoa, with additional generous support from Sonja and Glenn Hawkins, and Lenore West.