IASKA

After ten years of operations in and around the town of Kellerberrin, IASKA is greatly expanding the scope of its activities. IASKA’s new core program is Spaced: an international biennial event that will reach communities throughout Western Australia as well several overseas locations.
Spaced will feature commissioned visual and media arts projects created by artists working on-site with a wide range of local social and environmental situations. Centring on contemporary art practices with a strong social focus, Spaced will comprise context-responsive projects, international exchanges and a multi-purpose online hub. The outcome of this inter-related cycle of activities will be showcased in a large group exhibition in Perth. The broad theme of the event is an exploration of the evolving relationship between globalisation and local identity.

Selected artists will be offered a substantial remuneration package inclusive of artist’s fee, materials and production costs, travel allowance, accommodation and a car.

Curatorial objectives

Spaced aims to:

Focus on artistic practices that intervene in the fabric of everyday life and straddle the boundaries of art, science and technology, social activism, design and architecture.
Commission the creation of works that result from a process of negotiation and consultation between artists and specific social groups.
Create a new type of international art event as an alternative to traditional art biennales that often have little relation to the places in which they are held.
Facilitate the creation of artworks that strike a balance between situation-specificity and gallery display, two modes of public presentation that often operate in isolation from each other.
Provide regional organisations and artists with an opportunity for professional development and skills improvement.
Offer extensive mentoring and educational opportunities for regional school students and young people.
Implement a collegial organisational and curatorial structure involving the participation of a network of partner organisations and communities.
Promote a dialogue between realities that are usually separated by cultural, social, economic, ethnic or geographical distances.
Diversify the life experience of artists so that a comprehensive experience of Australian culture, in its many forms, will be reflected in the contemporary arts.

Event structure and timeline

Spaced comprises:

A series of concurrent context-responsive, residency-based projects with a strong social focus. Projects will be run mainly in regional and rural communities across Western Australia. A limited number of international exchanges will complement this part of the program. Timeline: February – July 2011
An interactive, multi-purpose online platform that will link the geographically dispersed sites participating in the event. Artists and communities may use the platform to research, plan and document projects, exchange experiences and create original online works. Timeline: ongoing
A group exhibition showcasing the artistic and social outcomes of projects. The exhibition will be held in Perth. Timeline: TBA
A subsequent national touring exhibition presenting a selection of the works and an extensive multimedia documentation on the event to audiences across Australia and, if feasible, in selected international locations. Timeline: 2012-14
Mentoring and educational activities. Timeline: ongoing
A companion publication. Timeline: October-November 2011

Deadline: Expressions of interest must be received by June 21 2010.

Application package: email: projects@iaska.com.au

About IASKA

SPACED is a project conceived and developed by IASKA (formerly the International Art Space Kellerberrin Australia). IASKA was originally developed from a collaboration between farmers and art professionals who shared an interest in exploring the relationship between the global and local dimensions of cultural identity through art. Until 2008 IASKA’s activities were mainly based in and around the town of Kellerberrin in the Western Australian Wheatbelt. IASKA’s new program, however, will extend to a wide range locations and communities. Since 1998 IASKA has: Run 66 situation-specific projects by artists from 14 countries. Organised three national touring exhibitions that have travelled to 16 venues across five States of Australia attracting over 100,000 visitors. Run over 70 educational workshops for rural schools. Run mentoring projects for over 50 rural and metropolitan young and emerging artists and art professionals.

Contact IASKA

+618 9228 2444
admin@iaska.com.au
PO BOX 8087 PERTH BC WA 6849
Australia

www.iaska.com.au
iaskaprojects.wordpress.com
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IASKA has been assisted by the Community Partnerships Committee and Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body, and by the Western Australian Government through the Department of Culture and the Arts and Lotterywest