Art Cluster
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
Amar Kanwar, Courtesy of the artist Exhibitions: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary – Augarten Scherzergasse 1A 1020 Vienna T +43 1 513 98 56 24 E augarten@tba21.org Opening hours: Wed., Thu. 12:00 noon–5:00 p.m. Fri.–Sun. 12:00 noon–7:00 p.m. Office: Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Köstlergasse 1 1060 Vienna T +43 1 513 98 56 0 F +43 1 513 98 56 22 E tba21@tba21.org www.tba21.org
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Exhibition
“Amar Kanwar: The Sovereign Forest” OPENING
Exhibition “Amar Kanwar: The Sovereign Forest” Friday, 22 November 2013 7:00 p.m. Amar Kanwars work deals with political, social and environmental issues in the context of the Indian subcontinent, synthesizing documentary, travelogue and essay formats into poetic films and multichannel installations. “The Sovereign Forest”, commissioned and co-produced by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary since 2011, is an ongoing research project that examines the social and environmental impact of mining on the local community in Orissa, a state on the eastern coast of India. The central film, titled “The
Scene of Crime”, shows stretches of land – already approved for acquisition by companies – shortly before their destruction. The film deals with the question of how and to what degree the war on people and the environment raging in Orissa since the 1990s can be made tangible and perceptible. “Almost every image in this film references the same areas that will be repurposed into industrial zones and are currently in the process of being acquired by the government and corporations in Orissa. ‘The Scene of Crime’ documents the experience of ‘observing’ these conflict areas and the personal lives that exist within this natural landscape,” explains Kanwar.
EXHIBITION
“Amar Kanwar: The Sovereign Forest” 23 November 2013–February 2014