Miners Make Pilgrimage to Manifesta

On Sept. 10, thousands of miners travelled to a defunct coalmine, the venue for this year's Manifesta 9, a European art biennial that changes venues every two years. This edition, titled "The Deep of the Modern" marked the 25th anniversary of the closing of the mine in Genk, Belgium. Before a celebration cocktail in the evening, the miners were invited with their families to visit the exhibition, as the building and the works in the show relate to their past and culture.

Curated by Cuauhtémoc Medina, Katerina Gegos and Dawn Ades, this exhibition focuses on the effects of coal on art. This exhibition examines how coal affected and defined artistic production, on the collective memory of the coalminers, and offers some contemporary reflections on the changes that incurred in the production system worldwide in the 21st century. "This is and was a memorable moment for the mine workers in Limburg, which forces us to remember the 100 years of coalmining in Europe, the social struggle of the coal miners and to acknowledge the impact the closure of coalmining and the conversion processes afterwards had on our current industrial and social changes and structures," Hedwig Fijen, Director of Manifesta, told A.i.A. via email.
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Paris-Berlin Gallery Exchange Opens in Summer, With Half the Galleries

For the fourth edition of the Berlin-Paris gallery exchange [June 29–July 7], seven galleries from each city temporarily traded stables. "The main aim is to create a dialogue between gallerists, curators and critics from the two European cities and relationships that continue also after the event," says Cathy Larqué of the French Institute in Berlin, who organized this year's edition.

Usually held in January, this year's exchange was postponed for warmer weather. It might not have been the best timing, since many major galleries recently concluded a travel marathon that began with Frieze New York and ended in Basel (and included stops as far as Hong Kong). Twenty-eight galleries—twice as many—participated last year.
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Art HK Founders to Launch Modern and Contemporary Art Fair in London

Martin Creed to Cook Up Projects at London's Sketch

"I want the whole world to be in it," says Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed about his new project, launching Mar. 1, which will transform the Gallery restaurant at London Sketch.

For Martin Creed at Sketch the artist will create a series of new artworks that engage design. "We initially approached Martin for the project as his practice already encompassed a playful approach to the public realm and he engages with site in a very lyrical but functional way," explains Victoria Brooks, curator of the exhibition program at Sketch since 2006.
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