Notes for tomorrow is an exhibition conceived by Independent Curators International (ICI), featuring artworks selected by curators from around the world to reflect on a new global reality ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this cultural moment of transition, each work is a source of inspiration from the recent past and a guiding perspective for the future.
Many of the artworks in the exhibition address spirituality as a grounding mechanism, sharing ways to make sense of the world when so much is in doubt. Some engage with specific mythology, while others reveal political structures that may or may not still be standing. The formation of monuments is questioned, and their removal is all but certain. The exhibition addresses art’s potential in the construction of collective memory in a global era. We learn the importance of sustaining and sharing different forms of knowledge, prompting us to re-imagine our conceptions of the future.
Notes for tomorrow was curated from selections by alumni of ICI’s Curatorial Intensive, a professional development program founded in 2010 on principles of international exchange, inclusivity, and knowledge-sharing. With the ever-present backdrop of a global pandemic, ICI turned to these curators to question and reassess values and relevance in contemporary culture, and asked each of them to share an artwork they believe is vital to be seen today.
For Notes for tomorrow, the traveling exhibition format has been recalibrated to encourage international collaboration and versatile modes of presentation. Its presentation at Te Uru marks the latest stop in a tour of museums, university galleries, and independent art spaces globally, and the entry of Aotearoa into this conversation, coming at a critical moment in our pandemic experience as we look to opening back up to the world. The Te Uru presentation will include works from Areez Katki, who is based between Aotearoa and Mumbai, India.
Artists included in the exhibition: Madiha Aijaz, Ernesto Bautista, Maeve Brennan, Vajiko Chachkhiani, Luke Luokun Cheng, Nothando Chiwanga, Shezad Dawood, Demian DinéYazhi’, Cao Guimarães, Ilana Harris-Babou, Rei Hayama, Amrita Hepi, INVASORIX, Tamás Kaszás, Ali Kazma, A Liberated Library for Education, Inspiration, and Action (Chicago ACT Collective, Interrupting Criminalization, Undocumented Projects), David Lozano, Mona Marzouk, Joiri Minaya, Peter Morin, Omehen, Daniela Ortiz, Kristina Kay Robinson, Luiz Roque, Mark Salvatus, Yan Shi, Ibrahima Thiam, u/n multitude, Wayne Kaumualii Westlake, and Areez Katki
Contributing Curators: Charles Campbell, Freya Chou, Giulia Colletti, Veronica Cordeiro, Allison Glenn, Tessa Maria Guazon, PJ Gubatina Policarpio, Ivan Isaev, Ross Jordan, Drew Kahu’āina Broderick and Josh Tengan, Esteban King Álvarez, João Laia, Luis Carlos Manjarrés Martínez, Fadzai Veronica Muchemwa, Lydia Y. Nichols, Marie Hélène Pereira, Balimunsi Philip, Josseline Pinto, Florencia Portocarrero, Shahana Rajani, Rachel Reese, Marina Reyes Franco, Mari Spirito, Alexandra Stock, Eszter Szakács, Abhijan Toto, Fatos Üstek, Su Wei, and Sharmila Wood
Notes for tomorrow is organized and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) and initiated by Frances Wu Giarratano, Becky Nahom, Renaud Proch, and Monica Terrero. The exhibition was made possible with the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, VIA Art Fund, and ICI’s Board of Trustees and International Forum. It’s presentation at Te Uru is supported by the Chartwell Trust.
Curated for Te Uru by Tendai Mutambu with assistance from Connie Brown. Exhibition design by Sam Aislabie