So this year’s Melbourne International Arts Fest program has been launched, and if it’s aaaaaaall white!
Seriously, what the fest? 2009’s program is almost entirely sourced from Anglo Europe, North America and Australia.
The only exceptions I can find are Festival regulars The Black Arm Band (now with Added Jimmy Barnes!); a Japanese multimedia artist collaborating on the three poetry nights at the Planetarium; a Brazilian art movement retrospective; an art installation from six African-born artists; and some music acts aimed at the young folk in the Becks Bar “Rumpus Room”.
This in a festival with hundreds of performances, exhibitions and events over 17 days.
Otherwise:
Theatre: Australia, Belgium, Belgium, England/Germany, Ireland, Australia, Australia.
Dance: Australia/Iceland, Germany, Belgium, Israel/England
Opera: Germany
Film: US, UK (there’s a doco on an ex-Iraqi heavy metal band)
Visual Art: France, Australia/South Africa, Australia, UK, France, UK/USA, US, Australia, UK, Australia, Australia, Australia, Australia, ad nauseum.
Why are non-whiteys pretty much confined to the music section? And apart from the Black Arm Band, they’re all in the Rumpus Room (which sounds just like the MIFF club, and is in the same location, but has an infantilising name). The serious music - there's a heckuva lotta classical - is all Bach and the MSO and some American organist guy whose repertoire will include a piece from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
I scratch my noggin, I really do.
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6 comments:
"The only exceptions I can find are Festival regulars The Black Arm Band (now with Added Jimmy Barnes!); a Japanese multimedia artist collaborating on the three poetry nights at the Planetarium; a Brazilian art movement retrospective; an art installation from six African-born artists; and some music acts aimed at the young folk in the Becks Bar “Rumpus Room”."
i disagree when comparing last years program with this years I think you'll find Beans, Brain Failure, Melt Banana, Bishi, Rogerio Duarte, Ramallah Underground, Julian Yu, Black Arm Band and others to redress any diversity balance you may have found out of whack.
It shows your own bias to gloss over "some music acts" dismissing a truly exciting music program which is not to your particular taste - which is fine - but to call a festival racist is just poor form.
Racist? The festival isn't racist at all. And as Alison Croggon's pointed out, it's all too easy to whinge about what's *missing* from the program (which is what I'm doing here) rather than exploring what's included.
But perhaps I'm just used to Edmunds' consistent programming of work from across Asia throughout the festival, not just in one form. If the Becks' Bar roster was 95% white and the rest of the program was very culturally diverse, I'd feel strongly about that too.
And this isn't just to wax nostalgic for Edmunds' programming, which I often disliked as well. Geez, I've chewed off several people's ears complaining about the cultural monstrosity that was Wilson's I La Galigo, for starters.
Artists and arts administrators love to talk about the need for more "dialogue" about the arts. I'd like this to become one of those...
So this year’s Melbourne International Arts Fest program has been launched, and if it’s aaaaaaall white!
Why are non-whiteys pretty much confined to the music section?
Artists and arts administrators love to talk about the need for more "dialogue" about the arts. I'd like this to become one of those...
Hi John, this is Simon Maidment, the Visual Arts Coordinator of the Festival, here for some dialoguing.
You've knowingly misrepresented the program I've worked on, along with the rest of the Festival, and as part of this dialogue you might find it in you to apologise to me and amend your post to be at least somewhat accurate. The international representation of the Visual Arts program (which has been developed with all the presenting galleries) has artists from the following countries; France, England, Scotland, Sweden, Finland, Germany, USA, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Brazil, Liberia, Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa, as well as Australia.
Just because you don't recognise their names doesn't mean they aren't there... (and a heads up, they actually have black people in the UK and USA too)
Personally I think it's really important to include local content by local artists within this international context (even though really it sits outside the brief of the Festival), though you don't appear to agree.
The charactisation of the other areas of the program are similarly inaccurate by the way.
I don't mind criticism, just try to steer away from inaccurate, hurtful, misleading and hysterical smearing.
In the spirit of dialogue, Simon Maidment.
Simon - blogs are spaces for opinion and Born Dancin is entitled to his (particularly on his own page!!).
There will be more criticism in all sorts of areas about the program before the year is out.
You can't please everyone - but to ask BD to apologise is pretty absurd. This critique is neither hysterical nor smearing, and shouldn't be taken as a hurtful, personal attack. Toughen up, man!
Obviously BD's intent is to look at culturally diverse programming, what it is currently like and what it should be like. I'd be keen to hear your opinion on that.
Many people know that MIAF's approach to other arts festivals this year has been less than collaborative, and downright forceful.
Dialogue is just what we need.
Sorry Simon. I don't mean to be hurtful or hysterical in any way. I know what a task it is to program any kind of festival, and think the visual arts/design aspect of this year's MIAF is stronger than in the past few years. Same with the music I appear to dismiss - I'll be the first in line for some Japanese noise rock and Chinese punk.
Kristy Edmunds' programs were constantly attacked by a "conservative constituency" (population: two, as far as I know); I only thought it fair to state what I find lacking in this year's line-up. It's my blog, so I'm free to have a moan, but the readership here is tiny.
If my posts seem knee-jerky, that's my mistake. I'll try to generate more fruitful discussion in the next few days.
"... here for some dialoguing."
Gawd. What pompous twittery. Simon, if that's the way you speak, I ain't listening.
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