Peter Lewis, Leeds Beckett lecturer is nominated for Global Fine Art Award
On receiving the nomination, Peter said: “Though it is in its infancy, the award is regarded as significant since some of the most important museums in the world, including Tate Modern, are included, and some of the most globally celebrated directors and artists. I cannot but be honoured to be nominated in this field at such a high level; it is an extraordinary achievement.”
In its second year, the GFAA is the first annual programme to recognise the best curated art and design exhibitions and installations worldwide. The awards honour innovation in design, historical context, educational value, and public appeal.
Peter is nominated for his work, /seconds (2004-2014), at the Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates; the art centre of the Arab world. Peter said: “The Foundation is possibly among the most important organisations for new developments in art exhibitions, providing platforms for dialogue, and exchange, contextualising works produced in Arab countries in the globally interconnected art world and market.”
/seconds presented a selection of work by 140 artists who contributed to Peter’s online journal of the same name, which has covered a broad range of issues and art practices from different cultural perspectives.
Peter added: “Leeds Beckett awarded me the Research Fellowship in 2004, allowing me the opportunity to produce /seconds. Its research evolved from my previous work as an independent ‘artist-curator’ for various organisations (especially within the London ‘alternative’ scene of the 1990s). I was invited to guest curate for contemporary art museums both nationally and internationally. For example, my curation of works for ‘Century City’ held at Tate Modern was the first display to be installed in the Turbine Hall. I was commissioned to make a work composed of hundreds of posters along the full length of the Hall, alongside video works shown in rooms designed by Caruso St John (2000-2001). This model of presentation was a breakthrough in how exhibitions can be assembled on a monumental scale through digital technology platforms for publishing, and has provided the template for the Sharjah Foundation exhibition for which I have been nominated.”
/seconds included installations, interactive performance, video, photography and several hundred commissioned posters.
Professor Mohammed Dastbaz, Dean of The Faculty of Arts, Environment and Technology and Pro Vice Chancellor at Leeds Beckett, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Peter has been nominated for the 2015 Global Fine Art Awards in recognition of his very innovative and groundbreaking work for the Sharjah Art Foundation. Considering Peter is competing with the likes of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in NYC, the Hermitage and The Louvre, it demonstrates the international recognition for the work he has produced. I wish him all the best and success for Awards night.”
A total of 67 nominees, including 24 from the top 100 art museums visited in the world, will compete for one of eight coveted awards; from Renaissance, Baroque, Old Masters or Dynasties (1200-1838) to Fringe/Alternative.
The nominees and winners are selected by a panel of expert judges, but a ninth award, known as the Youniversal award, is determined by online public voting.
A virtual experience of all the exhibitions is available at the GFAA website, including an opportunity to vote for the Youniversal award http://globalfineartawards.org/wp/
The decisions will be announced in October, followed by the award winners live in Miami on 30 November during Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the most highly-attended art fairs in the world.
Leeds Beckett University News, 28 September 2015 – Kelly Scotney
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