Project Summary

Ikono is dedicated to increasing the exposure of all art practice and heritage in the Arab region, from the antique to the contemporary, through virtual platforms and TV programs. IkonoMenasa is a 24-hour art channel devoted exclusively to the showcasing of art with no commercial breaks and no added narrative, comment or music. While more and more countries show increasing internet usage, a large part of society is still not able or permitted to access exhibition spaces: some regions lack galleries and art academies, some countries do not allow women to enter exhibitions alone, some countries are censored by political restrictions. Ikono aims to serve as a virtual exhibition space, inviting contributions from curators and artists, and offering viewers from across the world valuable time and space to encounter works of art.

Presentation Proposal

ikonoTV is a collaboration between professional art historians, creative producers, artists and editors to produce an art format in association with a high definition TV channel delivered by Arabsat. In the past, ikonoTV has produced exhibition trailers at its own expense for non-profit art spaces and upcoming artists whose work showed a clear necessity to be presented to a broad audience. ikonoTV would like to enlarge this programme to include those who need broadcasting and advertisement. For an increased mutual understanding and awareness of cultures, ikonoTV would like to extend its efforts to present art to the Arab world, which will require a network of curators and artists.”

Speaker

Elizabeth Markevitch has served as a consultant for private collectors, head of the art fund Artemis, founder and head of the art advisory department of J. Henry Schröder Bank, and Senior Manager of the paintings department at Sotheby’s Geneva. In 1999 Markevitch co-founded the online contemporary art retailer Eyestorm. Since then she has focused on developing new ways to deal and show art. The 46664 - 1 Minute of Art to Aids project brought to life the very first example of this concept by commissioning leading artists to create one minute films representing their vision on HIV/AIDS (for 46664, The Event). In 2006 she founded ikono.tv, a high definition television channel dedicated to the presentation of the visual arts with the aim of becoming an alternative exhibition platform.

December 2011

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