ART ''for The'' World is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

(NGO) associated with the

United Nations Department of Public Information United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

( UNDPI). It is based in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and since 2005 has collaborated with its sister association ART ''for The'' World Europa, based in Milan, Italy. In 1995,

Adelina von Fürstenberg Countess Adelina von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (''née'' Cüberyan) is an international curator and one of the field's pioneers in broadening contemporary art. A Swiss citizen of Armenian origin — granddaughter of the Armenian architect Dikran Kalf ...

founded ART ''for The'' World within ''Dialogues de Paix'' (Dialogues of Peace), an international contemporary art exhibition which she curated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

Overview

ART ''for The'' World is inspired by Article 27 of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...

, which proclaims creative activity as an essential part of people's well-being ("Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts..."). Its mission is to create, through the universal language of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, a meaningful and enduring dialogue among people and cultures in order to encourage tolerance and solidarity and to foster

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

as a

human right Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

. ART ''for The'' World works in close collaboration with the artists' community and with the institutions that defend and promote the principles of human rights: the United Nations, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO), the

High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration ...

(UNHCR), and the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. It presents its projects in sites which do not belong to the traditional contemporary art circuit, such as ancient monuments, monasteries, medersas, public buildings, schools, islands, parks, stadium and other open spaces. Art ''for The'' World organises exhibitions, lectures, conferences, publishes books and produces films.

History

Among its main exhibitions, in 1997 Art ''for The'' World organised ''Meditations'', at Medersa Ibn Youssef,

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

with a large number of international artists, such as Alighiero e Boetti,

Shirazeh Houshiary Shirazeh Houshiary (born 15 January 1955) is an Iranian-born English sculptor, installation artist, and painter. She lives and works in London. Life and work Shirazeh Houshiary was born on 15 January 1955 in Shiraz, Iran. She left her native c ...

Ilya Kabakov Ilya Iosifovich Kabakov (Russian: Илья́ Ио́сифович Кабако́в; born September 30, 1933), is a Russian–American conceptual artist, born in Dnipropetrovsk in what was then the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union. He worked ...

, Kacimi,

Anish Kapoor Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK ...

, Rachid Koraichi,

Sol LeWitt Solomon "Sol" LeWitt (September 9, 1928 – April 8, 2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. LeWitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and "structures" (a term he pref ...

, Maria Carmen Perlingeiro, and Chen Zhen. In 1998, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the World Health Organization, it curated the international

travelling exhibition A travelling exhibition, also referred to as a "travelling exhibit" or a "touring exhibition", is a type of exhibition that is presented at more than one venue. Temporary exhibitions can bring together objects that might be dispersed among severa ...

''The Edge of Awareness'', in Geneva, New York, São Paulo, New Delhi and Milan. In 2000, for the 50th anniversary of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR), AfTW created the project ''Playgrounds and Toys'' for

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

children. Since then, it has built playgrounds designed by artists in India, Armenia, and the United Kingdom. Fabrice Gygi,

Fabiana de Barros Fabiana de Barros (born November 27, 1957 in São Paulo) is a Swiss artist of Brazilian origin. She is the daughter of a well-known Brazilian photographer and contemporary artist, Geraldo de Barros, and is also the sister of the artist Lenora ...

Joseph Kosuth Joseph Kosuth (; born January 31, 1945), an American conceptual artist, lives in New York and London,

, Andreas Angelikakis and Eleni Kostika were among the invited artists and architects. In 2001, within the Program for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination of the United Nations, AfTW promoted ''The Overexcited Body'', an international itinerant art exhibition on the role of sport in the contemporary world in Geneva, Milan and São Paulo, with artists such as

Sylvie Fleury Sylvie Fleury (born 24 June 1961) is a Swiss contemporary pop art, pop artist known for her Installation art, installations, sculpture, and mixed media. Her work generally depicts objects with sentimental and aesthetic attachments in Consumerism, ...

Miltos Manetas Miltos Manetas ( el, Μίλτος Μανέτας; born October 6, 1964 in Athens) is a Greek painter and multimedia artist. He currently lives and works in Bogotá. Manetas has created internet art as well as paintings of cables, computers, video ...

Tracey Moffatt Tracey Moffatt (born 12 November 1960) is an Indigenous Australian artist who primarily uses photography and video. In 2017 she represented Australia at the 57th Venice Biennale with her solo exhibition, "My Horizon". Her works are held in th ...

Hélio Oiticica Hélio Oiticica (; July 26, 1937 – March 22, 1980) was a Brazilian visual artist, sculptor, painter, performance artist, and theorist, best known for his participation in the Neo-Concrete Movement, for his innovative use of color, and for ...

, and

Nam June Paik Nam June Paik (; July 20, 1932 – January 29, 2006) was a Korean American artist. He worked with a variety of media and is considered to be the founder of video art. He is credited with the first use (1974) of the term "electronic super hi ...

. In 2005-2007, for the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Women Convention, AfTW organised ''Woman Women'', an international touring exhibition, in Geneva, Florence and São Paulo with artworks by

Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audienc ...

Shirin Neshat Shirin Neshat ( fa, شیرین نشاط; born March 26, 1957 in Qazvin) is an Iranian visual artist who lives in New York City, known primarily for her work in film, video and photography. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and th ...

Wang Du Wang Du () (died March 26, 929''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 276.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter/ref>), né Liu Yunlang (), was a warlord during the early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China as the military governor ('' ...

Ghada Amer Ghada Amer ( ar, غادة عامر, May 22 1963 in Cairo, Egypt) is a contemporary artist, much of her work deals with issues of gender and sexuality. Her most notable body of work involves highly layered embroidered paintings of women's bodies re ...

, and Berlinde De Bruyckere. In 2007-2010 AfTW organized the large itinerant exhibition on Indian art ''Urban Manners. 15 Contemporary Artists from India'', featuring works by internationally well-known Indian artists such as Sheba Chhachhi, Atul Dodiya,

Bharti Kher Bharti Kher is a contemporary artist. In a career spanning nearly three decades, she has worked across painting, sculpture and installation. Throughout her practice she has displayed an unwavering relationship with the body, its narratives, and ...

Subodh Gupta Subodh Gupta, (born 1964) is an Indian contemporary artist based in New Delhi. His work encompasses sculpture, installation, painting, photography, performance and video. Early life and education Gupta was born in Khagaul, a small town in Bih ...

, Ranbir Kaleka,

Jitish Kallat Jitish Kallat (born 1974, Mumbai) is an Indian contemporary artist. He lives and works in Mumbai, India.
The ...

, Raghubir Singh, and

Vivan Sundaram Vivan Sundaram (born 28 May 1943) is an Indian contemporary artist. His parents were Kalyan Sundaram, Chairman of Law Commission of India from 1968 to 1971, and Indira Sher-Gil, sister of noted Indian modern artist Amrita Sher-Gil. He is mar ...

. The exhibition was presented in Milan and São Paulo, Brazil. In 2010 in the contest of the event "Vivere Sani Vivere Bene" (Live Healthy, Live Well), the Fondazione Zoé/Zambon Group invited AfTW to organize an exhibition focused on the theme of health and in particular on breath, as an ideal prosecution of the first collaboration for the exhibition ''The Edge of Awareness'' in 1998 . The exhibition ''Respiro/Breath'' was presented in various spaces and venues around the city of Vicenza, featuring audio and video installations by

Vito Acconci Vito Acconci (, ; January 24, 1940 – April 27, 2017) was an influential American performance, video and installation artist, whose diverse practice eventually included sculpture, architectural design, and landscape design. His foundational p ...

, and Nikos Navridis, and billboards by

Stefano Arienti Stefano Arienti (born 1961) is an Italian artist whose art is inspired by the Arte Povera and Conceptual movements. He lives and works in Milan, Italy. He was born in Asola, Lombardy. His work is made of found materials such as magazines, postcar ...

Alfredo Jaar Alfredo Jaar (; ; born 1956) is a Chilean-born artist, architect, photographer and filmmaker who lives in New York City. He is mostly known as an installation artist, often incorporating photography and covering socio-political issues and war—t ...

, and

Pat Steir Pat Steir (born 1940) is an American painter and printmaker. Her early work was loosely associated with conceptual art and minimalism, however, she is best known for her abstract dripped, splashed and poured "Waterfall" paintings, which she s ...

. In 2011-2012 AfTW organized ''The Mediterranean Approach'', an itinerant exhibition under the auspices of the Cultural Council of the Union pour la Méditerranée (UPM) and Marseille Provence 2013, Cultural Capital of Europe. Aiming to emphasize differences as well as similarities as part of the underlying deep identity connecting all Mediterranean peoples, the exhibition was presented at

Palazzo Zenobio The Ca' Zenobio degli Armeni (Palazzo Zenobio, Ca' Zenobio) is a Baroque-style palace structure in the sestiere of Dorsoduro, in Venice, Italy. The nearby bridge Ponte del Soccorso connects it to the Palazzo Ariani. History The palace initially wa ...

in Venice (2011), during the Venice Biennale, in Marseille at the mac - Museum of Contemporary Art (2012), and will tour to SESC Pinheiros in São Paulo (Brazil) during the São Paulo Biennal in September 2012, in collaboration with the Regional Direction of SESC São Paulo. Since 2008, AfTW has been producing and distributing film projects related to the main human, cultural and social issues. In 2008, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, AfTW produced ''Stories on Human Rights'', a long feature film inspired by the UDHR and composed by a series of short movies directed by 22 video artists (including

Pipilotti Rist Pipilotti Elisabeth Rist (born 21 June 1962) is a Swiss visual artist best known for creating experimental video art and installation art. Her work is often described as surreal, intimate, abstract art, having a preoccupation with the female bo ...

, and

Runa Islam Runa Islam ( bn, রুনা ইসলাম; born 10 December 1970) is a Bangladeshi-born British visual artist and filmmaker based in London. She was a nominee for the 2008 Turner Prize. She is principally known for her film works. Early lif ...

) and independent filmmakers from all over the world (including

Sergei Bodrov Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born June 28, 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the President of the Jury at the 2 ...

, Hany Abu Assad, Abderrhamane Sissako, and Zang-Ke Jia). The film was screened in more than 70 film festivals and events during 2009-2010. In 2010-2011 AfTW produced the new series of seven short films ''THEN AND NOW Beyond Borders and Differences'', under the auspices of the UN

Alliance of Civilizations The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative that attempts to "galvanize international action against extremism" through the forging of international, intercultural dialogue, intercultural and interfaith dialogue, interre ...

and the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

. Inspired by article 18 of the

, "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion", the omnibus film involves seven independent well known filmmakers from five continents promoting

tolerance Tolerance or toleration is the state of tolerating, or putting up with, conditionally. Economics, business, and politics * Toleration Party, a historic political party active in Connecticut * Tolerant Systems, the former name of Veritas Software ...

by creating films and stories highlighting the long-standing historical, spiritual and cultural links across cultures and beliefs. The filmmakers were

Tata Amaral Tata Amaral (born 1960, in São Paulo) is a Brazilian director, writer, producer and actress. She has won various awards across South America, including 'Best director' and 'Best film'. At a young age, Tata lost the father of her daughter. As a ...

(Brazil),

Fanny Ardant Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress and film director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Early life Ardant was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Fr ...

(France), Hüseyin Karabey (Turkey), Masbedo (Italy),

Idrissa Ouedraogo Idrissa is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Idrissa Adam (born 1984), Cameroonian sprinter * Idrissa Camara, Guinean-born dancer and choreographer * Idrissa Camará (born 1992), Bissau-Guinean footballer *Idrissa Couli ...

(Burkina Faso),

Jafar Panahi Jafar Panâhi ( fa, جعفر پناهی, ; born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly associated with the Iranian New Wave film movement. After several years of making short films and working as an ass ...

(Iran), and Robert Wilson (US). A first series of five short movies was screened in a world première at the Museum of Modern Art in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

on the occasion of the 3rd Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, while the short movie ''The Accordion'' by Jafar Panahi was presented in a world première at Venice DaysDie Welt
/ref> during the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

in September 2010. The short ''Chimères Absentes'' by Fanny Ardant was premiered at the

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Sections The Rome Film Festival official program is divided into several sections: Cinema d'Og ...

in October 2010. Since then, both the long feature and the single shorts independently have been distributed in more than 40 film festivals around the world. AfTW is currently working on a new production, the fiction film ''Myths and Misconceptions'' (working title), to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease for future generations and to support the mission of those who are fighting this illness. The film will be composed of six original short movies by worldwide awarded filmmakers, among them whom are

Karim Aïnouz Karim Aïnouz (born 17 January 1966) is a Brazilian film director and visual artist. Career Karim Aïnouz was born to a Brazilian mother and an Algerian father. He is a film director, screenwriter and visual artist. Aïnouz's feature debut, ' ...

(Brazil),

Faouzi Bensaïdi Faouzi Bensaïdi ( ar, فوزي بن السعيدي; born 14 March 1967) is a Moroccan film director, actor, screenwriter and artist. His film ''A Thousand Months'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ...

(Morocco),

(Russia/USA),

Xiaolu Guo Xiaolu Guo FRSL () born 20 November 1973) is a Chinese-born British novelist, memoirist and film-maker, who explores migration, alienation, memory, personal journeys, feminism, translation and transnational identities. Guo has directed a doz ...

(China), and Hüseyin Karabey (Turkey). Along with medical research, awareness, responsibility and action are some of the major weapons against cancer. ''Myths and Misconceptions'' aims to present and discuss issues related to cancer, cancer control and cancer prevention, and increasing awareness as well as hope in fighting this illness, with the help of the great variety of themes concretely illustrated by the different short films.

Exhibitions, film projects and conferences

1996, ''Bajo el Volcàn'' (''Under the Volcano''), Exconvento de la Nativitad, Tepoztlan, Mexico 1996, ''Robert Rauschenberg in San Lazzaro'', Armenian Monastery, Isle of San Lazzaro, Venice, Italy 1997, ''Méditations'' (''Meditations''), Medersa Ibn Youssef, Marrakesh, Morocco 1997, Concert by Michael Galasso, Mocenigo Palace, Venice, Italy 1998-99, ''The Edge of Awareness'', travelling exhibition, Geneva, New York, São Paulo, New Delhi, Milan 1999, ''The Children's Museum in Guadalajara by Philip Johnson'', Palazzo Zenobio, Venice, Italy 2000, ''Playgrounds and Toys for Refugee Children'', travelling exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland 2000, ''Art et Réalités Sociales'' (''Art and Social Realities''), Geneva, Switzerland 2000, ''Alfredo Jaar. The Silence. The Rwanda Project 1994-2000'', Geneva, Switzerland 2001, ''The Overexcited Body. Art and Sport in Contemporary Society'', travelling exhibition, Milan, São Paulo 2002, ''Playgrounds and Toys'', travelling exhibition, Lugano, London 2002, Building of the Playground designed by Fabiana de Barros for a gypsy camp near Athens, Greece 2002, Building of the Playgrounds designed by Fabrice Gygi, Joseph Kosuth and Edgard Soares, Deepalaya School in Kalkaji, New Delhi, India 2003, Building of the Playground designed by Andreas Angelidakis, John Kirakossian School, Yerevan, Armenia 2004, ''Video Installations by Sarkis'', New Delhi, India 2004, Playgrounds and Toys, travelling exhibition, Musée Océanographique, Monaco 2005, ''Femme(s)'', Musée de Carouge, Geneva, Switzerland 2005, ''Santa Fe by Jannis Kounellis'', Isola Madre, Borromeo Islands, Lake Maggiore, Italy 2005, ''Donna Donne'' (''Woman Women''), Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze, Italy 2005, ''Playgrounds and Toys'', travelling exhibition, Hangar Bicocca, Milan, Italy 2005, Building of the Playground designed by Margherita Turewicz Lafranchi, Deepalaya School, Haryana, India 2006, ''Balkan Erotic Epic by Marina Abramović'', SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil 2006, ''2nd Edition of Contemporary Art on the Lake Maggiore Isola Madre'', Borromeo Islands, Lake Maggiore, Italy 2006, ''Vito Acconci'', Conference, Milan, Italy 2006, ''Balkan Epic by Marina Abramović'', Hangar Bicocca, Milan, Italy 2007, ''Urban Manners. 15 Contemporary Artists from India'', Hangar Bicocca, Milan, Italy 2007, ''Joseph Kosuth. The Language of Equilibrium'', Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venice, Italy 2007, ''Collateral. When Art Looks at Cinema'', Hangar Bicocca, Milan, Italy 2007, ''Mulher Mulheres'', SESC Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil 2008, ''Stories on Human Rights by Filmmakers, Writers and Artists'', a collective film project by 22 renowned artists and filmmakers 2008, ''Voom Portraits-Robert Wilson'', SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil 2008, ''Collateral 2. When Art Looks at Cinema'', SESC Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil 2009, ''La Prua'' by Marta dall'Angelo, Milan, Italy 2009, ''Teorema di Incompletezza'' by Masbedo, Milan, Italy 2009, ''Stillife'' by Luca Pancrazzi, Milan, Italy 2009, ''Questioni di Lingua'' by Claudio Citterio, Diego Morandini, Luisa Protti, Milan, Italy 2010, ''Urban Manners 2'', SESC Pompeia, São Paulo, Brazil 2010, ''Danser la musique'', Playground by Chen Zhen, Shenzhen, China 2010, ''Una domenica al Parco Sempione'' by Flavio de Marco, Milan, Italy 2010, ''A cena con Timeo'' by Letizia Cariello, Milan, Italy 2010, ''Aral_Citytellers'' by Francesco Jodice, Milan, Italy 2010, ''La scimmia, l'immagine e il suo doppio'' by Andrea Marescalchi, Milan, Italy 2010, ''Respiro/Breath'', Fondazione Zoé, Spazio Monotono, Loggia del Capitaniato and Teatro Comunale, Vicenza, Italy 2010-2011, THEN AND NOW ''Beyond Borders and Differences'', a collective film project by seven renowned filmmakers 2011, ''A cosa servono le mostre? (What are exhibitions for?)'', two-day symposium with the participation of artists, museum directors, curators and art critics working in Milan and in the region, La Fabbrica del Vapore/Care of, Milan, Italy 2011-2012, ''The Mediterranean Approach'', travelling exhibition: Palazzo Zenobio, Venice, Italy; mac-Musée d'Art Contemporain, Marseille, France; SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil 2013 ''Myths and Misconceptions'', a collective film project by six internationally acclaimed filmmakers (to be released)

References

External links

ART ''for The'' World website

ART ''for The'' World's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Art For The World International organisations based in Switzerland Art and design organizations Arts organizations established in 1995 Organisations based in Geneva United Nations mass media