Sharjah's March Meeting to explore how art, food and music tell stories about culture and history

Annual event, held this year under the theme To Carry Song, coincides with the Sharjah Biennial

The March Meeting coincides with the Sharjah Biennial and reflects on its theme To Carry. Antonie Robertson / The National

Sharjah’s March Meeting is taking place during Ramadan this year, and much of its programming echoes the communal nature of the holy month.

The annual event, organised by the Sharjah Art Foundation, is being held from Friday to Sunday at Al Qasimiyah School. It coincides with the Sharjah Biennial, which is running under the title To Carry, reflecting on what we individually carry, from memories to languages, histories, wounds and ruptures.

The March Meeting's performances and discussions examine the meanings behind the biennial’s theme, but with an added focus. This year, under the title To Carry Song, they examine how songs contain cultural memories and hereditary knowledge.

The programme also addresses other modes of storytelling, including cooking, and aims to underscore the role of communities to conserve and pass on knowledge. To accommodate schedules during Ramadan, the programme will run between 10pm and 1am.

Here is what to look forward to at this year’s March Meeting.

Conversations

Panel discussions are always a focal point of the March Meeting. The platform attracts cultural figures and artists from around the world to discuss pressing subjects that resonate with the art world, particularly in the Global South.

On Friday, Emirati artist Hashel Al Lamki and Amal Khalaf, one of the biennial’s co-curators, will discuss how contemporary art practices are shaped by cross-cultural dialogue as well as experimentation with different materials. The discussion will reflect on Al Lamki’s own process, particularly related to projects the artist is presenting at the biennial, including Maat and Part-Time Lovers.

Gazan artists Mohammed Al-Hawajri and Dina Mattar will take part in a panel discussion on Friday. The couple, who moved to the UAE last year after their home in Gaza was bombed by Israeli forces, will be discussing their artistic process and the role art plays in preserving cultural identity in the face of existential uncertainty.

Swiss-Iranian poet Athena Farrokhzad and Indian poet Meena Kandasamy will be part of a panel discussion on Saturday about poethics, a portmanteau combining the words poetics and ethics. The discussion, moderated by Sharjah Biennial co-curator Natasha Ginwala, will explore the power of poetry to reflect upon political, environmental and social issues.

Also on Saturday, Navajo composer and artist Raven Chacon will delve into his artistic practice and the convergence of music, art and activism. He will be joined by Yakthan artist and filmmaker Subash Thebe Limbu, who will talk about Adivasi Futurism, a concept and art movement that incorporates elements from Adivasi culture within themes of science fiction and fantasy. Also joining the panel are Nici Cumpston, director of Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal art collection at the University of Virginia. Megan Tamati-Quennell, co-curator of the Sharjah Biennial, will be moderating the panel.

On Sunday, UK and Stockholm-based artist Olivia Plender and British social anthropologist Celia Plender will examine the transition between feudalism and colonialism, while highlighting the continuing impact of these historic power structures.

Later that day, New Zealand artist Luke Willis Thompson will discuss his work Whakamoemoea. The film piece is characterised as a political sci-fi. It was shot at Te Whare Runanga, a famous example of Maori architecture, carved from timber and incorporating other organic materials. It is a meeting house at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the founding document of Aotearoa/New Zealand was signed. Whakamoemoea is set in 2040, and presents a news broadcast that announces Aotearoa's movement from colonial governance to an indigenous, plurinational state.

Istanbul-born artist Dilek Winchester and New Zealand artist Ana Iti will then discuss how their two practices have a similarity in the way they deal with language as systems of knowledge. Winchester explores how Turkey’s adoption of the Latin alphabet impacted Turkish culture. Iti, on the other hand, examines the role of the printing press in disseminating the Maori language. The session will be moderated by Zeynep Oz, a co-curator of the biennial.

The five co-curators will come together in the final panel of the March Meeting to discuss their experiences of curating the event, and how their diverse backgrounds bolstered their collaboration.

Performances

Performances at the March Meeting will mirror many of the themes discussed. Houaida, known for her dreamy, otherworldly soundscapes, will conclude the inaugural day. New Zealand musician Mara TK will take the stage in the opening performance on Saturday, presenting soulful music informed by an intimate understanding of Te Reo Maori, the Maori language.

Later that day, Indonesian artists Suvi Wahyudianto and Dicky Senda will present a lecture and cooking performance. They will then discuss with biennial co-curator Alia Swastika how culinary practices have a role to play in the process of decolonisation.

Ata Ratu, from East Sumba, Indonesia, will conclude Saturday’s performances. Ratu will play the four-stringed jungga, a zither instrument from the island.

A concert by Chaar Yaar – the Faqiri Quartet on Sunday will be final performance of the March Meeting. The ensemble draws inspiration from 12th and 13th century Punjabi legends. Their work also touches upon more recent history, such as the partition of India and Pakistan, as well as devotional traditions that express love, friendship and exile.

Sharjah Art Foundation's March Meeting is running until Sunday at Al Qasimiyah School. Timings and a detailed programming is available online