Maraya Art Center takes center stage at Biennale Jogja

Maraya Art Centre is continuing to consolidate its position as a focal point for the development of Sharjah's flourishing art scene, having collaborated in the Biennale Jogja XII, which took place from November 2013 to January 2014 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Centre made its presence felt in this year's edition of the Biennale Jogja - one of the most robust and consistent visual arts events in Indonesia - on a number of levels, including taking part in the Biennale public programme as well as through a residency exchange partnership between Maraya and Biennale Jogja. Themed "Equator #2 - Indonesia Encounters the Arab Region", the 2013 edition of the Biennale Jogja is the second of seven Biennales that form part of Bienalle Jogja's EQUATOR series. This series aims to foster the creation of sustainable networks that stimulate dialogues, partnerships, and collaborations among art practitioners in the equatorial regions and thereby contribute to creating a new topography within the global art scene, with new formulas, and perspectives. Giuseppe Moscatello, Maraya Art Centre Manager, said, "Maraya is committed to developing its Residency Programme and this collaboration was an important achievement internationally, as well as was an excellent opportunity for artists from our respective communities to interact and learn from each other. The experience has been of immense value to our local artists and Maraya fully intends to keep an open and dynamic dialogue with the Indonesian art scene at large."