April Acts 2025: to carry new formations

The inaugural edition of April Acts, a weekend initiative expanding on the curatorial framework of Sharjah Biennial 16 and held across various  SB16 venues, has the title to carry new formations – an extesion of SB16’s theme, to carry. The April Acts programme “endeavours to build constellations of gathering and dialogue across multiple positions, societal experiences and ongoing transitions … How can we reimagine and critically investigate our current situations or positions to construct and manifest new approaches to resistance, reciprocity, communal networks and life-enabling systems and structures?”

Through guided walks, panel discussions, artist talks, participatory workshops, film screenings and live music, April Acts aims to create “a polyphonous space that invites multiple perspectives to co-exist and thrive”. Among the offerings are a listening session with Singing Wells; self-publishing workshops using several printing techniques such as Risograph, including one led by Bhumika Saraswati and Siddhesh Gautam (founders of the magazine All That Blue); discussions with artists such as Brian Martin, Yhonnie Scarce and Megan Cope; and a screening of First Horse (2024) by Awanui Simich-Pene.

Başak Günak, Berke Can Özcan, Sandy Chamun and Hauptmeier I Recker will collaborate in a performance based on their sound installation in the Biennial; Koleka Putuma will offer a performance titled WATER (reprise); and there will also be a series of performances based on the SB16 work He Kōrero Pūrākau mō te Awanui o te Motu: Story of a New Zealand river (2011).

It’s free, but pre-register via this link.