2012 ARTSLINK FELLOWS


Visit the 2012 ArtsLink Fellows' Blog


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ZANE DATAVA, LATVIA
Host: Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA

Arts Manager – As project manager at the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art in Riga, Datava curates and produces exhibitions and interdisciplinary projects and organizes workshops and discussions. Recent projects include SURVIVAL KIT, a topical contemporary arts festival which utilizes empty business and office space for exhibitions and events. Datava also produces and curates festivals, concerts and events at Skanu mezs, an experimental music and sound art organization, and is interested in working on collaborative projects that bridge disciplines. She would like to exchange ideas and information with US curators and artists to gain a better understanding of the cultural landscape.


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MARIANNA DOBKOWSKA, POLAND
Host: Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans, LA

Arts Manager – Dobkowska curates exhibitions, projects and residencies, edits publications and produces new works at the Center for Contemporary Arts Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw. Her current focus is social practice art and programs that have a wide community base. Dobkowska’s recent curatorial projects include Public AIR, a series of talks, discussions and workshops on alternative economies in art and everyday life. She seeks to expand her understanding of socially-engaged work through direct involvement with institutions and local communities in the US.


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MARGARITA DOROVSKA, BULGARIA
Host: Video Data Bank, Chicago, IL

Arts Manager – A curator at InterSpace Media Art Centre in Sofia, Dorovska has worked with over 200 artists, managing grants for emerging artists, hosting residencies and producing artists’ projects. One of her most significant accomplishments is the production of Transitland, a comprehensive archive of video art from Central and Eastern Europe. Dorovska hopes to build on her academic and professional experience through direct contact with US artists and art institutions working in new media and contemporary art.


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BODIBAATAR JIGJIDSUREN, MONGOLIA
Host: New York Foundation for the Arts, New York, NY

Arts Manager – Serving in the Mongolian Committee on Arts and Culture, Jigjidsuren has organized and managed a variety of events and activities including art exhibitions, film screenings and a television series on contemporary world cinema. He is also a juror on the committee that selects artworks to be purchased by the national museum of modern art. Jigjidsuren is interested in studying organizational structures and arts management practices in the US, both at the administrative and municipal levels, and in sharing his experience of the art scene in Mongolia.


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ANA KNEŽEVIĆ, SERBIA
Host: Oberlin College Technology in Music and Related Arts Program
Oberlin, OH

Artist— Kneževic creates light and sound installations and public projects that interconnect science, technology and art. By reducing visual elements, she tries to bring new spatial experiences to viewers that can heighten their awareness of the immaterial and invisible. Kneževic believes that the fusion of art and science can open a platform for social and cultural change and she hopes to meet and collaborate with US artists, scientists and theoreticians who share her interest in technology and sound engineering. Website>>


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Photo by Petra Kurtela


NINA KURTELA, CROATIA
Host: Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR

Artist— Kurtela’s sculpture, installation and video works are influenced by her experience as a dancer and choreographer and reference the social, political and historical conditions of specific locations. She seeks to erase the boundary between spectator and artist by creating environments that include interaction with the public. Current issues in her work include identity, transition and mobility. She is eager to explore social and cultural issues in the US and exchange ideas with US artists, curators and communities. Website>>


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NINI PALAVANDISHVILI, GEORGIA
Host: Hidden City, Philadelphia, PA

Arts Manager – As curator and project manager at GeoAIR, Palavandishvili explores collaborative models for artists and non-artists, the public realm and the audience. Without having its own exhibition space, GeoAIR chooses venues that respond to the specific context of each project and seeks to connect with other art organizations and local inhabitants. Palavandishvili has particular interests in public space and the social role of artists in society and hopes to be involved with independent art initiatives and organizations working in these areas.


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SERGIY PETLYUK, UKRAINE
Host: Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH

Artist—Petlyuk’s video installations explore the effects of cultural interaction on social groups, the impact of mass media on human values and the influence of real and virtual space and their limitations on individuals. His work often involves the local community, either in the process of creation or as an interactive piece that engages viewers. Petlyuk looks forward to immersing himself in a new environment and to researching and producing a project in the US that deals with the psychological, moral and physical limits of human nature. Website>>


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KATERYNA RADCHENKO, UKRAINE
 Host: Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA

Arts Manager – As head of the non-profit organization Art Travel, Radchenko seeks to develop photography as an art form in Ukraine and to expand audience appreciation for experimental photographic practices. She is interested in the use of photography in mass media and in work that reflects social issues such as identity, human rights and gender. She would like to learn about trends in photography in the US and its interaction with other artistic media and to take part in conceptualizing and installing exhibitions.


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DAVOR SANVINCENTI, CROATIA
Host: SPACES, Cleveland, OH

Artist— Sanvincenti investigates the boundaries of human perception and the construction of experience through audiovisual installations, social and urban interventions and live multimedia performances. By immersing viewers in evocative perceptual environments, he encourages them to question and expand their cognitive and emotional maps. In 2010, Sanvincenti was the recipient of the Radoslav Putar Award for the best Croatian artist under 35. He is interested in sharing ideas and collaborating on a project with US artists and researchers interested in audiovisual phenomenology. Website>>


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Photo by Atdhe Mulla


DRITON SELMANI, KOSOVO
 Host: Flint Public Art Project, Flint, MI

Artist – Working in various media including drawing, installation and performance art, Selmani explores how political conflict, the built environment and natural habitat affect individual lives and social groups. In particular, he is interested in issues of identity and migration, which are critical in his home country. Selmani is looking forward to exchanging experiences with artists and community members and enriching his perception about contemporary art movements and political conditions in the US.


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ABDUL MALEK SHAFI’I, AFGHANISTAN
Host: Center for Contemporary Studies, Durham, NC

Arts Manager – A documentary filmmaker and festival organizer based in Kabul, Shafi’i also directs BASA (Afghanistan Cinema Club) which supports individual filmmakers through production, training, screenings and other events and activities. The most recent BASA production, 25 Percent, documents female Afghan members of parliament and their struggle to gain rights and freedom. Shafi’i would like to increase his knowledge of American film production, digital techniques and funding strategies and hopes to organize screenings of Afghan films in the US.


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TIJANA STEPANOVIĆ, HUNGARY
 Host: California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Arts Manager – As the head of the international department at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, Stepanović organizes residency programs, exhibitions and projects with other international art institutions. She is also in charge of publicity and fundraising. In 2001, she co-founded the VIVO Foundation, the first independent association for museum education in Hungary. She is eager to learn about art management, fundraising and policy-making strategies and to expand opportunities for cooperation between US and Hungarian artists.


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MKRTICH TONOYAN, ARMENIA
Host: 18th Street Art Center, Santa Monica, CA

Arts Manager – Tonoyan runs the Art Centre of Social Studies (ACOSS) artist residency program in Yerevan, and is currently developing an international exchange involving organizations in Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Georgia. He has also realized many community-engaged art projects in Armenia and abroad involving at-risk groups including refugees, children and the homeless. Tonoyan would like to present his work, meet with local artists and organizations and learn more about the management of residency programs in the US.