Dialogues of Peace

United Nations Office building, courtyard, and Ariana Park, Avenue de la Paix, Geneva, Switzerland

3 July- 24 October 1995

 

In 1995 the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali invited Adelina von Fürstenberg to curate a monumental exhibition to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Shown at the UN’s European headquarters in Geneva, the exhibition was entitled Dialogues of Peace. Sixty artists from around the world presented works dedicated to promoting tolerance, solidarity, and peace among global citizens. The pieces were presented in the majestic public spaces of the United Nations building, including its grandiose courtyard, as well as in adjacent Ariana Park, touching thousands of officials, dignitaries, and diplomats daily.

     During Dialogues of Peace, von Fürstenberg, together with some of her close collaborators, among them artists and friends, came to realize the potential for harnessing art’s unmatched ability to bring awareness to and influence social, economic, and cultural development at the dawn of a new century. This was the impetus for the creation of the non-governmental organization ART for The World in the transitional years between millennia.

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In the context of 50th Anniversary of the United Nations

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Participating artists: Georges Adéagbo, Sunday Jack Akpan, John Aldus, Rasheed Araeen, Dominique Barthassat, Farid Belkahia, Joe Ben Jr., Willie Bester, Mickaël Bethé Sélassié, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Daniel Buren, Marie José Burki, Carlos Capelan, Jordi Colomer, Mat Collishaw, d’ECO i, Silvie & Cherif Defraoui, Ayse Erkmen, Julio Galan, Gilbert Gendre, GENERAL IDEA, Jochen Gerz, Adam Hensein, Shirazeh Houshiary, Alfredo Jaar, Ilya Kabakov, Tadashi Kawamata, Alexis Leyva Machado (Kcho), Bodys Isek Kingelez, Per Kirkeby, Dimitris Kozaris, Mariusz Kruk, Suhrob Kurbanov, Antal Lakner, David Mach, Andrea Marescalchi, Matt Mullican, Marcel Odenbach, Nam June Paik, Nusret Pasic, Khalil Rabah, Philip Rantzer, Robert Rauschenberg, Heinrich R. Reimann, Miguel Angel Rios, Sophie Ristelhueber, Francisco Rocha, Rekha Rodwittiya, Mikhail Romadin, Allen Ruppersberg, Sarkis, Mustafa Skopljak, Ousmane Sow, Pat Steir, Kukuli Velarde, Roop Verma, Nari Ward, Chen Zhen

 

In collaboration with: the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (The French Association for Artistic Action, AFAA, Paris), the Geneva Committee for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations

 

With the support of: UBS, Etat et Ville de Genève, Fédération des Métiers du Bâtiment (FMB), Genève, Felissimo, Winterthur-Assurances, Swissair, UIT Unité Internationale des Télécommunications, La Tribune de Genève, Association pour le Patrimoine Industriel Genève, Centre Européean de la Culture Genève, Air France, Goldstar, Fundacion Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat

 

Special thanks to: Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the UN, Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky, Director General of the UN Office in Geneva, Mrs. Gillian Martin Sorensen, Special Advisor for Public Policy of the Secretary-General, Mrs. Thérèse Gastaut, Spokeswoman for the Secretary-General, Mrs. Zohreh Tabatabai, Coordinator of the UN’s Fiftieth Anniversary, Sir Brian Urquhart, Director of The Ford Foundation, New York, Mr. Jean Digne, Director of AFAA, Paris, Ambassador Mrs. Anne Gazeau-Secret, Ambassador M. Walter B. Gyger, Mr. Dominique Föllmi, Mr. Guy-Olivier Segond, Mr. Olivier Vodoz and the Contemporary African Art Collection of Mr. Jean Pigozzi, and all the services of the United Nations Office of Geneva

 

Concept and curatorship: Adelina von Fürstenberg

 

Organization: The French Association for Artistic Action, AFAA

Advisory board: Brahim Alaoui, Claudio Guenzani, André Magnin, Roger Mayou, Carla Stellweg

 

Architect: Bruce Dunning

Architectural interventions:Tadashi Kawamata

Pavilion designs: Dunning & Versteegh Architects, Geneva/ Maastricht

Creation of the poster: Ilya Kabakov

Restorer: Renata Knes

Technical unit: Benoît Dubesset, Marcio Generoso, Eric Binnert et Pièces Montées, Paris, Axel             Lathulière

 

Assistants: Catherine de Charrière, Alessandra Galasso, Pascaline Garnier, Lejla Hodzic, Benedetta Lucherini, Monica Montesinos, Catherine Pavlovic, Adon Peres, Jacqueline Pujol, Agnès Viénot, Françoise Garnier, Elena Montesinos, Adon Peres, Catherine Pavlovic, the students of La Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan, and students of l’Ecole supérieure d'arts visuels, Geneva

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Catalogue produced by the French Association for Artistic Action, AFAA, Paris

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