Lifting Together,
Diriyah Biennale, Saudi, 2024

A contribution to the artistic research section of the Diriyah Biennale  exploring collective decision-making through the analogy of lifting together.

Curated by Ute Meta Bauer, the Diriyah Biennale titled “After Rain,” is an increasingly significant event on the global art scene. The work “Lifting Together” examines the physical act of lifting something heavy together as a metaphor for mutual support. It embodies a shared experience where individuals coordinate, communicate, and sense each other’s efforts, illustrating how decisions emerge through the process of doing. Mutual support is depicted through this analogy—a shared moment where effort is collective, offering a space to make decisions and act upon them collaboratively. To achieve this, understanding the knowledge and values that underpin decisions, as well as how to communicate and reason together, is essential. The contribution presents how such collaborative processes occur through practices like dugnad (Norway), bayanihan (Philippines), đôi công (Vietnam), and mutirão (Brazil).

Team: Alexander Eriksson Furunes and Sudarshan V. Khadka Jr.
Artistic Director: Ute Meta Bauer
Co-curators: Wejdan Reda, Rose Lejeune, Anca Rujoiu, Ana Salazar, and adjunct curator Rahul Gudipudi
Graphic Design: Kirstin Helgadóttir