Art Encounters Biennial 2019
September 20–October 27, 2019
Exhibition opening events: September 20-22, 2019
Organised by the Art Encounters Foundation in Timișoara in collaboration with local institutions and partners, the third edition of the Biennial brings together more than 60 artists from all over the world, 20 of whom have been commissioned to make new works. Engaging with the city and culture of Timișoara throughout 2019, the invited artists will generate new perspectives and ideas around the history of the city and its main issues today.
Participants in the 2019 Art Encounters Biennial exhibition are:
Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Dan Acostioaiei*, Halil Altındere, Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan, Michael Beutler*, Irina Botea Bucan & Jon Dean, Pauline Boudry & Renate Lorenz*, Filipa César & Louis Henderson, Kray Chen*, Céline Condorelli*, Collection Collective, Alexandra Croitoru*, Chto delat, Forensic Architecture, Aslan Gaisumov, Ane Graff, Alma Heikkilä, Sandi Hilal & Alessandro Petti, Ane Hjort Guttu, Dora García*, Ho Tzu Nyen, Gunilla Klingberg*, Gülsün Karamustafa, Behzad Khosravi Noori, Vilmos Koter, Matts Leiderstam*, Anne Low*, Virginia Lupu, Taus Makhacheva, Liliana Mercioiu Popa, Metahaven, Ana Maria Millán, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Naeem Mohaiemen, Monotremu, Tanja Muravskaja, Ciprian Mureșan*, Joar Nango*, Pınar Öğrenci, Ahmet Ögüt*, The Otolith Group, Trevor Paglen, Philippe Parreno, Gary-Ross Pastrana*, Lia Perjovschi, Peles Empire*, Thao Nguyen Phan, Zac Langdon-Pole, Agnieszka Polska*, Ghenadie Popescu, Walid Raad, Vandy Rattana, Bella Rune*, STEALTH.unlimited*, Zhou Tao, Iulia Toma*, Tur de Arhitectură*, Mona Vătămanu & Florin Tudor*, Anton Vidokle, Haegue Yang, Mădălina Zaharia*, Zephyr*, Želimir Žilnik.
*new commissions
Curators: Maria Lind and Anca Rujoiu
The Biennial centres on the idea of contemporary art as a form of understanding which, along with science, politics, literature, and philosophy, helps us tackle the complexity of life today. Inspired by the name of the Foundation, Art Encounters, the curators are proposing specific art works and practices as a starting point for different types of encounters, dialogues, and debates.
“Through this edition of the Art Encounters Biennial, among the art works and practices, a wind can be felt. Just like the winds that are often mentioned in the novels of writer Herta Müller, which take place in and around Timișoara, there are winds in this exhibition which bring different temperatures, atmospheres, and substances. Winds blow through borders and translations, something well known in the Banat region in which Timișoara is situated. Another wind drives an attentiveness to craft and the work of the hand. A third wind is connected to forms of self-organisation, personal collections and independent publishing.” (Maria Lind and Anca Rujoiu)
Alongside the exhibition, the components of the Biennial are: Biennial Talks, happening monthly in collaboration with the Faculty of Art and Design and the Faculty of Architecture in Timișoara; Workshops, exploring the fields of cultural production and artistic experimentation, supported by Timișoara 2021 – European Capital of Culture; Ambasada Gatherings, informal monthly gatherings between cultural agents in Timișoara and the Biennial artists; a Volunteer Program for students and graduates; Film screenings, presented by the National Theater and CEAU Cinema!; Collective Readings, focused on communal production of meaning; and the Independent Publishing Platform, where independent publishers from Romania and Serbia present their publications alongside a showcase of artists’ books; The Autumn School of Curating, to take place in Cluj and Timișoara between October 20-27 in partnership with Cluj Cultural Centre.
Details of the participants in the Collective Readings and Independent Publishing Platform can be found at: www.2019.artencounters.ro
The Art Encounters Biennial is a cross between an experimental art festival and a contemporary art Biennial. It focuses on extensive curatorial research that engages in meaningful dialogues with the historical and the socio-cultural contexts of Timișoara. The mission of the Biennial is to become a creative meeting point for artists, communities, institutions, and ideas.