16 Jan 2014

Introducing the International Biennial Association (IBA)

Biennial Foundation is happy to announce the International Biennial Association, an outcome of its World Biennial Forum No 1.

In October of 2012, the World Biennial Forum No1, “Shifting Gravity,” was held in Gwangju and Seoul, South Korea, gathering over 450 participants across 150 international art biennials, triennials and art-related institutions. Over 60 biennial representatives attended the ‘Biennial Representatives Meeting’ and as an outcome from the discussions, the International Biennial Association was formulated.

The International Biennial Association (IBA) will be a non-for-profit arts association composed of institutions, individuals and associates from the biennial community and arts-related industry created to expand and share activities of curatorial and artistic creation and knowledge production through cooperation and exchange among biennials and institutions, contributing to the development of cultural and artistic production by providing strategies, methodologies and vision through a platform for collaboration and support among a network of art professionals.

President of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation Yongwoo Lee was elected interim President for the International Biennial Association. Marieke van Hal, director of the Biennial Foundation, and Bige Örer, director of the Istanbul Biennale, were elected to serve as the two interim Vice Presidents for the first term. The location of the IBA office will be the country of residence of the President, in Gwangju, South Korea.

The inaugural ceremony will take place at the General Assembly later this year. A follow up announcement, outlining dates, location and agenda for the Assembly will be further released along with membership sign-up, which will be available through the website www.biennial-association.org from late March. Biennial Foundation will work closely with the International Biennial Association, and is currently preparing for the World Biennial Forum No2. More information coming soon.

Read More

15 Jan 2014

Worldwide biennials can be seen as mirror of the process of transformation triggered by globalization. The proliferation of the format biennial in the meantime has developed many different discourses and concepts. Against this backdrop the conference will focus on five issues.

Conference at ZKM, Karlsruhe: Biennials, Prospect and Perspectives.

February 27 – March 1, 2014
Entrance: Free

ZKM | Center for Art and Media in cooperation with Ifa- Institute for International Cultural Relations

Worldwide biennials can be seen as mirror of the process of transformation triggered by
globalization. The proliferation of the format biennial in the meantime has developed many
different discourses and concepts. Against this backdrop the conference will focus on five issues:

1. Biennials and Public Space
2. Biennial as Motor for Social Change
3. The Dynamics of Biennials and the Role of its Actors (Curators, Artists, Organizers, Audiences)
4. Chances and Limitations of Biennials in the Context of Marketing and Policies
5. Alternatives//Open Spaces

Participants: Ute Meta Bauer, Carol Lu, Fulya Erdemci, Sheika Hoor Al-Qasimi, Yongwoo Lee, Katja Aßmann, Blair French, Christoph Schäfer, Christine Eyene, Abdellah Karoum, Patrick Mudekereza, Alia Swastika, Gerardo Mosquera, Elise Atangana, Jun Yang, Marieke van Hal, Basak Senova, Marah Braye, Luchezar Boyadjiev, Monica Hoff, Gabriele Horn, Patricia F. Druck, Sabine B. Vogel, Zhang Qing, Tan Boon Hui, Bige Örer, Kasper König, Nicolaus Schafhausen, Ursula Zeller, Sally Tallant, Rafal Niemojewski, Leah Gordon, Royce Smith, and Pan Gongkai.
Read More