Asia Biennial/Triennial Madness

Camilla Liverton

A brief glance at any art magazine or website may give the impression that cities today have opted to confirm their cultural status by hosting a Biennial and/or Triennial and Asia is no different. September 2008 lay claim to the start of no less than 8 Biennials/Triennials across the continent and that is without including Australia or New Zealand territories. Have we gone Biennial mad?

China hosted the 3rd Guanghzhou Triennial: Farewell to Post-Colonialism where the focus is on global "political correctness" which has resulted in "the power play of multi-culturalism, identity politics and post-colonial discourse."Curated by Gao Shiming, Sarat Maharaj and Chang Tsong-zung, the Triennial is intended to take the participant on a journey by leading them through a number of questions starting with an Exercise in Negation and a Questionnaire about art.  Whether the result is to discover a new way of thinking outside the boundaries of today’s complex societies is very much a personal experience but the array of 141 artists from 40 countries is an impressive start to build up this discourse.

The 3rd Nanjing Triennial: Reflective Past takes Asia as its subject. Contemporary artworks trace Asia’s mixture of cultures and traditions from various countries.  The exhibits embody the rich diversity that continues to grow in the region while the West continues to build its relationship with the continent.

The 7th Shanghai Biennial: Translocalmotion is set in the People’s Square in the heart of the city where the Shanghai Art Museum is also located. The square has over the years been the city’s place of "transfer, connection, connectivity, meeting, social and economical exchange".  20 emerging and established artists place works within and outside the Art Museum allowing visitors to interact with the subject of mobility from the outset. Inside the museum one is taken from the history of the city of Shanghai’s development to forthcoming 2010 exhibition, ‘Better City, Better Life". Urbanisation is clearly the focus here of China’s strengthening position in the twenty-first century using new media works and installations to provoke discussion.

Korea opened with two Biennials, the Busan Bienniale: Expenditure, Art, Culture and The 7th Gwanju Bienniale – Annual Report: A Year in Exhibitions. Okwui Enwezor, Artistic Director for the Gwanju show with co-curators, Hyunjin Kim and Ranjit Hoskote continue to focus on the Biennial’s tradition of ‘globalism’. The biennale is designed around three components: the first part, ‘On the Road’ shows recent exhibitions held elsewhere between 2007-2008. The second part, ‘Position Papers,’ focuses on emerging curators proposals for innovative experiments in curated environments.  Whilst the third element, ‘Insertions’, showcases new projects commissioned for the biennial itself. This Biennial continues to push Gwanju into pole position for Biennial ‘must sees’.

Singapore opened its second Biennial: Wonder alongside the inaugural art fair, Showcase Singapore. Fumio Nanjo continues on theme from the 2006 edition exploring the notion of wonderment throughout history. 50 artists lend themselves to this theme in 4 locations across the city including the likes of Daniel Buren (France), Tarek Al-Ghoussein (UAE) and Ilya and Emilia Kabakov (Russia).

Japan’s Yokohama Triennial: Time Crevasse is made up of a diverse range of artworks—including videos, installations, photography, painting, and sculpture—by 72 selected artists from 25 different countries. The city also unveils itself with a number of site-specific artworks as curated by Artistic Director Mizusawa Tsutomu and Curators: Daniel Birnbaum, Hu Fang Miyake Akiko, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Beatrix Ruf.  

The result of such a plethora of events not mentioning the various fairs that have taken place alongside these biennials and triennials? Mizuwasa Tsutomu has one opinion: "Biennales are no longer what they used to be - meaning magnets - because there are so many now that nobody sees these biennales anymore. Quite often the same pieces circulate and at a certain point there is no longer a necessity to go there, to be present, as the circuit has become very homogenized.”

Photo Credits:
Yoko Ono
Cut Piece 1965 (Carnegie Recital Hall, New York City, NY), 1965
Photo credit: Minoru Niizuma
Courtesy Lenono Photo Archive

Kuswidananto a.k.a. Jompet
Java's Machine: PHANTASMAGORIA, 2008
Photo credit: Norihiro Ueno
Courtesy of the Artist

 

 

 

 

 

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