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Interview with Giancarlo Politi, director of the Prague Biennale and Helena Kontova, chief curator.
Can you tell us about Prague Biennale 2 and how it differs from other biennials?
The Prague Biennale is a truly international, low cost art show that focuses on two of the key themes of art today: the continued relevance of painting, and art as political action. The exhibition "Expanded Painting" explores the diverse range of current painting and its relationships with other media, such as photography, installation and performance art. The exhibition considers painting as a means of stimulating contemplation and as a source of pleasure. "Accion Directa," on the other hand, explores the idea of art as a vehicle for social and political critique, for protest and for intervention. Hence, the main subjects of Prague Biennale 2 could hardly be in greater contrast! In addition to these pertinent exhibitions are a variety of shows and events, ranging from current art in the Czech and Slovak Republics to Kinetic art from the last century, from the latest trends in China to the leading figures from the renowned Leipzig and Dresden 'schools'. The Biennale will present more than 200 artists, invited by a small and select group of international curators on a very modest budget. It will show to Prague and to the international public the complex panorama of contemporary artistic development. It promises to be an enormous and remarkable event, and will be accompanied by a substantial catalogue that we are sure will exemplify the art history of our days.
Apart from being a low cost event, how else will it distinguish itself from other biennials?
Prague Biennale 2, as with all of our initiatives, comes out of the reality of today rather than from excessively theoretical critical or curatorial frameworks, as some of the other major biennials have often tried to do. Due to working on Flash Art we live in close contact with the actual art world, thus getting a real understanding of what currents and dynamics are happening on the ground. You can tie yourself up in knots trying to create an ideological structure for a biennial, and we're not convinced that such approaches are always the most fruitful way to present contemporary art. "Expanded Painting" attempts to present the state of painting today, reflecting the reality of the situation as it is lived by artists. It treats painting as ongoing research, with its own patterns of growth and behavior, rather than approaching the medium from a contrived or artificially constructed critical standpoint. We just want the exhibition to be as genuine a reflection of current practice in painting as possible.
On the other side, "Accion Directa", with its transgressive and revolutionary spirit, is looking for artistic solutions to political and social problems, and consequently for the world itself: art as a way of intervening in real life, of trying to effect changes for the better. These two almost diametrically opposed directions in contemporary art struck us an exciting basis for a biennial. We are confident that as with the first edition, Prague Biennale 2 will attract a large and diverse audience, and are sure that everyone will discover much that they enjoy and find of interest - it is for art professionals and art lovers alike. |
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