| Prague
Biennale 1
Peripheries become the center
June 26-August 24, 2003
National Gallery/Veletrzni Palac
Prague
Opening: June 26
More info: www.praguebiennale.org
email: praguebiennale1@flashartonline.com
The title of the inaugural edition of the Prague Biennale, “Peripheries
become the center”, refers to the dissolution of
the dichotomy of these concepts and to a liberation of plurality
in terms of both identity and artistic practice. The distinction
articulated in this dichotomy has become increasingly irrelevant
due to information technology, the mass media, migration, and nomadism.
The escalating phenomenon of globalization and the seeming collapse
of physical distances brought about by the Internet have changed
the terms in which the relations between periphery and center are
negotiated, and even the definitions of what these two places are.
The proposal that “Peripheries become the center” is
a point of departure for the 30 international curators of the Prague
Biennale, opening up space for investigation of their own diverse
areas of research and interest.
One of the main focuses of the Biennale is new trends in painting.
Lazarus Effect is a panorama of works by emerging
painters, most of which were created specifically for the exhibition.
Curated by Luca Beatrice, Lauri Firstenberg, and Helena Kontova,
this section attempts to assess the health of the medium, which
constantly manifests its possibility and vitality, despite cyclical
pronouncements of its imminent death. The contradictory and dynamic
nature of contemporary painting is evidenced by these painters’
forays into styles such as abstraction, collage, figuration, and
hyperrealism. Superreal, curated by Lauri Firstenberg, further considers
hyperrealism, investigating the return to the traditional, historical,
slow territory of realist painting in an age informed by advancing
digital technologies and accelerating speeds of information.
The issue of retaining a national identity as the art world becomes
increasingly globalized is a perpetual subject of debate and investigation.
Questions of identity loom large throughout several sections of
the Biennale focusing on diverse artistic scenes: Leaving
Glavegas, curated by Neil Mulholland, showcases works by
artists active in the Scottish cities of Dundee, Edinburgh, and
Glasgow; Fragments of Contemporary Identities,
curated by Charlotte Mailler, exhibits works by (mostly Swiss) artists
examining the representation or value of tradition in contemporary
culture; Global Suburbia, curated by Dorothée
Kirch, delves into the art scene in Iceland; Francesca Jordan and
Primo Marella survey Chinese Art Today;
Italy: Out of Order, curated by Luca Beatrice and Giancarlo
Politi, considers contemporary art from Italy; The Deste
Foundation presents a panorama of contemporary Greek art
curated by Xenia Kalpaktsolgou; individual “atypical”
presences in the Hungarian art scene are gathered together by Judit
Angel in Differentia Specifica; Mission
Possible, curated by Michal Kolecek, rethinks the identity
of Central Europe, underlining the significant role of the Czech
state; Tomas Vlcek highlights works by leading historical protagonists
of the Czech art scene in Special Homage to Czech Women
Artists; and Seduced (by Speed and Movements): Recent
Polish Art, curated by Adam Budak, maps the vast cultural
territories in which Polish contemporary artists construct multilayered
and fluid structures of meaning, immersed in a process of constant
shifting between the real and the fictive, the active and the passive,
the mobile and the fixed.
Overcoming Alienation, curated by Ekaterina Lazareva,
considers what globalization means for the art world today. Demonstrating
a wide interpretation of the Biennale’s themes, the selected
Russian artists are all engaged in overcoming the alienation of
cultures, languages, and religions, by addressing topical subjects
such as consumerism and corporations, immigration, communication,
and social relations.
(Dis)locations, curated by Julieta Gonzalez, proposes
that mobility and the diaspora are direct consequences of the globalization
of the art world, and accordingly presents works by Latin American
artists who either currently live abroad or have done so for a long
period of their careers. An awareness of the “location”
of the work, not only within the exhibition space, but also within
the more general sphere of the art world, is an articulating thread
in all the selected works. Through their problematization of space
as the site of power, knowledge, and culture; and with their dislocation
of given concepts, situations, and myths, the selected artists contest
the stereotypes the West has imposed on the rest of the world.
Curated by Lauri Firstenberg, Space and Subjectivity
addresses the periphery by primarily visualizing space. Featuring
works that oscillate between visualizing particular regions inflected
by specific cultural signifiers and imagining the more anonymous
zones that globalization propagates, this section speaks to the
anxiety between homogenization and difference in the constitution
of identity.
In the same vein, alone/together, a selection of
artists from Northern Europe curated by Jacob Fabricius, examines
the relation between the individual and the collective, focusing
on artistic strategies that challenge the restrictions of society.
Beautiful Banners, curated by Marco Scotini, similarly
addresses artistic practices as the meeting point between the public
and the symbolic sphere in the new global order; and The
Art of Survival, curated by B+B, presents tactics, strategies,
and attempted expeditions by artists working toward a space of self-determination,
independence, or resistance.
When the Periphery Turns Center and the Center Turns Periphery,
curated by Jens Hoffmann, proposes that while debates surrounding
the postcolonial, the diaspora, and issues of marginalization are
still significant issues worthy of discussion, as artistic imperatives
they have developed the danger of being limited, didactic, or moribund.
This section gathers the work of artists who come from places that
directly express the ambivalence of the terms “center”
and “periphery,” for whom issues of racial, sexual,
political, or social identity have become an optional reference
but not necessarily an unalterable doctrine.
The Prague Biennale seeks to examine new trends in digital art
as well. IMPROVisual, curated by Lavinia Garulli,
explores the ways in which the liveness of digital media performances
brings a new kind of contact with reality into the audio-visual
work. Electronic music is a pure sound event in which there is no
specific image of the sound source, allowing the music to suggest
new visual landscapes. Works investigating the live interaction
of sound and image are freed up to concentrate on improvisation
instead of reproduction, as reality no longer means an external
thing. For the first time a Biennale opens up to live VJing as a
kind of artistic practice.
A selection of innovative digital artists comprises Virtual
Perception, curated by Laurence Dreyfus. These inventors
of images venture into diverse forms of expression: animated films,
Flash, net art, analog and digital images. Different types of reality
confront each other and mix together, often with the appropriation
of narrative figures from video games or interactive fictions.
Other thematic exhibitions include Come with me,
curated by Gea Politi, presenting works by experimental filmmakers;
Aión: An Eventual Architecture, a survey
of digital architecture curated by Andrea Di Stefano; Collecting,
Channeling, curated by Sofía Hernández, which
consists of three projects that collect and channel a range of views,
interests, and objects of material culture; Illusion of
Security, curated by Lino Baldini and Gyonata Bonvicini,
presenting works investigating questions of surveillance and “insecurity”
culture; Disturbance, curated by Helena Kontova,
which gathers a small group of contemporary artists intently pursuing
their own singular visions; and Brand Art, also
curated by Kontova, for which three artists were commissioned to
create artworks interpreting the Mattoni brand on billboards around
Prague. The Prague Biennale also presents special projects by Oliver
Payne and Nick Relph, curated by Gregor Muir; Sigur
Rós, curated by artist Francesco Vezzoli; and Pass
It On, an exquisite corpse video project by Raimundas Malasauskas.
As Jens Hoffmann reminds us, “art is only a string in the
web of global culture, and is interdependent with the sociopolitical
developments within our everyday life.” The various sections
of the Prague Biennale tackle the subject of identity in the age
of globalization and information technology, in which, now more
than ever, boundaries have dissolved and mobility has increased,
so that location may no longer be the most relevant factor in the
constitution of identity. Some artists respond with a desire to
cling to a differentiated identity in the face of homogenous globalization,
but at the same time, the collapse of the opposition between center
and peripheries is explored as a potential ground for new creativity,
and the Prague Biennale seeks to examine the growth in sheer variety
in the current artistic discourse from all over the world.
The list of artists
Lazarus Effect
curated by Luca Beatrice, Lauri Firstenberg Helena Kontova
Kamrooz Aram (Iran), Mark Bradford (USA), Delia Brown (USA), Jane
Callister (GB/USA), Brian Calvin (USA), José León
Cerrillo (MEX/USA), Andrea Chiesi (I), Jay Davis (USA), Kaye Donachie
(GB), Benjamin Edwards (USA), Judith Eisler (USA), Isca Greenfield
Sanders (USA), Terry Haggerty (GB/USA), Eberhart Havekost (D), Merlin
James (GB), Johannes Kahrs (D), Jukka Korkeila (Fl), Robert Lucander
(Finland), Julie Mehretu (Ethiopia/Usa), Ryan Mendoza (Usa/I), Manu
Muniategui (ES), Graham Parks (USA), Tal R (DK), Peter Rostovski
(Russia/USA), Christoph Ruckhäberle (D), Matt Saunders (USA),
James Sheehan (USA), Dana Schutz (USA), Dita Stepanova (CZ), Rezi
Van Lankveld (NL), Adriana Varejâo (BRA), Matthias Weischer
(D), Janet Werner (CN)
Superreal
Curated by Lauri Firstenberg (USA)
Karel Funk (CN), Frantiska and Tim Gilman-Sevcik (CZ), Ellen Harvey
(GB/USA), Ulrich Lamsfuss (D), David Nicholson (CN/USA), Aaron Romine
(USA), Kehinde Wiley (USA)
Mission Possible
Curated by Michal Kolecek (Czech Republic)
Dan Acostioaei (Romania), Jirí Cernicky (Czech Republic),
Jana Kalinova (Czech Republic), Sejla Kameric (Bosnia Herzegovina),
Kristof Kintera (Czech Republic), Barbara Klimova (Czech Rebuplic),
Ján Mancuska (Czech Republic), Pavel Mrkus (Czech Republic),
Oliver Musovik (Macedonia),
Markéta Othová (Czech Republic), Michal Pechoucek
(Czech Republic), Reinigungsgesellschaft (Germany), Stepanka Simlova
(Czech Republic), Dezsö Szabo (Hungary).
When Periphery turns center and center turns periphery
Curated by Jens Hoffmann (International)
Trisha Donnelly (USA), Laura Belém (BRA), Alexander Gerdel
(VE), Natascha Sadr Haghighian (D), Federico Herrero (COSTARICA),
Lansing-Dreiden (USA), Melissa Longenecker (USA), Tim Lee (USA),
João Modé (BRA), Marc Roeder (USA), Cinthya Soto (COSTARICA),
Ron Terada (CN).
Beautiful banners. Representation/Democracy/Partecipation
Curated by Marco Scotini (Italy)
Gustavo Artigas (Mex), Marc Bijl (NL), Radek Community (Russia),
Annibal Lopez (Guatemala), Meschac Gaba (Benin), Teresa Margolles
(Mex), Gianni Motti (I), Boris Ondreicka (Slovakia), Roman Ondák
(Slovakia), Jeroen Jongeleen (NL), Armando Lulja (Albania).
Italy: Out of Order
Curated by Luca Beatrice and Giancarlo Politi (I)
Paolo Consorti, Roberto Cuoghi, Davide Bertocchi, Omar Galliani,
Cristina Graziani, Marcello Maloberti, Domenico Mangano, Gian Marco
Montesano, Angelo Mosca, Mimmo Paladino, Federico Pietrella, Chiara
Pirito, Luca Rento, Mario Rizzi, Salvo, Nicola Verlato, Kostabi
World.
Illusion of security
curated by Lino Baldini and Gyonata Bonvicini (I)
Bureau d'Etudes (FR), Tamara Khundadze(D), Eredi Brancusi (I), Yael
Bartana (Israel), Olivier Pietsch (D), Marina Fulgeri (I), Phillip
Zaiser (D), Stefan Banz (CH), Y Liver (I), Lola Marazuela (ES),
Valentina Favi & Saverio Pieralli (I), Giovanna Di Costa (I),
Lucia Uni (I), Zhang Qi-Kai (China-Italy), Christian Frosi (I).
Differentia specifica
Curated by Judit Angel (Hungary)
Sándor Bartha, Marcell Esterházy, Tibor Horváth,
Szabolcs KissPál, Kis Varsó / Little Warsaw (András
Gálik and Bálint Havas), Csaba Nemes & Ágnes
Szépfalvi, Version (RO/FR) (Nicolae Baciu, Mircea Cantor,
Ciprian Muresan, Gabi Vanga).
alone / together
Curated by Jacob Fabricius (Denmark)
Johanna Billing (Sweden), Lise Blomberg Andersen (Denmark), Stephan
Dillemuth (Germany), Kirsten Dufour/Finn Thybo (Denmark), Katie
Holten (Ireland), Laura Horelli (Finland), Jakob Jakobsen (Denmark),
Henriette Heise (Denmark), Josef Strau (Germany).
(Dis)locations
Curated by Julieta Gonzalez (Venezuela)
Alexander Apóstol (VE), Adriana Arenas (Colombia), Emilia
Azcárate (VE), Stefan Brüggemann (Mexico), Mauricio
Lupini (Venezuela), Martín Sastre (Uruguay) Javier Téllez
(VE), Sergio Vega (Argentina)
Global Suburbia
Curated by Dorothée Kirch (Iceland)
The Icelandic Love Corporation (Iceland), Unnar Örn (Iceland),
Ásmunsdur Ásmundsson (Iceland), Gabriela Fridriksdóttir
(Iceland).
Seduced (by speeds and movements): Towards active agencies
of fictions and realities in Polish art
Curated by Adam Budak (Poland)
Azorro Group, Rafal Bujnowski, Bogna Burska, Marta Deskur, Malgorzata
Jablonska, Pawel Ksiazek, Dominik Lejman, Krzysztof Ostrowski, Monika
Sosnowska, Krzysztof Zielinski.
Collecting, Channeling
Curated by Sofia Hernandez (Mexico/New York)
velocidadcrítica (Mexico), Television (an address) (Colombia-Serbia),
Ziploc project (Chile)
Space and Subjectivity
Curated by Lauri Firstenberg (Usa)
Lucas Ajemian (Usa), Weng Feng (China), Jonah Freeman (Usa), Francis
Gomila (GB), Atelier Morales (MEX), Zwelethu Mthethwa (South Africa),
Orit Raff (Israel), Daniela Rossell (Mexico), Bharat Sikka (India),
Alex Slade (Usa), Anton Vidokle (Russia/USA), Sharon Ya'ari (Israel),
Veronicka Zapletalova (Czech Republic)
Overcoming alienation. Emerging artists from Russia
Curated by Ekaterina Lazareva (Russia)
ESCAPE PROGRAM, (Valeriy Ayzenberg, Bogdan Mamonov, Anton Litvin,
Liza Morozova), Anton Litvin, Elena Kovylina, Maxim Ilyukhin, Liza
Morozova, Georgy Pervov, Andrey Ustinov.
Contemporary identities
Curated by Charlotte Mailler (Switzerland)
Valentin Carron, Stefane Dafflon, San Keller, Zilla Leutenegger,
Petra Mrzyk & Jean-François Moriceau (FR), Amy O'Neill,
Rébecca S. (Sauvin), Tessa M. den Uyl.
No title
Curated by Gregor Muir (Great Britain)
Nick Relph and Oliver Payne.
Leaving Glasvegas. Scottish Art scene after the ’90.
Curated by Neil Mulholland (Scotland)
Katie Dove, Michael Fullerton, Keith Farquhar, Alexander Guy, Keith
MacIsaac, Lee O'Connor, Tom O'Sullivan and Joanne Tatham, Alex Pollard,
Hanneline Visnes,.
Virtual Perception
Curated by Laurence Dreyfus (France)
Nicolas Floc’h (F), Stéphane Sautour (F), Tatiana Trouvé
(F), Philippe Mayau (F), ART DIGITAL DVD international program [France:
Julien Alma, Virginie Barre, Julien Baumann, Mathieu Briand, Pierre
Giner, Laurent Hart (Borderland), Kolkoz, Martin Le Chevallier,
Melik Ohanian, Bruno Samper, Stéphane Sautour; Haluk Akakçe
(TUK), Tobias Bernstrup (SW), Sadie Chandler (AUS), Croubalian &
Novarina (CH), Decosterd & Rahm (CH), Felix Stephan Huber (CH),
Zilla Leutenegger (CH), Katarina Lofstrom (SW), Feng Mengbo (CHINA),
Sven Pahlsson (NORV), Palle Torsson (SW), Patrick Tuttofuoco (IT),
Italo Zuffi (IT), Tim White (USA)].
IMPROVisual
curated by Lavinia Garulli (I)
242.pilots (Norway, Poland, Usa) featuring Kelly (Norway), [skoltz_kolgen]
(Dioxyde) (CN), Otolab (I), Phase (CZ)
The art of Survival
Curated by B+B (Sarah Carrington and Sophie Hope) (Great Britain)
Ella Gibbs, Alsdair Hopwood, Barry Sykes and Sean Parfitt, Paula
Roush
China Art Today
Curated by Francesca Jordan & Primo Marella
Yang Fudong, Chen Lingyang, Ma Liuming, Liu Jin, Wang Qingsong,
Li Wei, Huang Yang, Wang Xingwei, Cui Xiuwen, Yang Zhenzhong.
Disturbance (Interference)
Curated by Helena Kontova (international)
Piero Golia (Italy), Christian Holstad (USA), L.A. Raeven (Holland),
Aïda Ruilova (USA), Eduardo Sarabia (Usa), SIX (UK/CZ).
Come with me
Curated by Gea (London/Milan)
Simon Chung (Hong Kong), Frédéric Moser & Philippe
Schwinger (Switzerland), Naotaka Hiro (Japan), Alfonso Cuarón
(Mexico)
Aión: an eventual architecture
Curated by Andrea Di Stefano
Alisa Andrasek (Zagabria, lives in NY), Haresh Lalvani (Kharagpur,
India, lives in NY), George Liaropoulos-Legendre (greek-franch,
lives in London), Ciro Najle (Argentina).
Reiser+Umemoto (Jesse Reiser b. NY e Nanako Umemoto b. Kyoto, live
in NY).
Deste Foundation (Xenia Kalpaktsoglou, Dakis Joannou, Greece)
Athanasios Argianas/ Smoothrooms Collective, Nikos Papadimitriou,
Vassiliea Stylianidou
Special Guest Curator: Francesco Vezzoli (artist, Italy)
Inviting: Sigur Rós (Iceland)
Special Projects:
Brand Art
Swetlana Heger (Cz/Au) Plamen Dejanov (Bu) Jean-Pierre Khazem (FR)
Special Homage to Czech women artists
Adriena Simotová, Zorka Ságlová, Jitka
Válová
Pass-it-on
Curated by Raimundas Malasauskas (Lithuania)
Soya Sauce and Ketchup Fight
Cai Yuan and JJ Xi (China)
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