In the shadow of the mega-event Venice Biennale, there are a number of other exciting recent biennials in 2022. With Austrian participation.
Biennials have become an integral part of the art world. It all started with the “Venice Biennale” founded in 1894, which, with its country pavilions, was initiated by the then mayor as a world exhibition of fine arts. In 1951, São Paulo followed suit and, with spectacular exhibition architecture designed by Oscar Niemeyer, laid the foundation for what is still the second largest art biennial in the world. Other cities followed with Tokyo in 1951 and Paris in 1958. In the course of globalization, the format spread explosively from the 1990s. In contrast to the classics, the events, which are mostly smaller in size, see themselves largely as a platform for the younger generation.
activist
From a purely statistical point of view, the think tank “Biennial Foundation” now lists around 170 biennials worldwide, plus dozens of triennials, quadrennials and other events that specialize in a single medium such as video, photography or performance. “The term brings together very different things,” says Oliver Ressler. The Viennese artist and filmmaker was invited to participate in the 5th Casablanca Biennale with his explicitly political-activist approach to art. “You have to differentiate between the large, hegemonic biennials à la Venice, which as cultural events are part of a city’s international branding, and the numerous smaller events that often have a subversive approach.” For Ressler, the privately initiated Casablanca Biennale. With around 60 international participants, the art festival sees itself as a cultural offer, especially for the North African region.
