Athens Biennale

Athens biennale logo

Athens Biennale is one of the largest contemporary art exhibitions held every two years in Athens, Greece. It is organised by the Athens Biennale Non-Profit Organization, which was founded in November 2005 by Xenia Kalpaktsoglou, Poka-Yio, and Augustine Zenakos.

Athens Biennale functions within an international network of large-scale periodic contemporary art events. It emerged from the intense cultural activity that makes Athens one of the most interesting places for contemporary art, and it aims to be an agent of constant change and innovation, provide a context for creativity and dialogue and constitute a wide platform for the designation and the critical engagement of local artistic production, as well as a forum for discussion and exchange with the international scene.[1]

It has presented so far five editions: "Destroy Athens" (2007), "Heaven" (2009), "Monodrome" (2011), "Agora" (2013), "Omonoia" (June 2015-February 2017), as well as the prelude of AB6 "Waiting for the Barbarians" (April 2017). AB launches its 6th edition, under the title ANTI, on October 26, 2018, curated by Stefanie Hessler/ Kostis Stafylakis/ Poka-Yio.

Athens Biennale is internationally acknowledged and awarded (by the European Cultural Foundation) for its forward-looking and often controversial productions that challenge fixed notions of how contemporary art should be exhibited, what art interventions in the "public space" should be and how a major art production could be collectively co-created.

History

The first Biennale, entitled Destroy Athens was held at Technopolis of Athens in 2007 and focused on avant-garde creations of contemporary art with participating artists from Greece and abroad.[2]

The second one, entitled HEAVEN, took place in June 2009, at former Olympic venues at Palaio Faliro with the participation of 120 international artists.[3]

The third Athens Biennale, entitled MONODROME, was curated by Nicolas Bourriaud along with Kalpaktsoglou and Poka-Yio at the building of Diplareios School Square Theatre, Athens.[4]

4th Biennale

4th Athens Biennale 2013 AGORA logo

The fourth Athens Biennale, entitled AGORA, was held in the former Athens Stock Exchange building in Sofokleous Street between September 28 - December 1 2013 and it featured works by George Harvalias, FYTA, Theo Prodromidis and Hito Steyerl among others.[5] [6] In 2015, Athens Biennale was awarded the ECF Princess Margriet Award For Culture for Agora's innovative collective curatorial approach that broke from a consumer-oriented model of exhibition-making. [7]

Process

Their collaborative process in producing the exhibition reflects on the way a biennale operates. The 4th Athens Biennale (AB4) proposed AGORA as a place of exchange and interaction, and as an ideal setting for critique.[8] AB4 was realized by a nameless and ephemeral group of artists, curators, theorists and practitioners in the creative industries.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Athens Biennale". athensbiennale.org. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  2. ↑ Destroy Athens, e-flux.
  3. ↑ HEAVEN, e-flux.
  4. ↑ MONODROME, e-flux.
  5. ↑ AGORA, 4th Athens Biennale 2013 AGORA official press release
  6. ↑ , Drake, Cathryn. "Cathryn Drake at the 4th Athens Biennale". artforum.com. Retrieved 2017-05-13.
  7. ↑ , Biennale Foundation "ECF Princess Margriet Award For Culture Awarded To Athens Biennale (Greece)."
  8. ↑ 4th Athens Biennalle 2013 AGORA, NeMe.org.
  9. ↑ 4th Athens Biennalle 2013 AGORA curatorial team, 4th Athens Biennalle 2013 AGORA official website.
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