
14 B&W illustrations
ISBN: 9781848223882 • Publication: March 18, 2021
Series: New Directions in Contemporary Art
'Seen as both symptoms of globalization and incubators
of its
critique, biennials have become the most significant
form of
contemporary exhibition-making. Niemojewski’s
accessible
survey takes us on a highly readable grand
tour, taking
in all the key issues and developments since
1989 – from
Havana to Yokohama, Sharjah to Sydney,
Moscow to
Mercosul.' Claire
Bishop, Professor, PhD Program in Art History,
CUNY
Graduate Center, New York
Biennials
The Exhibitions we Love to Hate
Rafal Niemojewski
£19.99 GBP
Available for preorder: this book will be shipped on its publication date of March 18, 2021
Description
Biennials: The Exhibitions We Love to Hate examines one of themost significant recent transitions in the contemporary-art world: the
proliferation of large-scale international recurrent survey shows of
contemporary art, commonly referred to as contemporary biennials. Since the
mid-1980s biennials have been instrumental in shaping curating as an
autonomous practice. They have also been responsible for substantially
reconfiguring the art world and disrupting the existing value chain of the
art market, which now relies on biennials as much as it does on major
museums’ acquisitions and exhibitions.
At the same
time, the arrival of new biennials in various parts of the world has also
been associated with some of the most palpable side-effects of globalization.
Branded by some critics as dollar-generating leisure events and showcases for
highly consumable works of art, biennials have been repeatedly accused of
homogenizing artistic and curatorial practices and leading to a certain
fatigue. This publication makes an essential contribution to a fascinating
cultural debate.