Biennials: The Exhibitions we Love to Hate

Biennials: The Exhibitions We Love to Hate examines one of the most 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.

Rafal Niemojewski  is Director of the Biennial Foundation, and a scholar of contemporary art and its institutions. He has lectured extensively on the topic of biennials and his writings appeared in numerous journals and books, including The Manifesta Decade (MIT Press, 2006), The Biennial  Reader (Hatje Cantz, 2010) and The New Curator (Laurence King, 2016). He worked as an Assistant and Associate Professor at Central Saint Martins, Sotheby’s Institute, Royal Institute of Art (Stockholm), and Course Director at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London.