Aes + F
Ai Weiwei
Makoto Aida
Vyacheslav Akunov
Eija-lisa Ahtila
Kader Attia
Lara Baladi
Phyllida Barlow
Yael Bartana
lutz Becker
John Bock
Louise Bourgeois
Luchezar Boyadjiev
Sergei Bratkov
Ergin Cavusogglu
Jake & Dinos Chapman
Olga Chernysheva, Russia
Choi Jeong Hwa
Baaska Cholidjavin
Chto Delat
Oleksandr Chekmenyev
Danica Dakic
Richard Deacon
Folkert de Jong
Aleksandra Domanovic
Wei Dong
Annika Eriksson
Stelios Faitakis
Daniel Faust
Richard Grayson
Rodney Graham
Trenton Doyle Hancock
Shirazeh Houshiary
Ilya & Emilia Kabakov
Nikita Kadan
Jitish Kallat
Oleksandr Kadnykov
Gulsun Karamustafa
Tomoko Kashiki
Ali Kazma
Barti Kher
Lesya Khomenko
Rachel Kneebone
Ola Kolehmainen
Oleg Kulik
Yayoi Kusama
Lam Tung Pang
Sergyi Zarva
Zhou Zixi
Hamlet Zinkovsky
Dihn Q Le
Liu Jianhua
Madein Company
Map Office
Mykola Malyshko
Paul Mc Carthy
Erbossyn Meldubekov
Almagul Menlibaeva
Boris Mikhailov
Tracey Moffat
Ana Maria Pacheco
Fiona Pardington
Sergiy Radkevich
Radya
Rashid Rana
Vandy Rattana
Rep
Mykola Ridnyi
Anila Rubiku
Andriy Sagaidakovsky
Arsen Savadov
Shen Shaomin
Raqib Shaw
Chiharu Shiota
Yinka Shonibare
Masha Shubina
Natasha Shulte
Song Dong
Canan Tolon
Fred Tomaselli
Vasily Tsgolov
Ujino
Uriintuya
Bill Viola
Stas Volyazlovsky
Yelena & Viktor Vorobyev
Vova Vorotniov
Wang Gingsong
Michael Wesley
Miao Xiaochun
Yin Xiuzhen
Miwa Yanagi
Yang Yudong
Kenji Yanobe
Yeesookyung
Tomoko Yoneda
Young Haechang
Heavy Industries
barnbrook studio, great britain
Nataliia Zabolotna
David Elliott
The Biennale entitled "The Best of Times, The Worst of Times. Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art", based on an idea inspired by Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (1859). The exhibition will feature works by over 100 leading and emerging international and Ukrainian contemporary artists, including over 40 new works previously unseen or made especially for it. Some of the parecipant artists are Phyllida Barlow, Jitish Kallat, Boris Mikhailov, Fred Tommaselli, Bill Viola.
Curated by Nataliia Zabolotna and David Elliott
ARSENALE 2012 will be the first Biennale to take place in Kiev, Ukraine. Under the Direction of Commissioner, Nataliia Zabolotna and artistic direction of renowned British Curator, David Elliott, the Biennale will be entitled The Best of Times, The Worst of Times. Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art, based on an idea inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities (1859). On display in the historic Mystetskyi Arsenal, a magnificent former military building in the heart of Kiev, ARSENALE 2012 will feature works by over 100 leading and emerging international and Ukrainian contemporary artists, including over 40 new works previously unseen or made especially for the exhibition.
Exciting new works to be featured at the Biennale include Footprints of Eternity, a new site-specific immersive installation by YAYOI KUSAMA. Flanked by two large new paintings, the installation will be specially made for the Biennale by the Japanese artist. Kusama will also present an earlier reflection box work entitled Aftermath of the Obliteration of Eternity (2009).
British artist PHYLLIDA BARLOW will create Rift, a new three-part site-specific work with hoardings, industrial elements and “bombs” that will respond to the massive columns, vaults and military history of the imposing Arsenal building.
Indian artist JITISH KALLAT will also be creating a new work for the Biennale, a walk through installation comprised of the projection of a letter written in 1939 from Mahatma Ghandi to Adolph Hitler, urging the Dictator “for the sake of humanity” to avoid war.
A new series of large images of factories by BORIS MIKHAILOV (born in Kharkiv, Ukraine) will both liberate and capture the superannuated power of the era of Soviet heavy industry which has scarred vast tracts of Ukraine. The images feature behemoths of iron and steel that dwarf the few surviving workers, projecting bittersweet memories of construction and sacrifice into an anti-heroic present.
American painter FRED TOMASELLI will present two new large apocalyptic works he has made especially for the Biennale. Corresponding to the theme of the exhibition, they reflect the Gothic underbelly of a society spinning out of control.
Confirmed List of Artists
AES + F, Russia; AI WEIWEI, China; MAKOTO AIDA, Japan; VYACHESLAV AKUNOV, Uzbekistan; EIJA-LISA AHTILA, Finland; KADER ATTIA, Algeria/France; LARA BALADI, Egypt; PHYLLIDA BARLOW, UK; YAEL BARTANA, Israel; LUTZ BECKER, UK; JOHN BOCK, Germany; LOUISE BOURGEOIS, United States; LUCHEZAR BOYADJIEV, Bulgaria; SERGEI BRATKOV, Ukraine; ERGIN CAVUSOĞLU, Bulgaria/UK; JAKE & DINOS CHAPMAN, UK; OLGA CHERNYSHEVA, Russia; CHOI JEONG HWA, Korea; BAASKA CHOLIDJAVIN, Mongolia; CHTO DELAT, Russia; OLEKSANDR CHEKMENYEV, Ukraine; DANICA DAKIC, Bosnia/Germany; RICHARD DEACON, UK; FOLKERT DE JONG, Netherlands; ALEKSANDRA DOMANOVIC, Serbia; WEI DONG, China; ANNIKA ERIKSSON, Sweden/Germany; STELIOS FAITAKIS, Greece; DANIEL FAUST, United States; RICHARD GRAYSON, UK; RODNEY GRAHAM, Canada; TRENTON DOYLE HANCOCK, United States; SHIRAZEH HOUSHIARY, UK; ILYA & EMILIA KABAKOV, Ukraine/USA; NIKITA KADAN, Ukraine; JITISH KALLAT, India; OLEKSANDR KADNYKOV, Ukraine; GULSUN KARAMUSTAFA, Turkey; TOMOKO KASHIKI, Japan; ALI KAZMA, Turkey; BARTI KHER, India; LESYA KHOMENKO, Ukraine; RACHEL KNEEBONE, UK; OLA KOLEHMAINEN, Finland; OLEG KULIK, Ukraine; YAYOI KUSAMA, Japan; LAM TUNG PANG, Hong Kong; SERGYI ZARVA, Ukraine; ZHOU ZIXI, China; HAMLET ZINKOVSKY, Ukraine; DIHN Q LE, Vietnam; LIU JIANHUA, China; MADEIN COMPANY, China; MAP OFFICE, Hong Kong; MYKOLA MALYSHKO, Ukraine; PAUL MCCARTHY, United States; ERBOSSYN MELDIBEKOV, Kazakhstan; ALMAGUL MENLIBAEVA, Kazakhstan; BORIS MIKHAILOV, Ukraine; TRACEY MOFFATT, Australia; ANA MARIA PACHECO, UK; FIONA PARDINGTON, New Zealand; SERGIY RADKEVICH, Ukraine; RADYA, Russia; RASHID RANA, Pakistan; VANDY RATTANA, Cambodia; REP, Ukraine; MYKOLA RIDNYI, Ukraine; ANILA RUBIKU, Albania; ANDRIY SAGAIDAKOVSKY, Ukraine; ARSEN SAVADOV, Ukraine; SHEN SHAOMIN, Australia; RAQIB SHAW, India/UK; CHIHARU SHIOTA, Japan; YINKA SHONIBARE MBE, Great Britain; MASHA SHUBINA, Ukraine; NATASHA SHULTE, Ukraine; SONG DONG, China; CANAN TOLON, Turkey; FRED TOMASELLI, United States; VASSILY TSAGOLOV, Ukraine; UJINO, Japan; DAGVASAMBUU UURIINTUYA, Mongolia; BILL VIOLA, United States; STAS VOLYAZLOVSKY, Ukraine; YELENA & VIKTOR VOROBYEV, Kazakhstan; VOVA VOROTNIOV, Ukraine; WANG QINGSONG, China; MICHAEL WESELY, Germany; MIAO XIAOCHUN, China; YIN XIUZHEN, China; MIWA YANAGI, Japan; YANG FUDONG, China; KENJI YANOBE, Japan; YEESOOKYUNG, Korea; TOMOKO YONEDA, Japan; YOUNG HAECHANG, Korea; HEAVY INDUSTRIES; BARNBROOK STUDIO, UK.
Additional Programme:
Special Programme
DOUBLE GAME
Curator: Oleksander Soloviov, Deputy Director-General, Mystetskyi Arsenal. The Polish side of the project will be coordinated by Fabio Cavalucci, Director of Zamek Ujazdowski Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland
This project will present a unique opportunity for the artists, curators and critics from Poland and Ukraine to meet and debate, to find points of contact and mark the zones of identity, diversity and resemblance. Despite these two countries sharing a common border there is a lack of mutual knowledge about each other’s cultures and art. This project may be regarded as a special test for looking at a local cultural situation in the context of the globalized world.
Parallel Programme
The guests of ARSENALE will have a chance to experience Ukraine’s cultural scene and become immersed in Kiev’s unique cultural environment through the Parallel Programme. It will include a programme of art and cultural events that will take place at art institutions and galleries to coincide with the Biennale.
Educational Programme
A special programme to introduce the contemporary art of the ARSENALE to the wide Ukrainian audience, including students. Lectures and discussions will take place leading up to the Biennale and various guided tours will be held during the Biennial.
Info:
Jenny McVean
Sutton PR
jenny@suttonpr.com
+44 (0) 20 7183 3577
+44 (0) 7595 217 650
Mystetskyi Arsenal
St. Lavrska, 12, Kyiv