All our relations. The 18th Biennale of Sydney focuses on inclusionary practices of generative thinking, such as collaboration, conversation and compassion, in the face of coercion and destruction. With the creation of conditions for an encounter in consonance with our surrounding world, this event brings emphasis to what is already happening at large. Drawing on the possibility of the present, the Biennale emerges from the engagement of all participants by using a model that begins with two curators in dialogue.
Artistic Directors Catherine de Zegher and Gerald McMaster
today unveiled the work of more than 100 artists from over 44 countries,
presented at inner-city and harbourside locations across Sydney for the
18th Biennale of Sydney: all our relations.
Presented free to the public from 27 June until 16 September 2012, the
Biennale of Sydney is Australia’s largest and most respected contemporary
visual arts event, attracting more than half a million visitors in 2010.
Beginning with the two curators in dialogue, the curatorial premise
all our relations provides a collaborative framework that allows conversations to
extend to both artists and audiences. The collaboration between Artistic Directors
Catherine de Zegher and Gerald McMaster is the first time in the Biennale’s
39-year history that an exhibition has been developed by a curatorial duo.
Exploring new ideas from unexpected voices around the world, the
18th Biennale of Sydney showcases more than 220 works by over 100 artists
hailing from Australia, New Zealand, the Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe,
South Africa and the Middle East. Nearly half the artists have created works
specifically for this exhibition, including many substantial collaborative
installations.
Major venues for the 18th Biennale of Sydney are the Art Gallery of New South
Wales; the newly redeveloped Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; World
Heritage-listed former shipyard and prison, Cockatoo Island; and Pier 2/3 in
Walsh Bay. For the first time, Redfern-based arts institution Carriageworks is a
presenting partner.
Commenting on the curatorial concept of the 18th Biennale of Sydney,
Co-Artistic Director Catherine de Zegher said: ‘all our relations concerns a global
movement of art and thought that has been under the radar and now emerges as
radical and dynamic, bringing forward significant change. From the
collaborations and juxtapositions emerge powerful and wholly new ideas, a truly
global proposal of what art is and what it does in society. The 18th Biennale of
Sydney connects absolutely local issues, the most intimate meanings of place and
time, with great currents of art and thought that are linking lives as though in
conversation. This is the groundbreaking premise of all our relations.’
Co-Artistic Director Gerald McMaster added: ‘We’ve selected artists who often
cross disciplinary boundaries, artists who enjoy collaborating and some who
work with unusual media. Then there are those who look into the historical
dimensions of their cultural heritage for new sources of inspiration, some who
connect the spiritual with the aesthetic and others whose love of the natural
world creates surprising countenance.’
TUESDAY, 26 JUNE 2012
Marah Braye, Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘The substantial number of new
works being created especially for this Biennale promises a very special
experience. We look forward to growing our audiences and offering them some of
the most exciting contemporary art in the world over the next three months.’
The 18th Biennale of Sydney will present an expanded education and public
program throughout the course of the exhibition, including specially designed
Art Lounges and Learning Zones on Cockatoo Island and Pier 2/3, as well as a
range of artist talks, guided tours, special programs for kids and families and
after-dark events. Teachers and schools will be catered for through dedicated
publications and guided tours, comprehensive online resources, as well as special
educator programs.
The 18th Biennale of Sydney will be presented from 27 June – 16 September
2012. For further information, please visit http://bos18.com
ABOUT THE BIENNALE OF SYDNEY
The Biennale of Sydney continues to play a central role in developing visual arts
culture in Australia and connecting artists from around the world. Every two
years, the Biennale of Sydney is presented free to the public over a
twelve-week period. As the most exciting contemporary visual arts event
in the Asia-Pacific region, the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012) will celebrate
the organisation’s 39th anniversary.
Alongside the Venice and São Paolo biennales and documenta, it is one of the
longest running exhibitions of its kind and was the first biennale to be established
in the Asia-Pacific region. Since its inception in 1973, the Biennale of Sydney has
provided an international platform for innovative and challenging contemporary
art, showcasing the work of more than 1500 artists from over 83 countries.
The Biennale of Sydney gratefully acknowledges the generous support of
the many organisations and individuals that make the exhibition and its
programs possible.
Major Venues
The Biennale of Sydney venues combine established and high-profile museums,
dedicated contemporary art spaces, heritage sites and buildings. The 18th Biennale
of Sydney will be presented at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum
of Contemporary Art Australia, Pier 2/3 and Cockatoo Island.
Presenting Partner
Carriageworks is a presenting partner for the 18th Biennale of Sydney, the first
time the multi-disciplinary arts institution has been included in the official
program. Carriageworks will present the Australian premiere of a series of
contemporary dance performances (11–15 September 2012), in addition to a
site-specific installation throughout the duration of the exhibition.
ABOUT THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Catherine de Zegher and Gerald McMaster have most recently collaborated at
the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, where they participated in the reinstallation
of the Gallery’s collection in the renovated museum building by Frank Gehry.
De Zegher and McMaster led the reinstallation of the European and Canadian
galleries respectively. They have also worked together on the exhibition Draw &
Tell: Lines of Transformation by Norval Morrisseau/Copper Thunderbird (2001)
at The Drawing Center in New York.
Catherine de Zegher is a curator, writer, and editor. Until recently, she was Guest
Curator, Department of Drawings, Museum of Modern Art, New York, where she
co-organised On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century. De Zegher was
Director of Exhibitions and Publications, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto and, for
many years, was the Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Drawing Center,
New York. Before working in North America, she was co-founder and Director of
the Kanaal Art Foundation in Kortrijk, Belgium. In 1997, de Zegher was the
Belgian Commissioner to the XLVII Venice Biennale and in 2013 she will be the
Curator of the Australian Pavilion at Venice, exhibiting the work of artist Simryn
Gill. Recently, de Zegher has been appointed as the next Artistic Director of
the 5th Moscow Biennale.
Gerald McMaster is a curator, artist and writer, and since 2005 has been the
Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, where he
recently curated Inuit Modern: The Esther and Samuel Sarick Collection. He was
also a member of the curatorial team for the 2010 Scotiabank Nuit Blanche in
Toronto. At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian,
McMaster was the Director’s Special Assistant for Mall Exhibitions and Deputy
Assistant Director for Cultural Resources. McMaster was also Curator, Canadian
Museum of Civilization.
The 18th Biennale of Sydney will present an expanded education and public
program throughout the course of the exhibition, including specially designed
Art Lounges and Learning Zones on Cockatoo Island and Pier 2/3, as well as a
range of artist talks, guided tours, special programs for kids and families and
after-dark events. Teachers and schools will be catered for through dedicated
publications and guided tours, comprehensive online resources, as well as special
educator programs.
MEDIA CONTACTS
For more information please contact Jenny McVean at Sutton PR: Phone: +44 (0) 207 1833577 jenny@suttonpr.com
Different venues
Sydney