Biennale of Sydney

The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is the largest and best-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Since 1973, the Biennale of Sydney has presented 15 critically acclaimed, popular and large-scale exhibitions featuring the work of over 1300 International and Australian artists.

History 1973-2008

The Biennale of Sydney has a rich history of promoting cultural exchange with Australia, championing free expression, new ideas and challenging the status quo. It was one of the first exhibitions to celebrate Australia's cultural and ethnic diversity; the first to show Indigenous art in an international context; and the first to focus on contemporary Asian art.

In 1973 the Biennale of Sydney held its first exhibition of 37 artists in the exhibition hall of the then newly opened Sydney Opera House.----

1973 "The Biennale of Sydney."Anthony Wintherbotham, Coordinator

1976 "Recent International Forms in Art."Thomas G. McCullough, Artistic Director

1979 "European Dialogue."Nick Waterlow, Artistic Director

1982 "Vision in Disbelief."William Wright, Artistic Director

1984 "Private Symbol: Social Metaphor."Leon Paroissien, Artistic Director

1986 "Origins, Originality + Beyond."Nick Waterlow, Artistic Director

1988 "From the Southern Cross: A View of World Art c1940 – 1988."Nick Waterlow, Artistic Director

1990 "The Readymade Boomerang:Certain Relations in 20th Century Art."René Block, Artistic Director

1992/3 "The Boundary Rider."Tony Bond, Artistic Director

1996 "Jurassic Technologies Revenant".Dr Lynne Cooke, Artistic Director

1998 "Every Day."Jonathan Watkins, Artistic Director

2000 International Selection Committee: Nick Waterlow (Chair), Fumio Nanjo, Louise Neri, Hetti Perkins, Sir Nicholas Serota, Robert Storr, Harald Szeemann.

2002 "(The World May Be) Fantastic."Richard Grayson, Artistic Director

2004 "On Reason and Emotion."Isabel Carlos, Curator

2006 "Zones of Contact."Dr Charles Merewether, Artistic Director & Curator

2008 "Revolutions - Forms That Turn."Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Artistic Director

2004 Biennale

The 2004 Biennale of Sydney was held from 4 June - 15 August and titled "On Reason and Emotion". It featured the work of 51 artists from 32 countries. Much of the exhibition was sited within Sydney’s major art museums and galleries, however a number of new projects were created for specific sites at outdoor locations within the city, such as the Royal Botanic Gardens and the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Isabel Carlos was the Curator.

2006 Biennale

The 2006 Biennale of Sydney was held from 8 June - 27 August and titled "Zones of Contact". It featured the work of 85 artists from 44 countries and was held across 16 diverse venues throughout Sydney including Pier 2/3, at Walsh Bay, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Dr Charles Merewether was the Artistic Director and Curator.

A record of 316,811 visits were recorded over all venues. The festival included a wide range of works and mediums including installation, sculpture, performance, video, sound, photography and painting. 53 artists created 80 new works specifically for the exhibition in response to the concept 'Zones of Contact'. The festival also featured three two-day symposia, over 50 talks, education programs and an 'Art Walk' along the harbour foreshore between prinicpal exhibition venues.

2008 Biennale

The 16th Biennale of Sydney is taking place from 18 June to 7 September 2008 with leading international curator and writer Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev as Artistic Director.

External links

* [http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/ Biennale of Sydney site]
* [http://www.bos2006.com/ 2006 Biennale of Sydney site]
* [http://artkrush.com/25912 Feature on 2006 Biennale of Sydney] - Artkrush.com, June 2006
* [http://flickr.com/groups/biennaleofsydney/pool/ Photos from Biennale of Sydney 2006 on Flickr]