SYDNEY, Dec 15 — The 21st Biennale of Sydney has revealed details of its 2018 artistic program, with a focus on issues of movement and migration that will put Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at the forefront.
Under the curatorial theme “Superposition: Equilibrium & Engagement,” a total of 70 artists from six continents will present their works, many of which are the result of direct engagement with communities and reflect the artists’ migrations or personal histories, according to organizers.
“Superposition,” states artistic director Mami Kataoka, is “the quantum mechanical term that refers to an overlapping situation.”
Kataoka explains how the artist selection relates to the event’s theme and to its host city, noting that the artists were chosen “to offer a panoramic view of how opposing interpretations can come together in a state of equilibrium. The history of the people of Sydney collectively reflects the history of the world in the 20th century, in particular the movements and migration of people and cultures away from conflict.”
Ai Weiwei, whose work in recent years has frequently addressed global forced migration, will be represented by several works at the event; among them, his Oscar-nominated documentary Human Flow will be screened and his recent work Law of the Journey, a 60-metre lifeboat filled with 250 lifesize figures, will fill a cavernous space on Cockatoo Island.
The Biennale will be open to the public March 16 through June 11; a day before the opening, Ai Weiwei will deliver the keynote address, appearing in conversation with Mami Kataoka to discuss his work.
The event will be held in seven venues that organizers also revealed this week. Those will include Art Gallery of NSW, Artspace, Carriageworks, Cockatoo Island, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney Opera House and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
Find out more at www.biennaleofsydney.art. — AFP-Relaxnews
