Spring 2012: Berlin Biennale/Berlin Documentary Forum
7TH BERLIN BIENNALE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTApril 27–July 1, 2012
The 7th Berlin Biennale is an appeal to the art world to become more politically responsible, more self-empowering, to question its consent, decorum and leftist skepticism, and to stand along with present social movements. It is supporting the real effect, the visible social impact, and art-driven strategies within politics. The 7th Berlin Biennale curator Artur Żmijewski has not only commissioned artists for artworks, but also for a contribution to a political debate. With this approach, by curating as an artistic practice, the format of the Berlin Biennale has radically expanded. During nine weeks the exhibition and a series of performative projects will introduce and confront contemporary art that is justified by diverse societal concerns—instead of using politics as a mere topic.
The 7th Berlin Biennale is curated by Artur Żmijewski.
Associate Curators are Joanna Warsza and the art collective Voina from Russia (Oleg Vorotnikov, Natalya Sokol, Leonid Nikolaev and Kasper Nienagliadny Sokol).
Venues: KW Institute for Contemporary Art (Auguststr. 69, 10117 Berlin) and other venues
Further information: www.berlinbiennale.de
Press: Denhart v. Harling . T: +49.30.24345942 press@berlinbiennale.de
The Berlin Biennale is organized by KW Institute for Contemporary Art and funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation).
BERLIN DOCUMENTARY FORUM 2
May 31–June 3, 2012
The Berlin Documentary Forum, a biannual festival initiated in 2010, engages with documentary practices across a variety of disciplines and explores the documentary as a mode of historical and political analysis.
Berlin Documentary Forum 2 will include screenings, performances, exhibitions, talks, and publications:
A long weekend of live events will be presented with a group of international contributors, including filmmaker Harun Farocki, cultural historian Sylvère Lotringer, visual artist Christine Meisner, film curator Eduardo Thomas, theatre director Rabih Mroué, choreographer and dancer Eszter Salamon, and many others.
A Blind Spot, a group exhibition curated by Catherine David, highlights work that subverts conventional pictorial regimes by addressing the constitutive complexity, openness and indeterminacy of the image.
Issue Zero, an online video magazine edited by Hila Peleg and Florian Schneider, examines radically new ways to produce, present and view documentary works in networked environments.
Venue: Haus der Kulturen der Welt (John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin)
Further information: www.berlindocumentaryforum.de
Press: Anne Maier . T +49.30.39787.153 anne.maier@hkw.de
The Berlin Documentary Forum is organized by Haus der Kulturen der Welt. “A Blind Spot” is funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds (Capital Cultural Fonds). Haus der Kulturen der Welt is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media on the basis of a resolution adopted by the German Parliament as well as by the Federal Foreign Office.