December 16–17, 2021
The International Biennial Association (IBA), is pleased to announce its 8th General Assembly which will be held online on December 16 and 17 of 2021 due to the current uncertainty in regards to travel possibilities. The two-day event comprising public panels and focused workshops will provide a platform for our members and the wider audience to gather under the title, “Working Towards a Sustainable Biennial Model”.
This year’s assembly will focus on ways to imagine a sustainable future for biennials in light of the current pandemic but more so considering the ongoing climate crisis. Within this context, sustainability assumes both ecological and economical/social value, forcing us to imagine radically different modes to operate if biennials are to maintain their role as key experimental spaces within the global art environment.
The public program will include a keynote speech by Chus Martínez, Head of the Institute Art Gender Nature, HGK, Fhnw and Artistic Director of Ocean Space in Venice (TBA21 Academy), with the title “The Great Transformation: Biennials as Producers of Future Scenarios,” which will unfold some of the questions linking the climate crisis, the pandemic, new artistic practices, and institutional formats.
The keynote speech will be followed by a panel discussion titled “Assessing for Sustainability,” organised by PASS: Journal of the International Biennial Association with the participation of Grace Samboh of Jakarta Biennial, João Laia of Baltic Triennial 14, and moderated by Lucia Pietroiusti, Founder of General Ecology Project in Serpentine. The editorial committee of PASS is Sylvie Fortin (Chief Editor), Anne Barlow, Basak Senova, and Bige Örer.
In addition to the public program, this year’s program will also include a series of focus groups for IBA Members which will take place on December 17 to engage in conversations about the following topics: Evaluation Methods / Co-production and Partnerships / Funding Strategies / Reducing Our Carbon Footprint / Crisis Management During a Pandemic.
Those who are interested in participating in these discussions are requested to send an email to info@biennialassociation.org with their top two preferences for the focus groups they would like to be a part of. As spaces are limited, priority will be given to the order we receive replies in.
Schedule
December 16, 3–5pm (London)
Keynote: The Great Transformation: Biennials as Producers of Future Scenarios
Keynote speaker: Chus Martínez (Head of the Institute Art Gender Nature, HGK, FHNW and Artistic Director of Ocean Space in Venice (TBA21 Academy))
PASS panel: Assessing for Sustainability
Participants: Grace Samboh (Jakarta Biennial), João Laia (Baltic Triennial 14)
Moderator: Lucia Pietroiusti (Founder of General Ecology Project in Serpentine)
December 17, 3–5pm (London)
Focus Groups
IBA Office Formalities + Voting (members only)
The full program with details for the 8th General Assembly may be found on the IBA website here.
Register here for the 8th General Assembly of IBA.
IBA is a nonprofit arts association created as a platform for establishing, researching and exchanging knowledge and information necessary for institutions and professionals who plan and curate periodic art events such as biennials and triennials, as well as artists, researchers and others concerned with contemporary art. IBA is a centre for producing multidisciplinary discourse that embodies the productive and discursive voices of the contemporary art world.
For any questions pertaining to IBA or the 8th General Assembly, please contact us at info@biennialassociation.org.
