What is a biennale? In which countries are such events held?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

Many people are wondering what a biennale is. Today we often hear this word. A Biennale is an exhibition or festival that showcases cultural achievements. Usually people from different countries take part in them. This festival is held once every two years. The modern biennale can be compared to the nervous system that permeates the entire planet. All people who are used to keeping up with the times know about such events. The exhibition often occupies a vast area, which would fit a small city.

Venice and Kassel Biennials

The Venice Biennale is the oldest, it appeared at the end of the 19th century. Another exhibition with a rich history is Documenta, held in a German city called Kassel. It is interesting that it takes place once every five years, but it is still considered a full-fledged biennale. It was founded in 1947 through the efforts of curators who wanted to popularize post-war German art. According to the creators, the exhibition should awaken love for the Motherland. TillSince the biennale is still being held and attracts a lot of spectators, it can be argued that the cultural level in the country is quite high. And this, of course, sets in an optimistic mood. If you ask any German child what a biennale is, then most likely he will answer correctly, and this says a lot. As for the Venice festival, its purpose was to demonstrate the masterpieces of Italian art, which is by no means limited to the creations of bygone years, for example, the Renaissance period, but also includes many interesting modern things at that time. After some time, the Biennale became larger, and people from all over the world began to come to it. Artists from all over the world were honored to take part.

Exhibitions in Istanbul, Gwangju and Dakar

Wonderful biennials are held in other countries, for example, in Turkey. The exhibition is localized in Istanbul. It all started when an art historian named Beral Madra was able to convince the government and many influential people that Turkey's cultural achievements needed to be shown to both fellow citizens and foreigners. Shortly after its foundation, the Biennale acquired an international dimension. After some time, a similar exhibition was organized in South Korea, in the city of Gwangju. Senegal followed a contagious example with the launch of the Dakar Biennale. Many were quite surprised, because they did not expect that something like this could be organized in such a country. There is a stereotype in society that the International Biennale isthe prerogative of more successful states.

Features of the Venice and German Biennials

Today, large-scale exhibitions are held in different countries, but the most famous is the Venetian one. Perhaps, it can be compared with a Chinese flea market: there is such an abundance of works of art that it begins to ripple in the eyes. Kassel, on the contrary, is characterized by restraint and thoughtfulness. This can be considered an advantage. In Venice, complete chaos reigns, and in Kassel - orderliness worthy of praise. The Turkish exhibition, by the way, in many ways resembles the German one. The ingenious idea of the founders received a stunning embodiment. Today it is difficult to find an intelligent Turk who does not know what a biennale is.

Modest attempts by underdeveloped countries

Lagging states, contrary to common stereotypes, also try to organize spectacular events of this kind, but they do not always succeed. For example, the biennale, founded in the South African city of Johannesburg, operated for only a few years. International festivals are also held in our country. We should also mention Saudi Arabia, which gave the Pompidou Museum a rather large sum (100 million dollars) in order for it to establish a center for Islamic contemporary art. Well, good start. It is noteworthy that in this center it is planned to demonstrate only works of art that are of a secular, non-religious nature. Egypt is another country wheremajor exhibitions are held.

Moscow Biennale

June 25, a significant event took place. The 6th Moscow International Biennale, fully dedicated to young art, has begun functioning at the Museum of Moscow. A wonderful theme was invented for her - "Time to dream." The exhibition features works by many artists from 32 countries.

But magnificent works of art can be seen not only in the Museum of Moscow, but also in some other places. For example, it is worth going to the NCCA to enjoy the Dream Machines project, which is based on the idea of creating a mechanism endowed with artificial intelligence. Here are the works of English, Russian and Korean authors. Of course, all their relatives and friends know what a biennale is. They also come here to admire the paintings.

But what is exhibited in the Moscow Museum? Here you can get acquainted with the creations of Pakistani, Czech, Ukrainian, Thai and Azerbaijani artists. In order to avoid confusion, it was decided to equip special pavilions on each floor to accommodate paintings by authors of different nationalities. For example, the creations of Pakistani artists are devoted to the problems of the peoples inhabiting states with an unstable political situation. The Young Art Biennale also features rather unusual installations created by creative authors. No one has yet regretted visiting the exhibition, on the contrary, everyone is completely delighted. So the biennale definitely deservesattention.