Biennale (), Italian for "biennial" or "every other year", is any event that happens every two years. It is most commonly used within the art world to describe large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions. As such the term was popularised by Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895. Since the 1990s, the terms "biennale" and "biennial" have been interchangeably used in a more generic way - to signify a large-scale international survey show of contemporary art that recurs at regular intervals but not necessarily biannual (such as triennials,

Documenta ''documenta'' is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. The ''documenta'' was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultura ...

, Skulptur Projekte Münster). The phrase has also been used for other artistic events, such as the " Biennale de Paris", " Kochi-Muziris Biennale", Berlinale (for the Berlin International Film Festival) and Viennale (for Vienna's international film festival).

Characteristics

According to author

Federica Martini Federica is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Federica Di Giacomo * Federica Gori * Federica Luppi * 12817 Federica (1996 FM16), a Main-belt Asteroid discovered in 1996 * Federica Angeli (born 1975), Italian journalist * Feder ...

, what is at stake in contemporary biennales is the diplomatic/international relations potential as well as urban regeneration plans. Besides being mainly focused on the present (the “here and now” where the cultural event takes place and their effect of "spectacularisation of the everyday"), because of their site-specificity cultural events may refer back to, produce or frame the history of the site and communities'

collective memory Collective memory refers to the shared pool of memories, knowledge and information of a social group that is significantly associated with the group's identity. The English phrase "collective memory" and the equivalent French phrase "la mémoire c ...

. A strong and influent symbol of biennales and of large-scale international exhibitions in general is the Crystal Palace, the gigantic and futuristic London architecture that hosted the Great Exhibition in 1851. According to philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, the Crystal Palace is the first attempt to condense the representation of the world in a unitary exhibition space, where the main exhibit is society itself in an a-historical, spectacular condition. The Crystal Palace main motives were the affirmation of British economic and national leadership and the creation of moments of spectacle. In this respect, 19th century World fairs provided a visual crystallization of colonial culture and were, at the same time, forerunners of contemporary theme parks.

The Venice Biennale as an archetype

The Venice Biennale, a periodical large-scale cultural event founded in 1895, served as an archetype of the biennales. Meant to become a World Fair focused on contemporary art, the Venice Biennale used as a pretext the wedding anniversary of the Italian king and followed up to several national exhibitions organised after Italy unification in 1861. The Biennale immediately put forth issues of city marketing, cultural tourism and urban regeneration, as it was meant to reposition Venice on the international cultural map after the crisis due to the end of the Grand Tour model and the weakening of the Venetian school of painting. Furthermore, the Gardens where the Biennale takes place were an abandoned city area that needed to be re-functionalised. In cultural terms, the Biennale was meant to provide on a biennial basis a platform for discussing contemporary art practices that were not represented in fine arts museums at the time. The early Biennale model already included some key points that are still constitutive of large-scale international art exhibitions today: a mix of city marketing, internationalism, gentrification issues and destination culture, and the spectacular, large scale of the event.

Biennials after the 1990s

The situation of biennials has changed in the contemporary context: while at its origin in 1895 Venice was a unique cultural event, but since the 1990s hundreds of biennials have been organized across the globe. Given the ephemeral and irregular nature of some biennials, there is little consensus on the exact number of biennials in existence at any given time. Furthermore, while Venice was a unique agent in the presentation of contemporary art, since the 1960s several museums devoted to contemporary art are exhibiting the contemporary scene on a regular basis. Another point of difference concerns 19th century internationalism in the arts, that was brought into question by post-colonial debates and criticism of the contemporary art “ethnic marketing”, and also challenged the Venetian and World Fair’s national representation system. As a consequence of this, Eurocentric tendency to implode the whole word in an exhibition space, which characterises both the Crystal Palace and the Venice Biennale, is affected by the expansion of the artistic geographical map to scenes traditionally considered as marginal. The birth of the Havana Biennial in 1984 is widely considered an important counterpoint to the Venetian model for its prioritization of artists working in the Global South and curatorial rejection of the national pavilion model.

International biennales

In the term's most commonly used context of major recurrent art exhibitions: * Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, South Australia * Asian Art Biennale, in Taichung, Taiwan ( National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts) * Athens Biennale, in Athens, Greece * Bienal de Arte Paiz, in Guatemala City, Guatemala * Arts in Marrakech (AiM) International Biennale (

Arts in Marrakech Festival The Arts festival in Marrakech, now the Marrakech Biennale, first took place in 2005. It was set up by Vanessa Branson and Abel Damoussi with the help of curator Danny Moynihan and Liberatum creator Pablo Ganguli. It is the first major Triling ...

) * Bamako Encounters, a biennale of photography in Mali *

Bat-Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism Bat Yam International Biennale of Landscape Urbanism, "Urban Action," is a design project in Bat Yam, Israel dedicated to examining and re-designing city landscapes and lifestyles. History The first Biennale, was "Hosting," held in 2008. This event ...

* Beijing Biennale * Berlin Biennale (contemporary art biennale, to be distinguished from Berlinale, which is a film festival) *

Bergen Assembly Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

(triennial for contemporary art in Bergen, Norway)www.bergenassembly.no * Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture, in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China *

Bienal de Arte de Ponce Bienal de Arte de Ponce is a biennial international art exhibition that takes place in Ponce, Puerto Rico, during the month of November. The event is sponsored by the Commission on the Arts of the University of Puerto Rico at Ponce. It has been ...

in Ponce, Puerto Rico * Biënnale van België, Biennial of Belgium, Belgium *

BiennaleOnline BiennaleOnline is an online exhibition of contemporary art. The exhibition aims to focus on the most promising emerging visual artists worldwide, presenting works in New Media, Installation, Traditional Media, Photography and Performance. Th ...

Online biennial exhibition of contemporary art from the most promising emerging artists. *

Biennial of Hawaii Artists The Biennial of Hawaii Artists is an invitational exhibition of six or seven Hawaii artists that has been held at Spalding House since 1993. It was originally organized by The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu and known as “The Contemporary Museum ...

* Biennale de la Biche, the smallest biennale in the world held at deserted island near

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

, French overseas region * , in Shiga, Japan *

La Biennale de Montreal La Biennale de Montréal (BNL MTL) is a bi-annual multidisciplinary arts event to confront the Quebec and Canadian art with those of foreign artists around common issues and concepts corresponding to ''"the timeliness of the art"''. Founded in 1 ...

* Biennale of Luanda : Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace, Angola * Boom Festival, international music and culture festival in Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal *

Bucharest Biennale The Bucharest Biennale (full name: ''Bucharest International Biennial for Contemporary Art'') is a contemporary art biennale held in Bucharest, Romania. History The first edition of the Bucharest Biennale was held in 2005, with the following one ...

in Bucharest, Romania * Bushwick Biennial, in

Bushwick, Brooklyn Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...

, New York * Canakkale Biennial, in Canakkale, Turkey * Cerveira International Art Biennial, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal *

Changwon Sculpture Biennale Changwon () is the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do, on the southeast coast of South Korea. With a population of 1.07 million , Changwon is South Korea's ninth-most populous city. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south ...

in Changwon, South Korea *

Dakar Biennale The Dakar Biennale, or Dak'Art - Biennale de l'Art Africain Contemporain, is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Dakar, Senegal. Dak'Art's focus has been on Contemporary African Art since 1996. History T ...

, also called Dak'Art, biennale in Dakar, Senegal *

, contemporary art exhibition held every five years in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, Germany *

Estuaire (biennale) Estuaire is a contemporary art exhibition that took place between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire (along the Loire estuary), France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comp ...

, biennale in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, France *

EVA International EVA International (previously known as Limerick Exhibition of Visual Art and e v + a) is a large-scale contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years in the city of Limerick, Republic of Ireland. It is known as Ireland's biennial, ...

, biennial in Limerick, Republic of Ireland * Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art, in Gothenburg, Sweden * Greater Taipei Contemporary Art Biennial, in Taipei, Taiwan *

Gwangju Biennale The Gwangju Biennale is a contemporary art biennale founded in September 1995 in Gwangju, South Jeolla province, South Korea. The Gwangju Biennale is hosted by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation and the city of Gwangju. The Gwangju Biennale Founda ...

, Asia's first and most prestigious contemporary art biennale * Havana biennial, in Havana, Cuba *

Helsinki Biennial Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city's ...

, in Helsinki, Finland *

Herzliya Biennial The Herzliya Biennial of Contemporary Art (in Hebrew: הביאנלה בהרצליה ,הביאנליה בהרצליה לאמנות עכשווית) was an art biennial event held in the city of Herzliya, Israel. The first year that the biennial took ...

For Contemporary Art, in

Herzliya, Israel Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In it h ...

Incheon Women Artists' Biennale The Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, held in Incheon, South Korea, and inaugurated in 2004, subsequently had editions in 2007, 2009, and 2011 that focused on the work of contemporary women artists. It is the first and only art biennale in the wor ...

, in

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

, South Korea * Iowa Biennial, in Iowa, USA * Istanbul Biennial, in Istanbul, Turkey *

International Roaming Biennial of Tehran Urban Jealousy, the 1st International Roaming Biennial of Tehran was an itinerant multimedia art exhibition presented in Istanbul (Hafriyat Karaköy, May 30 - June 6, 2008), Berlin (various spaces, November 20 - December 7, 2008) and Belgrade (Apr ...

, in Tehran and Istanbul *

Jakarta Biennale Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, in Jakarta, Indonesia *

Jerusalem Biennale The Jerusalem Biennale is a contemporary art event which has taken place biannually since 2013. Exhibits are held in different historical and modern locations around Jerusalem, with a focus on where the contemporary art world and the Jewish world ...

, in Jerusalem, Israel * Jogja Biennale, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia *

Karachi Biennale Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the Geography of ...

, in Karachi, Pakistan * Keelung Harbor Biennale, in

Keelung Keelung () or Jilong () (; Hokkien POJ: '), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipe ...

, Taiwan * Kochi-Muziris Biennale, largest art exhibition in India, in Kochi, Kerala, India *

Kortrijk Design Biennale Interieur The Courtray Design Biennale Interieur ( nl, Design Biënnale Interieur Kortrijk) is a major international design exhibition that takes place once every two years (in even years) in the Belgium, Belgian city of Courtray (Kortrijk in Dutch). The fir ...

, in Kortrijk, Belgium * Kobe Biennale, in Japan * Kuandu Biennale, in Taipei, Taiwan * Lagos Biennial, in Lagos, Nigeria * Light Art Biennale Austria, in Austria * Liverpool Biennial, in Liverpool, UK * (LIAF), on the Lofoten archipelago, Norway * Manifesta, European Biennale of contemporary art in different European cities *

Mediations Biennale Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...

, in Poznań, Poland *

Melbourne International Biennial 1999 The Melbourne International Biennial 1999 was a cultural initiative of the City of Melbourne in partnership with Arts Victoria, the Victoria Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Ian Potter Museum of Art, and The University of Melbourne. Origin ...

* Mediterranean Biennale in Sakhnin 2013 * (formerly known as Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal), in Montreal, Canada * , in Moss, Norway *

Moscow Biennale The Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art is one of the most important Russian cultural events and was founded in 2003. First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art The First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (January 28 – February 28, 2005) ca ...

, in Moscow, Russia * Munich Biennale, new opera and music-theatre in even-numbered years *

Mykonos Biennale The Mykonos Bienniale is held every odd year at the start of the summer on the Greek island of Mykonos, originally created by Lydia Venieri. For one week at the end of June or the beginning of July, the island of Mykonos, hosts an extensive ra ...

* Nakanojo Biennale * NGV Triennial, contemporary art exhibition held every three years at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

* , organised by the , in Belgrade, Serbia * OSTEN Biennial of Drawing Skopje, North Macedonia * Biennale de Paris * Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA), in Riga, Latvia *

São Paulo Art Biennial The São Paulo Art Biennial (Portuguese: ''Bienal de São Paulo'') was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennale (in existence since 1895), which serves as ...

, in São Paulo, Brazil * SCAPE Public Art Christchurch Biennial in Christchurch, New Zealand * Prospect New Orleans * Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism * Sequences, in Reykjavík, Iceland *

Shanghai Biennale The Shanghai Biennale is one of the highest-profile contemporary art events in Shanghai and the most established art biennale in China. It was initially held in the Shanghai Art Museum. From 2012 on, it has been hosted in Power Station of Art, the ...

Sharjah Biennale The Sharjah Biennial is a large-scale contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The first Sharjah Biennial took place in 1993, and was organized by the Sharjah Department of Cul ...

, in Sharjah, UAE * Singapore Biennale, held in various locations across the city-state island of Singapore * Screen City Biennial, in Stavanger, Norway * Biennale of Sydney *

Taipei Biennale Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the no ...

, in Taipei, Taiwan *

Taiwan Arts Biennale Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nor ...

, in Taichung, Taiwan ( National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts) * Taiwan Film Biennale, in

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

, Los Angeles, U.S.A. * , in Thessaloniki, Greece * Dream city, produced by ART Rue Association in Tunisia *

Vancouver Biennale Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale (''French'':Biennale Internationale de la Sculpture de Vancouver) is an open-air museum for Contemporary Art in Canada. It is a non-profit charitable organization that mounts a major outdoor sculpture ex ...

* Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon) in the Philippines * Venice Biennale, in Venice, Italy, which includes: ** Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art **

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

** Venice Film Festival *

Vladivostok biennale The Vladivostok Biennale of Visual Arts is an international festival of contemporary and modern visual art, held every two years in Vladivostok, Russia. The first Biennale was held in April, 1998 in Vladivostok. Then there was presented theatre ...

of Visual Arts, in Vladivostok, Russia * Whitney Biennial, hosted by the Whitney Museum of American Art, in New York City, NY, USA *

Web Biennial Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum (iS.CaM) is an independent, artist run museum established in Istanbul in 1997. It is the oldest contemporary art museum in Istanbul. iS.CaM an alternative art organisation that develops, evolves and collaborates w ...

, produced with teams from Athens, Berlin and Istanbul. * WRO Biennale, in Wrocław, Poland *

Music Biennale Zagreb Music Biennale Zagreb ( hr, Muzički biennale Zagreb, MBZ) is an international festival of contemporary music in Zagreb, Croatia, organized by the Croatian Composers' Society. The Biennale, founded by Milko Kelemen and held every spring of the odd ...

* HIFT:ibpcpa/nowiki> ''The International Biennale of Performance, Collaborative and Participatory Arts'', Nomadic, International, Scotland, UK.

References

External links

Biennial Foundation
site dedicated to biennales around the world * * {{Authority control Visual arts exhibitions Art biennials