Sharjah

Biennial Report 

Tour of the exhibition with 71 artists, review, texts, information

6th Sharjah International Biennial

According to the organizers, the 6th edition of the Sharjah Biennial, would not only initiate a new phase of the manifestation but also start up a completely "new era for contemporary art in the Gulf".

Before, the Biennial was concentrated on painting, graphic arts, and sculpture. These features remain part of the concept, but for the first time, the focus is on "new art practices", such as installation, video, photographic art, performance, digital and web art.

Hoor Al-Qasimi, the director, and Peter Lewis, the curator, promised a completely new type of Biennial for this part of the world. In cooperation with other curators, they concentrated their search on artworks corresponding to the criteria of "discourses between aesthetics and politics", choosing 117 artists from 25 countries.

The drive for a renewal of the Biennial was also evident in the theme and concept of the international symposium running under the title "Art in a Changing Horizon - Globalization and New Aesthetic Practice".

We were in Sharjah during the opening week of the Biennial. In our extensive and richly illustrated Report you will find works of 71 participants, a review by Antonia Carver from Dubai, as well as further texts and information.

Sharjah