The Hedgehogger No 3, May 2006
The Hedgehogger is an unofficial magazine for the upcoming Biennale in Moss. Edited by Martin Schibli and Lars Vilks.
September in Moss, Norway, the Biennale Momentum
Over a quarter of a million people will experience the world in a different way when they attend Norway’s leading contemporary art event, the 2006 Biennale of Moss. This year’s free exhibition and associated events features 35 of the world’s most dynamic and provocative artists from many countries. All eyes will be on Moss as the Biennale claims the attention of people from all over the city and beyond when it opens in many venues from Jeløya to Moss Center.
One of the most challenging events of its kind, the Biennale of Moss celebrates its 4th exhibition in 2006, making it one of the most established biennales in the world. This year’s event provides a chance to experience some of today’s most exciting artists, many of whom will show in Norway for the first time. All of the 35 participating artists will be coming to Moss for the event and special programs will give Norwegians unique access to some of the most creative minds working today.
The 2006 exhibition, curated by two leading curators, Annette Kierulf and Mark Sladen, pushes new boundaries with a strong representation by artists from countries and regions that are rarely represented in major international festivals and biennales. The breadth of the exhibition sees groundbreaking artists with connections to cultures as diverse as Bosnia, Malaysia, Palestine, Japan, India, Canada, Lebanon, Singapore, Israel, Britain, Egypt, Latvia, China, Serbia & Montenegro, Bahrain, Russia, The Netherlands, Brazil, the United States, New Zealand and Kazakhstan.
Artistic Directors & Curators of the 4th Biennale of Moss Annette Kierulf and Mark Sladen, has travelled the world visiting over 40 countries in 18 months and meeting more than 1,600 artists. “Try again, fail again, fail better” is an exhibition about today. It deals with the issues of our time – the ideas and concerns that shape all our lives and our sense of the future” said Kierulf and Sladen. “There is a general global movement that is reflected in Try again, fail again, fail better: the experience of having one’s homeland occupied or of living in another person’s culture and the sense of physical, psychological and cultural displacement that arises, along with the impact it has on the land, environment and sense of belonging. The exhibition also celebrates the positive interactions between people, where connections are made and familiarity, understanding and intimacy are made possible.”
Chairman of the Biennale of Moss Vidar Hulaas, said, “The 2006 Biennale of Moss sets a new benchmark: Annette Kierulf and Mark Sladen has brought together an astonishing range of artists whose works evoke, on the whole, a poignancy rarely encountered in art exhibitions. Moreover, in terms of logistics, it is manifest that an event of this scale and reach is only possible with the continuing support of our generous public and private sector partners, in Norway and overseas. We hope the wider public is as captivated as we are by what Annette and Mark have shown us so far.”
SYDNEY
Between now and September Sydney will have its biennale (June 8 – 27). The theme is Zones of Contact.
The Sydney biennale case
Never give up
Sydney has an opera house
Moss has an industrial tower
UPCOMING EVENT IN MOSS
One of the contributions that will be made by artist Lars Vilks and curator Martin Schibli is the seminar Biennale! Biennale! Burning bright/ In the cities of the night.
This seminar will explore international exhibition-making and current curatorial practices in contemporary art, the ‘Biennale Phenomena’ and issues surrounding the city and cosmopolitanism. Selected international speakers include Friedrich Nietzsche as Keynote Speaker (former professor, Basel, Switzerland) who will introduce his biennale books: The Birth of Biennials, 1872; Biennial, All Too Biennial, 1878; The Dawn of Biennials, 1881; The Gay Biennial, 1882/1887; Thus Spoke the Biennial, 1883-5; Beyond Biennial and Triennial, 1886; On the Genealogy of the Biennial, 1887; The Twilight of the Biennial, 1888; The Anti-biennial, 1888; Ecce the Biennial, 1888. Friedrich von Schlegel (Privatdozent, Jena, Germany) another Keynote Speaker who will present his work on biennales (only in German): Die Biennalen und die Triennalen, 1797; Geschichte der Poesie der Biennalen, 1798; Eine Biennale mit Lucinde, 1799; Gespräch über die Biennalen, 1800; Charakteristiken und Kritiken die Biennalen, 1801; Alarcos und die Biennalen, 1802; Über die Sprache und Weisheit der Biennalen, 1808; Biennalengedichte, 1809; Über die neurere Geschichte der Biennalen, 1811; Geschichte der alten und neuren Biennalen, 1812; Philosophie der Biennalen, 1828; Philosophie der Geschichte der Biennalen, 1829; Philosophische Vorlesungen über Biennalen aus den Jahren 1804-06, 1836; Prosaische Biennalenschriften, 1882; Briefwechsel mit Biennalencuratoren, 1923; Krisenjahre der Frühbiennalen, 1936-58; Kritische Biennalen, 1956.
