Biennale of Sydney announces 2008 Curator
06 March 2006
Paula Latos-Valier, Managing Director of the Biennale of Sydney, today announced that curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Co-curator of the celebrated 2005 Turin Triennial, has been appointed as the next Biennale of Sydney curator. The 2008 exhibition and its public programs will be organised under her able artistic direction.
“The Biennale of Sydney, one of the world’s oldest and largest international festivals of contemporary art, is held every two years, and each event has a different curator and contains its own distinct conceptual framework. For 2008 we are delighted to be joined by a curator of the stature of Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, who will bring a wealth of international curatorial experience to the Biennale,” says Latos-Valier.
“The early appointment of the 2008 curator, a strategic goal set by the Biennale of Sydney two years ago, will allow Ms Christov-Bakargiev to undertake extensive research and commence long-term planning for the 2008 event. She will begin working on preparations for the Biennale when she visits Sydney in June to observe the 2006 Biennale of Sydney opening events and plans to undertake some initial Australian research. Carolyn’s work is well-known to Sydney art-lovers and this will not be her first time to visit or curate a major exhibition in Sydney. She has previously organised two magnificent exhibitions, William Kentridge and Arte Povera at the Museum of Contemporary Art.”
Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev said "I am honoured to curate the 16th Biennale of Sydney and to take on the challenge of creating an exciting event in Australia, while also learning from the experience. I hope to focus on the most meaningful art being produced in today’s changing world, by bridging past, present and future. The festival format and the thematic exhibition provide a good framework for this. I am interested in looking at how change itself has been, and continues to be, a driving force in society and the imagination."
2006 Biennale of Sydney
The upcoming 15th Biennale of Sydney, curated by Dr Charles Merewether, takes place from 8 June to 27 August 2006 and includes the work of 85 artists and collaborations from 44 countries.
The Biennale of Sydney engages Australian and international audiences with bold and innovative contemporary art from around the world. Visitors to this year’s Biennale can expect to see a wide range of work including painting, photography, fabric, sound and voice, light and projected works, drawing, video, film, performance, sculpture and installation. Site-specific works will appear in various locations in and around Sydney, including Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, last used for the Biennale of Sydney in 1998.
The inaugural Biennale of Sydney was held in 1973, and each subsequent Biennale has been directed by a distinguished curator. See the Biennale of Sydney website for a snapshot of the past 14 exhibitions and artistic statements by each curator.
