The theme for the next Biennale of Sydney (BoS), due to be held 16 March – 11 June 2018, has been announced. Artistic director Mami Kataoka has given the 21st BoS the title, SUPERPOSITION: Art of Equilibrium and Engagement.
“The 21st edition of the Biennale of Sydney will draw on the concept of superposition in quantum mechanics as a metaphor to link the notions of equilibrium and engagement and provide us with insights into the world today,” Kataoka explains.
“We are surrounded by conflicting ideas across all levels of humanity: different cultures; readings of nature and the universe; political ideologies and systems of government; interpretations of human history, including the history of art and definitions of contemporary art.”
Kataoka also released the names of 16 more artists who will be included in the 2018 BoS. “The participating artists in the 21st Biennale of Sydney, drawn from around the globe, have been chosen to offer a panoramic view of how opposing understandings and interpretations can come together in a state of equilibrium,” the artistic director says.
The 21st Biennale of Sydney artists confirmed to date include: Chinese artists Chen Shaoxiong, Geng Xue, Ai Weiwe and Jun Yang; Indonesian artist Julian Abraham ‘Togar’; Japanese artists Ami Inoue, Tomie Ohtake, Akira Takayama, Yukinori Yanagi, Noguchi Rika, and Koji Ryui; Australian artists Brook Andrew, Yasmin Smith and George Tjungurrayi; Kate Newby from New Zealand; Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila; Samson Young and Nicole Wong from Hong Kong; Indian artists Tanya Goel, Sosa Joseph, Prabhavathi Meppayil, and N.S. Harsha; Taiwanese artist Hsu Chia-Wei; Thai artists Tawatchai Puntusawasdi, and Mit Jai Inn; Camodian artists Sa Sa Art Projects, and Svay Sareth; Filipino artist Maria Taniguchi; Su-Mei Tse from Luxemburg; Oliver Bee, Anya Gallaccio, and Semiconductor from the UK; French artist Laurent Grasso; Vietnamese artist Nguyen Trinh Thi; Canadian artist Ciara Phillips; Malaysia artist Wong Hoy Cheong; and Haegue Yang from South Korea.
SUPERPOSITION: Art of Equilibrium and Engagement
21st Biennale of Sydney
16 March – 11 June 2018