THE 16TH BIENNALE OF SYDNEY

Sydney, Australia
Curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
18 June–7 September, 2008 l Press Preview: Tuesday, 17 June

Among Artists:
aiPotu, Lene Berg, Annie Anawana Haloba Hobøl, Pushwagner

Special Projects:
Vibeke Tandberg, Matias Faldbakken

The 16th Biennale of Sydney

Entitled Revolutions – Forms that turn, the 16th Biennale of Sydney is curated by its Artistic Director, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, a visitor in OCA's International Visitor Programme (IVP) in January 2007. The theme of this year's biennial suggests the impulse to revolt, a desire for change, and seeing the world differently. By inviting artists, thinkers, filmmakers and writers who celebrate, investigate and re-think the concept of 'revolution', the biennial explores the impulse to revolt, the etymology of 'Revolutions' (re-volvere), as well as the gap between associations with the first part of the exhibition title ('revolutions') and the second ('forms that turn'). Revolutions – Forms that turn will exhibit works of approximately 180 historical and contemporary artists, including approximately fifty new works, in the midst of installations, large-scale sculptures, film and video, sound works, performances and online projects.

The Norwegian duo aiPotu (Anders Kjellesvik and Andreas Siqueland) will contribute to the Sydney Biennale with two separate works. The first work, entitled If you don't like the weather – wait 15 minutes, is a newspaper printed in Sydney containing a series of posters documenting different performance projects made in Iceland in 2007. The second work, related to aiPotu's ongoing Island Tour – a series of island expeditions – is a maritime campsite at the Cockatoo Island, in the Sydney Harbor. Annie Anawana Haloba Hobøl* will exhibit a new video and sound installation, which explores the personal experience of circularity, change and flux in the world today. In her new work for Sydney, filmed in the Australian desert, Haloba engages with the experiences of women from different cultures and different perspectives. According to the artist, these women (an Aboriginal, an African and a woman of western descent) are to translate the changes and turns within the private realm. Pushwagner will exhibit Klaxton II, (2000); Self Portrait, (1979), the pictorial novel Soft City, (1968–1976) and the animation Soft City, (2006–2008). Lene Berg will present a new project consisting of a video and a series of images and objects entitled The Drowned One. Having the first photographic images of a human being (The Drowned One by Hippolyte Bayard) as its point of departure, The Drowned One deals with photographic paradoxes. The work will be shown on Cockatoo Island outside Sydney Harbour and in October, the project will be presented at Fotogalleriet in Oslo, Norway.

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev has also invited Norwegian artists Vibeke Tandberg and Matias Faldbakken to take part in the biennial's online venue, a experimental space that encourages the public to discover an expanding universe of ideas. Within the online venue, Vibeke Tandberg will exhibit the video Old Man Going Up and Down a Staircase (2003) and Matias Faldbakken will present a slide show as a continuation of his recent image series Untitled (Young is Better Than Old) (2008). The images are composed by overlapping words rendered with black isolation tape on canvas, paper or directly onto the wall. In such a manner, the text becomes unreadable and the message is obscured. According to the artist, this way of working suppresses language in favor of a mute and negating visual gesture. In addition, the Sydney Biennial will also exhibit a important historical work from Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely entitled Vega 222 (1969-70) from the collection of Erling Neby in Oslo, Norway.

The biennial takes place in seven different venues throughout Sydney, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) and Cockatoo Island, one if Sydney Harbour's historic landmarks. Forms that Turn will include an extensive public program, aimed at helping audiences understand and engage with the exhibited the works and ideas participating artist are exploring. For a full list of events planned, including times and locations, please consult the biennial's website.

The 2008 Biennale of Sydney has been supported with a grant from OCA's International Support Programme. A portion of this grant is provided by 03–funding*.

For further developing information, please refer to Biennale of Sydney, or contact info@oca.no. For press inquiries, please refer to imogencorlettepr@gmail.com.