Ai Weiwei, Haegue Yang, Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Anya Gallaccio, and Oliver Beer are some of the artists who are participating in the 21st Biennale of Sydney, slated to open to the public on March 16, 2018.
Biennale curator Mami Kataoka has revealed a diverse preliminary list of 21 participating artists, including one artist duo, 10 artists from throughout Asia, five European artists, four Australian artists, and one artist from the US.
Kataoka also revealed some of the ideas that are shaping her curatorial vision for the event:
“Next year’s Biennale will explore multiple viewpoints. With a holistic view, the 21st Biennale of Sydney will also seek in-depth engagement with individuals and communities while exploring a range of perspectives and meanings of abstractions,” the curator said in a statement.
“Rather than focusing on a specific concept or theme, the exhibition will suggest multi-layered perspectives of the world and its histories simultaneously,” she explained.
Ai Weiwei, Forever Bicycles (2011). Courtesy Biennale of Sydney.
The organization also confirmed that an exhibition celebrating the 45th anniversary of the biennial will also take place as part of its upcoming edition.
This show will draw from the organization’s vast archive, which gathers works by over 1,800 artists from over 100 countries that have been shown throughout its history.
There will be around 70 artists taking part in the biennial in total. A complete list will be released at a later date.
Meanwhile, these are the 21 participating artists who have been announced so far:
Eija-Liisa Ahtila (born 1959 in Finland, lives and works in Helsinki)
Ai Weiwei (born 1957 in China, lives and works in Beijing)
Brook Andrew (born 1970 in Australia, lives and works in Melbourne)
Oliver Beer (born 1985 in England, lives and works in Paris and London)
Anya Gallaccio (born 1963 in Scotland, lives and works in San Diego)
Laurent Grasso (born 1972 in France, lives and works in Parisand New York)
N.S.Harsha (born 1969 in India, lives and works in Mysore)
Mit JaiInn (born 1960 in Thailand, lives and works in Chiang Mai)
Kate Newby (born 1979 in New Zealand, lives and works in Auckland and New York)
Noguchi Rika (born 1971 in Japan, lives and works in Okinawa)
Nguyen Trinh Thi (born 1973 in Vietnam, lives and works in Hanoi)
Ciara Phillips (born 1976 in Canada, lives and works in Glasgow)
Koji Ryui (born 1976 in Japan, lives and works in Sydney)
Semiconductor (Ruth Jarman, born 1973 in England, and Joe Gerhardt, born 1972 in England, live and work in Brighton)
Yasmin Smith (born 1984 in Australia, lives and works in Sydney)
George Tjungurrayi (born c. 1943 in Australia, lives and works in Kintore)
Nicole Wong (born 1990 in Hong Kong, lives and works in Hong Kong)
Wong Hoy Cheong (born 1960 in Malaysia, lives and works in Kuala Lumpur)
Yukinori Yanagi (born 1959 in Japan, lives and works in Hiroshima)
Haegue Yang (born 1971 in South Korea, lives and works in Berlin and Seoul)
Jun Yang (born 1975 in China, lives and works in Vienna, Taipei and Yokohama)