WallofSkiesbyZhengChongbin,ink,paper,metal,light,2016(newiteration)
SonicCosmicWebsbyTomásSaraceno,spidersilk,cosmicdust,stellarwind,andprojection,2016Launchedin1996,theShanghaiBiennalewasthefirstinternationalbiennalededicatedtocontemporaryartontheChinesemainland.The2016biennale,mastermindedbytheRaqsMediaCollectivefromIndia,isthemed“WhyNotAskAgain:Arguments,Counter-argumentsandStories.”MonicaNarula,amemberoftheRaqsMediaCollective,revealedthatthereasontheychosethephrase“whynotaskagain”istheywantpeopletoperpetuallypondercertainquestions.Narulaandherteambelievethatevenifaquestionalreadyhasananswer,itstillinspiresotherques-tionsandshouldattractmorepeopletopayattentiontoit,re-explainitoreventurnitupsidedown.
Thisyear’sbiennalefeaturesfourintersectingorbitalpaths:“Terminals,”“Infra-CuratorialPlatform,”“TheoryOpera”and“51Personae.”“‘Terminals’areplacesofdeparture,arrival,andtransfer,”explainsshowcuratorof“Infra-CuratorialPlatform”LiuTian.“Theyaretheconnectinghubsofevents.‘Infra-CuratorialPlatform’invitedsevenyoungcuratorsfromdifferentpartsoftheworldtoeachdevelopasub-exhibition.‘TheoryOpera’presentsperformanceactivitiesthroughoutthebiennale,andtheproject‘51Personae’aimstofind51actionsand‘figures’tocelebrateandexplorethecityofShanghai.Theseeffortsaredesignedtomakethebiennalelessconventionalandmoreflexible.”
PSA’ssecondfloorhousestheworkTheGreatChainofBeing-PlanetTrilogy,amassiveinstallationproducedbystudentsfromtheSchoolofIntermediaArtattheChinaAcademyofArt.Consumingthenearly2,000-square-meterspace,theinstallationisthemostmagnificentpieceatthisbiennale.Dividedintothethree
TheGreatChainofBeing—PlanetTrilogyhousedonthePSA’ssecondfloorisamassiveinstallationproducedbystudentsfromtheSchoolofIntermediaArtattheChinaAcademyofArt.Consumingthenearly2,000-square-meterspace,theinstallationisthemostmagnificentpieceatthisbiennale.Thebiennalechose“Arguments,Counter-arguments,andStories”asitssubheadingfortworeasons:Ontheonehand,itisthetitleofafilmdirectedbyRitwikGhatak,oneofthemostreveredfiguresintheIndianfilmindustryinthe20thCentury.Ontheotherhand,RaqsMediaCollectivetookinspirationfromTheThree-BodyProblem,arenownedChinesesciencefictionbyHugoAwardwinnerLiuCixin.TheRaqsMediaCollectiveviewed“arguments,counter-arguments,andstories”asathreebodyproblembornofphysicsandfocusingonlawsofphysicssuchasgravity.
Askingquestionsandre-thinkingacceptedideasarecommonpursuitsofcuratorsandartistsalike.AstheRaqsMediaCollectiveexpressedintheirworknotes,everybiennalewillleaveitsownmarkontime.Everybiennaleisbeautifulbecauseitcapturesacity’simaginationformonthsandthendisappearsuntilthenextone.
The11thShanghaiBiennalerunsuntilMarch12,2017.
TheauthorworksforSanlianLifeweek.