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Biennalization? What biennalization? The documentation of biennials and other recurrent exhibitions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Gustavo Grandal Montero
Gustavo Grandal Montero*
Affiliation:
Chelsea College of Art & Design / Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, 16 John Islip Street, London SW1P 4JU, UK
*
Email: g.grandal-montero@chelsea.arts.ac.uk
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Abstract

Biennials have been central to the development of contemporary art for decades, but there is a paucity of published material specifically related to this subject. Documentation for these important exhibitions is not always made available and it is often difficult to acquire, posing an obstacle to current and future research across a number of areas within contemporary art, curating and art history. This article offers an overview of major current biennials and of the different sources of information they produce (catalogues, other printed material, online resources, archives), and surveys the secondary literature of the phenomenon. It also discusses specific collection development issues in libraries, from a research perspective, proposing a set of recommendations for best practice.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , 2012 , pp. 13 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2012

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References

1. ‘Biennalogy,’ in Filipovic, E., van Hal, M. and Øvstebø, S., The biennial reader (Ostfildern: Hatje Katz, 2010), 15.Google Scholar
2. Basualdo, Carlos, ‘The unstable institution,’ Manifesta Journal, no. 2 (Winter 2003/Spring 2004): Biennials, 5 ln.Google Scholar
3. I will use ‘biennial’ in this article as including all recurrent or perennial contemporary art exhibitions except those held annually (e.g. triennials, quadrennials, quinquennials, etc.).Google Scholar
4. The top years for new biennials (current only) are: 2003 (7); 2005 (6); 1984, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007 (5); 1992, 2001, 2008 (4).Google Scholar
5. Although still firmly positioned in the commercial world, the rise over the last few years of ‘curated’ art fairs (Art Basel, Frieze, etc.) has led some critics and curators to argue that both formats have become identical and, in some cases, that these new fairs are the replacement for an obsolete biennial model (see, for instance, the interesting Barragan, Paco, The art fair age (Milan: Charta, 2008)).Google Scholar
6. For a historical overview of the development of the most significant biennials, see Vogel, Sabine B., Biennials: art on a global scale (Vienna: Springer, 2010).Google Scholar
7. The countries with the largest number of current biennials are: USA (9); Germany (8); UK (6); Italy, Japan, Poland (5); China, France, South Korea (4).Google Scholar
8. Dozens of biennials have been discontinued over time, e.g. Tokyo (1952-1990). It is sometimes difficult to identify discontinued events as such, as delays or breaks in the expected sequence are relatively common, and up-to-date information is not always available. Triennale India (est. 1968), for instance, has not been held since 2005, but is still listed as current in most directories. Changes in periodicity are also known, e.g. triennial to biennial. Finally, long periods of inactivity, e.g. Sonsbeek 1971-1986, or Paris 1985-2004, make for intermittent histories. Due to lack of information, it is difficult to establish discontinuation rates. Using partial data for 30 discontinued events, 12 had been created in the 1990s (40 per cent) and another 12 in the 2000s (40 per cent). Since some 40 new biennials were created 1990-99, the discontinuation rate would be 30 per cent; 2000-10 saw 61 new ones, with a lower discontinuation rate of 20 per cent. Eight only celebrated one edition (26 per cent). Google Scholar
9. Basualdo, , ‘The unstable institution,’ 51.Google Scholar
10. These figures may not be completely accurate, as it is possible that in some cases a catalogue has been published for which I could not find out details, but should be indicative.Google Scholar
11. See the São Paulo Biennial website for more information: http://www.bienal.org.br/FBSP/pt/AHWS/Paginas/default.aspx. As part of the project ‘Bienais do mundo’ for the 2008 edition of the Biennial, the AHWS acquired some 650 biennial catalogues to add to its collection, which was made available in a reading room open to visitors. Now comprising material from 200 biennials, it was showcased during the 2009 Bergen Biennial Conference (http://www.bbc2009.no/default.asp?k=21&id=101).Google Scholar
12. See the Documenta Archiv website for more information: http://documentaarchiv.stadt-kassel.de/miniwebs/documentaarchiv_e.Google Scholar
13. The Asia Art Archive is a pioneering institution based in Hong Kong dedicated to the documentation of contemporary art in the Asian region, and its collection has an emphasis on biennials. See its website for more information: http://www.aaa.org.hk/home.aspx.Google Scholar
14. The British Council is responsible for the British Pavilion at Venice and it was also involved with the UK representation at São Paulo. The British Council Visual Arts Library is an important collection for post-1945 British art and includes rich holdings relating to Venice, São Paulo and other biennials. More information, and its online catalogue, is available at www.britishcouncil.org/arts-art-architecture-design-library.htm. See also Bowness, Sophie and Phillpot, Clive, Britain at the Venice Biennale, 1895-1995 (London: British Council, 1995), and Britain and the São Paulo Bienal 1951-1991 (São Paulo: British Council, 1991).Google Scholar
15. Filipovic, van Hal and Øvstebø, , The biennial reader. See referencel, above.Google Scholar
16. Vanderlinden, Barbara and Filipovic, Elena, The Manifesta decade: debates on contemporary art exhibitions and biennials in post-wall Europe (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005).Google Scholar
17. de Duve, Thierry, The art biennial as a global phenomenon: strategies in neo-political times (Rotterdam: NAI/SKOR, 2009).Google Scholar
18. Vogel, Biennials.Google Scholar
19. ARĹIS News-sheet no. 215 (January/February 2012).Google Scholar
20. For more information visit the ASAC website at http://www.labiennale.org/en/asac and ASAC Dati at http://asac.labiennale.org/it. See also: Tos, V. Da and Fontanin, R., ASAC strumenti: catalogo periodici correnti (Venice: ASAC, 2004).Google Scholar
For the Biennale itself, see Alloway, Lawrence, The Venice Biennale, 1895-1968: from salon to goldfish bowl (London: Faber, 1969);Google Scholar
Di Martino, Enzo, The history of the Venice Biennale, 1895-2005: visual arts, architecture, cinema, dance, music, theatre (Venice: Papiro Arte, 2005);Google Scholar
Storr, Robert, Where art worlds meet: multiple modernities and the global salon (Venice: Marsilio1, 2007),Google Scholar
Ricci, Clarissa, ed., Starting from Venice: studies on the Biennale (Milan: Et al Edizioni, 2010).Google Scholar
21. For more information visit the Athens Biennial website at http://www.athensbiennial.org/AB/en/Enintro. See also Suggestions for the destruction of Athens: a handbook (Athens: Athens Biennial, 2007); Prayer for (passive?) resistance (Athens: Futura Publications, 2007); 1st Athens Biennial 2007: destroy Athens (Athens: Athens Biennial, 2007); Destroy Athens: a narrative (Athens: Athens Biennial, 2007); and Heaven: 2nd Biennial Athens 2009 (Athens: Athens Biennial, 2009). Google Scholar
22. For information about Chelsea’s Ephemera Collection, and general information on art ephemera and artist files in libraries, see the ARLIS/NA online directory and best practice documents, Artist files revealed at http://www.artistfilesrevealed.com/tiki/tiki-index.php.Google Scholar
23. For a more general introduction to cataloguing exhibition catalogues see: ARLIS/UK & Ireland Cataloguing and Classification Committee, Art exhibition documentation in libraries: cataloguing guidelines (London: ARLIS, 2000), and the ARLIS/NA Cataloging Advisory Committee online guidelines: Cataloging exhibition publications: best practice. Title and statement of responsibility, http://www.arlisna.org/pubs/onlinepubs/cataloging.pdf; Cataloging exhibition publications: best practice. Notes, http://www.arlisna.org/pubs/onlinepubs/cat_exhib_pub.pdf; Cataloging exhibition publications: best practice. Name and title access points, http://www.arlisna.org/pubs/onlinepubs/cepbp-ntap.pdf; Cataloging exhibition publications: best practice. Subject headings, http://www.arlisna.org/pubs/onlinepubs/cat_best_pract-subjects.pdf. Google Scholar
24. For more information on Multiscript MARC21 records, see http://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/ecbdmulti.html.Google Scholar
25. This list has been compiled as a tool for collection development in libraries and it is not definitive. I have used the form of name of the event common in English language literature of the subject. Sources: Filipovic, van Hal and Øvstebø, , The biennial reader; Vanderlinden, and Filipovic, , The Manifesta decade; Vogel, , Biennials; Biennial Foundation, Biennial map, http://www.biennialfoundation.org/biennial-map; Asia Art Archive, All you want to know about international art biennials, http://www.aaa.org.hk/onlineprojects/bitri/en/alpha.aspx; AICA, List of biennials websites, http://www.aica-int.org/spip.php?article464 and individual biennial websites.Google Scholar