The 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, which runs until January 31, 2014, is staged in various locations around the city, and is already attracting thousands of visitors. Exhibitions, art events, installations, performances, workshops, conferences, art projections, educational programmes, interventions in public spaces and guided tours have drawn audiences from all over the country.
Under the general title Old Intersections—Make it New, focusing on the culture, history and sociopolitical landscape of the Mediterranean region (2011–2015), the Thessaloniki Biennale retains for its 4th edition the same geographical and cultural focus, investigating the key role of the Mediterranean in the modern world. The 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, directed by Katerina Koskina, President of the Board of Trustees of the SMCA, opened on 18 September and will develop its rich programme till January 2014.
Everywhere but Now, the Biennale’s central exhibition, is conceived and curated by Chief Curator Αdelina von Fürstenberg, who is an independent curator and film producer, and the Founder and Director of the NGO ART for The World, Geneva. Over 50 artists from 25 countries—from Brazil and Cuba to Iran and India, as well as many Mediterranean countries—are presenting their work. The lineup includes artists who reaffirm with their works that art can facilitate understanding and foster dialogue, helping to overcome prejudices and cultural barriers. The major part of the central exhibition is staged at Pavillion 6 of the Thessaloniki International Fair, covering an area of 2,500 square meters in the heart of the city. Works are also staged in a number of other venues, including Ottoman monuments, museums, as well as the headquarters of the SMCA.
Central exhibition’s artists and filmmakers: Marina Abramović, Ghada Amer, John Armleder, Maja Bajević, Bill Balaskas, Lenora de Barros, Beforelight, Jacques Berthet, Nigol Bezjian, Mohamed Bourouissa, Marie Bovo, David Casini, Sheba Chhachhi, Claire Fontaine, Jordi Colomer, Marta Dell’Angelo, Desertmed Collective, Haris Epaminonda, Inci Eviner, Ymane Fakhir, Parastou Forouhar, Apostolos Georgiou, Khaled Jarrar, Hüseyin Karabey, Gülsün Karamustafa, Iseult Labote, Ange Leccia, Los Carpinteros, DeAnna Maganias, Marcello Maloberti, Miltos Manetas, Mark Mangion, Liliana Moro, Adrian Paci, Rosana Palazyan, Jafar Panahi, Maria Papadimitriou, Dan & Lia Perjovschi, Paris Petridis, Ivan Petrović, Khalil Rabah, Philip Rantzer, Zineb Sedira, Veronica Smirnoff, Priscilla Tea, Panos Tsagaris, Maria Tsagkari, Gal Weinstein, Peter Wüthrich, Raed Yassin, Yiorgis Yerolymbos, Vasilis Zografos
Exhibition venues: Alatza Imaret, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Museum of Byzantine Culture, Geni Tzami, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Pavillion 6 (Thessaloniki International Fair area), State Museum of Contemporary Art
The main program of the 4th Thessaloniki Biennale also includes exhibitions organised by the 5 Museums Movement, ex The Costakis Collection and the Russian avant-garde.100 years since the collector’s birth (Moni Lazariston), Tradition-Reversal (CACT, Warehouse B1, Thessaloniki Port), The Mediterranean experience (MMCA), etc.
Furthermore, the organization embraces the 4th Young Artists’ workshop, which features a number of parallel events and master classes, the 3rd Performance Festival—with live performances, masterclasses, and workshops, web platforms, electronic music concerts, screenings and tributes to distinguished artists as well as interventions in public spaces with wall paintings in school buildings, concerts and tours. A very popular educational programme runs parallel to the Biennale and offer students and public of all ages the opportunity to get in touch with contemporary art through visits, games and other activities. The Biennale has more to offer: the symposium of the Biennale is scheduled to take place in December, which examines the role the archival methods play in instituting the (political) public sphere and implementing “activist” interventions in public spaces.
A rich and varied Parallel programme of activities broadens the horizons of the visitors and comes even closer to their interests. The 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art is the second part of a three-part programme that started in 2011. The programme is funded under the Regional Operational Program of Macedonia-Thrace 2007–2013, which is co-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) and Greece. The Biennale is run by the State Museum of Contemporary Art, with the support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the collaboration of many Institutions, Greek and Foreign, and associations.
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