Dialectics of Hope
1 Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art, Moscow, 2005
(curators: Joseph Backstein, Daniel Birnbaum, Iara Boubnova, Nicolas Bourriaud, Rosa Martinez, Hans Ulrich Obrist)
Dialectics of Hope
One of the most obvious consequences of political and economical stabilisation in Russia is the growing interest of the Russian society in contemporary culture, and more precisely in contemporary art. As a result a totally new Russian art infrastructure has emerged through art fairs, commercial galleries, non-profit exhibition spaces, festivals and conferences. A new Russian public, as well as the new Russian media, have become especially sensitive to everything that is new and current in contemporary culture.
The Russian art world is developing fast and there is a certain opinion, conviction, vision and understanding that the country needs to organise a major international art event, which would be able to introduce current and relevant art movements to a Russian audience by presenting the most interesting examples of contemporary art. It is the right time in Moscow to create a major international art event, the first of this kind for our country. Visual art is the only art form which does not have a major international forum in our national capital. The Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art would build on the success of other events like the famous Tchaikovsky Musical Festival, Moscow International Film Festival and «The Golden Mask» Theater Festival.
The idea of the Moscow Biennale is based upon some serious international expectations. Moscow is a major metropolis and a geopolitical and multicultural centre.
Today, there are several international art biennales which have emerged around Russia in Berlin, Kwangju and in the last two years there have appeared two other biennales in Shanghai, China and Yokohama, Japan. With the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow itself would become a centre in the art world with its pivotal location in the region stretching across Eastern Europe and former USSR, to Central Asia and the Far East. At the same time, Moscow could find its place in the network of other major international art forums, such as the legendary art biennales in Venice and Sao Paulo, Documenta in Kassel and Manifesta (European Biennale for Contemporary Art).
The international interest in the idea of a Moscow Biennale can draw upon the authority of a Russian art tradition in the history of twentieth century art, and in particular the role which the Russian avant-garde has played. And finally, this biennale would become the next step in developing the image of Moscow as one of the world’s major cultural capitals, as well as to satisfy the very different economic, political, and geopolitical interests of Russia.
