The Biennial as a Form of Contradiction: The 16th Biennale of Sydney, ‘Revolutions — Forms That Turn’

Abstract

Large-scale international biennials of contemporary art continually present an excess of art and information within the realm of cultural tourism rather than art history. As a result, they resist scholarly analysis, particularly in terms of 'form'. However, a kind of discourse has emerged around the 'problems' or 'paradoxes' of biennials, and common themes relating to opposing or contradictory forces have emerged. These themes provide the basis of a provisional framework of contradictions or 'dialectics' by which biennials can be analysed and discussed. This article presents four dialectical 'themes' in relation to The 16th Biennale of Sydney, 'Revolutions-Forms That Turn': modernity and postmodern critique; the paradox of 'place' as both local and global, being global while questioning 'globalisation'; and the autonomy and politicality of art. The analysis provides insight into curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev's dedication to 'dialectical play' within the 16 th Biennale of Sydney (described as the practice of exploring and heightening an individual's experience of contradiction). Further, the potential for both curatorial work and biennials to provide unresolved 'in-between' spaces for inventiveness and new dialogue becomes more apparent.