Biennials: The Exhibitions We Love to Hate

Just as this book was about to take its final shape, in the Spring of 2020, the art world stopped turning. The Venice Biennale, its longest-running event, had been postponed for the first time since 1974, along with nearly every other show scheduled through the remainder of the year. The 22nd Biennale of Sydney was forced to close just two weeks after opening – artworks installed, bereft of an audience. The rhythmical calendar of world biennials thus came upon a distinctly peculiar fermata. In music, the fermata is a hold or pause the duration of which is at the discretion of the performer or conductor. Here, the pause was indefinite, driven by the forces of nature and perpetuated by the global interconnectedness that biennials have – until now – thrived on. With thousands of regular flight connections suspended, borders closed and various quarantine measures in place, it became clear that restoring international mobility after the pandemic might take years. In all likelihood, the landscape of international art biennials will see radical change and some biennials may not see another edition. Perhaps the essentializing discourse of biennialization now becomes a less conspicuous concern, in comparison with what may follow.