Titled "We don’t need another hero", from the 9th of June to the 9th of September 2018, the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art is a conversation with artists and contributors who think and act beyond art as they confront the incessant anxieties perpetuated by a willful disregard for complex subjectivities.
Directed by Gabriele Horn and curated by Gabi Ngcobo, the 10th Berlin Biennale does not provide a coherent reading of histories or the presence of any kind. Instead, it explores the political potential of the act of self-preservation, refusing to be seduced by unyielding knowledge systems and historical narratives that contribute to the creation of toxic subjectivities. The curatorial team is interested in different configurations of knowledge and power that enable contradictions and complications.
Starting from the position of Europe, Germany, and Berlin as a city in dialogue with the world, the 10th Berlin Biennale confronts current widespread states of collective psychosis. By referencing Tina Turner’s song from 1985, We Don’t Need Another Hero, the Biennal draw from a moment directly preceding major geopolitical shifts that brought to regime changes and new historical figures.
This year’s biennial seems to feature a more varied group of artists, including Ana Mendieta, Sondra Perry, and Mildred Thompson. Compared to the previous edition, which included 120 participants, it is significantly smaller: just 46 artists will be included this year. Check the full artist list follows below.
Agnieszka Brzeżańska, Ana Mendieta, Basir Mahmood, Belkis Ayón, Cinthia Marcelle, Dineo Seshee Bopape, Elsa M’bala, Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa, Fabiana Faleiros, Firelei Báez, Gabisile Nkosi, Grada Kilomba, Heba Y. Amin, Herman Mbamba, Joanna Piotrowska, Johanna Unzueta, Julia Phillips, Keleketla! Library, Las Nietas de Nonó, Liz Johnson Artur, Lorena Gutiérrez Camejo, Lubaina Himid, Luke Willis Thompson, Lydia Hamann & Kaj Osteroth, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Mario Pfeifer, Mildred Thompson, Mimi Cherono Ng’ok, Minia Biabiany, Moshekwa Langa, Natasha A. Kelly, Okwui Okpokwasili, Oscar Murillo, Özlem Altın, Patricia Belli, Portia Zvavahera, Sam Samiee, Sara Haq, Simone Leigh, Sinethemba Twalo and Jabu Arnell, Sondra Perry, Tessa Mars, Thierry Oussou, Tony Cokes, Tony Cruz Pabón, Zuleikha Chaudhari.
Stay Tuned on Kooness magazine for more exciting news from the artworld.