The list of artists contributing to the ninth Berlin Bienniale, titled The Present In Drag, has now been published. Curated by the New York collective DIS, the selection adheres to the same eclectic profile famously found in the group’s web-based “lifestyle magazine” DIS Magazine.
This year’s biennale includes older, established artists such as Adrian Piper as well as younger names such as Simon Denny, Cécile B. Evans and Simon Fujiwara. But the list of artists also includes fashion writer Avena Gallagher, theorist Armen Avanessian, fashion designers Telfar and Hood By Air, and musicians Nguzunguzu and Kelele.
Numbering more than 100 contributors, the expansive list of artists reflects the fact that DIS has invited artists to handle all aspects of the biennial machine. While some contribute large-scale installations, others are simply responsible for the catalogue cover, explained Lauren Boyle and Marco Roso from DIS when Kunstkritikk met them in April. Boyle added that they applied a loose, inclusive definition of the term “artist”, and that even during the final months of planning they had still found new loopholes where new names could be added.
This year’s participants include several Nordic artists. Yngve Holen (Norway) and Anna Uddenberg (Sweden) are among the main featured artists. The event also includes Norwegian artist Eirik Sæther, one of the many artists who will be co-operating with the Australian fashion and art platform Centre For Style.
In addition to the main featured artists, the list also includes several subgroups. Anthem is a vinyl album featuring musical collaborations between artists and musicians. The project LIT, which includes Torbjørn Rødland and Bjarne Melgaard (Norway) and Simon Dybbroe Møller (Denmark), presents artworks in light boxes. The category Not in the Berlin Biennale belongs among what DIS calls the biennale’s “epidermic” aspects – the articles, advertising campaigns, catalogue and other elements that surround the exhibitions.
In an unpublished curatorial statement to which Kunstkritikk has been given access, DIS states that the ninth Berlin Biennale will “materialise” the paradoxes of contemporary life, pointing to themes such as virtuality as reality, nations as brands, humans as data, and culture as capital.
Contributing artists in the ninth Berlin Bienniale:
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Antoni Abad
Halil Altındere
Ei Arakawa in collaboration with Dan Poston, Stefan Tcherepnin
Korakrit Arunanondchai/Alex Gvojic
atelier le balto
Armen Avanessian/Alexander Martos in collaboration with Christopher Roth
åyr
Will Benedict
Julien Ceccaldi
Centre for Style in collaboration with Anna-Sophie Berger, Burkhard Beschow & Anne Fellner, Max Brand, Rare Candy, Susan Cianciolo, Marlie Mul, Liam Osborne, H.B. Peace & Kate Meakin, Joshua Petherick, Lin May Saeed, Eirik Sæther
Brody Condon
CUSS Group in collaboration with ANGEL-HO, FAKA, Megan Mace, NTU
Kathleen Daniel
Debora Delmar Corp.
Simon Denny
Cécile B. Evans
Nicolás Fernández
Lizzie Fitch/Ryan Trecartin
Simon Fujiwara
GCC
GUAN Xiao
Calla Henkel/Max Pitegoff
Camille Henrot
Yngve Holen
Alexa Karolinski/Ingo Niermann
Josh Kline
Korpys/Löffler
Nik Kosmas
Christopher Kulendran Thomas
M/L Artspace
Shawn Maximo
Ashland Mines
New Scenario
Katja Novitskova
Trevor Paglen/Jacob Appelbaum
Juan Sebastián Peláez
Adrian Piper
Alexandra Pirici
Josephine Pryde
Puppies Puppies
Babak Radboy
Jon Rafman
Timur Si-Qin
Lucie Stahl
Hito Steyerl
TELFAR
Wu Tsang
Anna Uddenberg
Amalia Ulman
Anne de Vries
Anthem:
Abu Hajar
Halil Altındere
Math Bass
Lizzi Bougatsos & Brian Degraw
Elysia Crampton
Lizzie Fitch/Ryan Trecartin
Isa Genzken
Juliana Huxtable
Kelela
Nguzunguzu
Adrian Piper
Fatima Al Qadiri
Carles Santos
Jacolby Satterwhite
Hito Steyerl
Total Freedom
Amalia Ulman
Nick Weiss
LIT:
Will Benedict
Dora Budor
Cao Fei
Simon Dybbroe Møller
Roe Ethridge
Hood by Air
Bjarne Melgaard
Zanele Muholi
Johannes Paul Raether
Torbjørn Rødland
Akeem Smith
Martine Syms
Stewart Uoo
Not in the Berlin Biennale:
Asger Carlsen
Casey Jane Ellison
Roe Ethridge
Avena Gallagher
Tilman Hornig
Chris Kraus
Bjarne Melgaard
Jason Nocito
Sean Raspet
Andrew Norman Wilson
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