Exhibition
17th Biennale of Sydney 2010 | The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age
The 17th Biennale of Sydney (12 May - 1 August 2010) directed by David Elliott and titled 'THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age' will showcase new and recent works by Australian and international artists at Sydney's leading cultural institutions, contemporary art spaces and heritage sites. In a country that has traditionally regarded distance as a disadvantage, this Biennale will celebrate distance by bringing together art from around the world. This unique presentation of primordial, timeless and challenging works will express the power of art as well as its creative richness. Elliott has said of the exhibition: "Distance allows us to be ourselves despite the many capacities we share. We are all the same, yet different, and it is our differences that make us - according to the circumstances - beautiful, terrifying, funny, sexy, unsettling, challenging, horrific or even many of these at once. The idea of distance also expresses the condition of art itself. Art is of life, runs parallel to life and is sometimes about life. But for art to be art it must maintain a distance from life." Held every two years, the Biennale of Sydney stages a three-month exhibition, plus a program of special events, public tours, artist talks, film screenings and international guest lectures across Sydney - and admission to the exhibition and these events is FREE. In 2010, the 17th Biennale of Sydney will be situated across the heart of the city in a series of venues: Cockatoo Island, Pier 2/3, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Artspace and the Art Gallery NSW (Grand Court). The Biennale of Sydney has an outstanding track record and in the 35 years from 1973 to 2008 has presented 16 critically acclaimed, popular and large-scale exhibitions - bringing the work of more than 1355 artists from 82 countries to Sydney. In 2008, attendance soared to 436,150 visits (a 38 per cent increase on 2006). Audiences for the exhibition include: youth, contemporary artists, art students, universities and art schools, contemporary art community, multicultural communities, people with disabilities and their carers; Sydney residents and workers; and regional, interstate and international audiences.
Image: Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Manet's Dejeuner sur I'herbe 1862 1863 and the Thai villagers group II, 2008-09 (detail), from 'The Two Planets Series', photograph and video, 110 x 100 cm; 16 mins. Courtesy the artist and 100 Tonson Gallery, Bangkok
