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Art Encounters Biennial 2023 in Timișoara Merges Art, Science, and Postcolonial Critique

festival-fair · 2026-04-19

From May 19 to July 16, 2023, Timișoara, Romania, hosted the fifth Art Encounters Biennial, aligning with its recognition as the European Capital of Culture. Under the theme 'My Rhino is Not a Myth', the event displayed art from Romania, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia across eleven different locations. Curated by Swiss-Indian Andrian Notz, alongside Cristina Bută and Monica Dănilă, the biennial examined the intersections of art, science, and fiction, drawing inspiration from Albrecht Dürer's 1515 woodcut of a rhinoceros. Notable pieces included Sahil Naik's 'The Bird, A Bone and Other Witnesses in a Museum Fire' and Carlos Amorales's 'Black Cloud', alongside new commissions and a focus on Romanian sculpture and international artists tackling AI and ecological issues.

Key facts

  • The Art Encounters Biennial 2023 ran from May 19 to July 16, 2023, in Timișoara, Romania.
  • The biennial's title was 'My Rhino is Not a Myth', exploring art, science, and fiction.
  • Chief curator Andrian Notz led a team of six co-curators from Romania and Switzerland.
  • Forty percent of exhibited works were from the region, with the remainder from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
  • The event coincided with Timișoara's designation as European Capital of Culture 2023.
  • Thirteen young Romanian artists received commissions for new works.
  • A parallel sculpture survey 'after SCULPTURE/SCULPTURE after' is on view at Cazarma U until November 30, 2023.
  • The biennial featured venues like the National Art Museum of Timișoara, the Garrison, and the STPT Multiplexity tram depot.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Art Encounters Foundation
  • ARTMargins Online
  • National Art Museum of Timișoara
  • Kunsthalle Bega
  • Frieze
  • Art Tribune
  • Artnet
  • Art News
  • Cabaret Voltaire
  • ETH Zurich AI Center
  • MIT Press
  • C.H. Beck Verlag
  • Sector 1 Gallery
  • Posibilă Gallery
  • Aici Acolo
  • Superliquidato
  • Contrasens Cultural Association
  • European Center for Contemporary Art (ECCA)
  • Triade Foundation
  • Balamuc
  • Avantpost
  • Libertatea
  • Weidefeld and Nicolson
  • NAi Publishers/SKOR
  • Columbia University
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • University of Oregon
  • Utrecht University
  • Humboldt University
  • Metropolis M
  • Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
  • Stedelijk Studies
  • European Union
  • EU Parliament
  • Macedonian Orthodox Church
  • Manifesta 13
  • Art Encounters Biennial
  • Art Encounters
  • Faber
  • STPT Multiplexity
  • Garrison
  • ISHO Offices
  • Gallery Sumukha
  • Kiang Malingue

Locations

  • Timișoara
  • Romania
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Southeast Asia
  • ISHO district
  • Zurich
  • Switzerland
  • India
  • Portugal
  • Rome
  • Kyiv
  • Ukraine
  • Kaunas
  • Belgrade
  • Serbia
  • Budapest
  • Hungary
  • Bucharest
  • Bulgaria
  • Moldova
  • Netherlands
  • Austria
  • Mexico
  • Taiwan
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Italy
  • UK
  • Iraq
  • Mesopotamia
  • Slovenia
  • Macedonia
  • Cluj
  • Banat region
  • Ottoman Empire
  • Habsburg monarchy
  • Schengen Area
  • Hong Kong
  • South America
  • Inuit territories
  • Amsterdam
  • Berlin
  • New York
  • London
  • Norimberga
  • Smolyan
  • Bangalore
  • Katowice
  • Baia Mare
  • Pechino
  • Sofia
  • Piața Libertății

Sources

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