Antarctic Biennale Launches with 80 Participants on Research Vessel
From March 16 to 28, 2017, the inaugural Antarctic Biennale took place aboard the research vessel Akademik Sergey Vavilov, a project spearheaded by Russian artist Alexander Ponomarev. This event brought together 80 individuals, including artists, scientists, philosophers, and writers, to engage with the Antarctic environment. Ponomarev introduced three mobile sculptures aimed at marine life, while Yasuaki Igarashi designed a kite representing global meridians. Andrey Kuzkin's performance involved burying his head in the snow. Environmental regulations posed difficulties; Julius von Bismarck had to sacrifice a tropical fish, and Julian Charrière's faux cannon was seized. Meanwhile, Paul Rosero Contreras safeguarded a cacao tree shoot, Yto Barrada transformed kitchen waste into dye, and Sho Hasegawa produced electricity through ice skating. Nadim Samman revealed plans for the next exhibition at the Venice Biennale in May.
Key facts
- First Antarctic Biennale held March 16–28, 2017
- Expedition aboard research vessel Akademik Sergey Vavilov
- Initiated by Russian artist Alexander Ponomarev
- 80 participants including artists, scientists, philosophers, writers
- Julius von Bismarck forced to kill tropical fish due to contamination rules
- Julian Charrière's fake cannon confiscated by Berlin police
- Co-curator Nadim Samman announced next presentation at Venice Biennale's Antarctic Pavilion in May
- All artworks had to be removed to protect the ecosystem
Entities
Artists
- Alexander Ponomarev
- Yasuaki Igarashi
- Andrey Kuzkin
- Julius von Bismarck
- Julian Charrière
- Paul Rosero Contreras
- Yto Barrada
- Sho Hasegawa
- Tomás Saraceno
- Joaquín Fargas
- Nadim Samman
- Jeanette Zwingenberger
- Barbara Imhof
- Susmita Mohanty
Institutions
- Antarctic Biennale
- Akademik Sergey Vavilov
- Venice Biennale
- Antarctic Pavilion
- Berlin police
Locations
- Antarctica
- Berlin
- Venice
Sources
- artpress —