Art Encounters Biennial 2023 in Timișoara Merges Art, Science, and Postcolonial Critique
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
- Sjoukje van der Meulen
- Andrian Notz
- Cristina Bută
- Monica Dănilă
- Edith Lázár
- Ann Mbuti
- Cristina Stoenescu
- Georgia Țidorescu
- Carlos Amorales
- Mary Dagny Juell
- Diana Marincu
- Ami Barak
- Victor Brauner
- Adrian Ghenie
- Constantin Brâncuși
- Ciprian Mureșan
- Sahil Naik
- Albrecht Dürer
- Eugène Ionesco
- Tom Sandqvist
- Nora Al Badri
- IRWIN
- Metodij Zlatanov
- Marcel Duchamp
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Hugo Ball
- Constantin Flondor
- Christodoulous Panayitou
- Liat Grayver
- Marcus Nebe
- Ana Lupaș
- Geta Brătescu
- Sebastian Moldovan
- Albert Kaan
- Lucia Ghecu
- Janiv Oron
- Cristian Răduță
- Anetta Mona Chișa
- Floriama Cândea
- Dimitov Solakov
- Nataša Kokić
- Hortensia Mi Kafchin
- Anna Godzina
- Kata Tranker
- Zhanna Kadyrova
- Alicja Kwade
- Zheng Bo
- Ioana Cîrlig
- Georgi Gospodinov
- Maria Hlavajova
- Thierry de Duve
- Ovidiu Șandor
- Sorina Jecza
- Attila Kim
- Ioana Vlasiu
- Alina Șerban
- Rosalind Krauss
- Gábor Ébli
- Ivana Cholakova
- Niccolo Lucarelli
- Nicolas Whybrow
- Grațiela Benga
- Paul Vălean
- Vlad Marko Tollea
- Angela Rodel
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
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
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —