Biennale de La Biche 2017: A Miniature Art Event on a Disappearing Guadeloupe Island

The inaugural Biennale de La Biche 2017, organized on Ilet la Biche off Guadeloupe's coast, claims to be the world's smallest biennial. Curated by artists Alex Urso and Maess Anand, it features 12 international participants: Karolina Bielawska, Norbert Delman, Michal Frydrych, Styrmir Örn Guðmundsson, Ryts Monet, Jeremie Paul, Lukasz Ratz, Lapo Simeoni, Saku Soukka, Aleksandra Urban, Yaelle Wisznicki Levi, and Zuza Ziółkowska-Hercberg. The event's concept centers on the island's transitory nature, with rising sea levels predicted to submerge it within decades. Visitors access the site by wading through shallow waters, engaging with art in a setting of white sand, mangroves, and a solitary shelter. This edition, titled 'In a land of', responds to 2016's biennial fatigue by offering a compact alternative. The location's impermanence underscores environmental themes, with works installed in a remote, serene landscape. The biennial runs in 2017, providing a winter escape while highlighting ecological concerns through artistic intervention.