Zero Budget Biennial Challenges Grand Art Events in Paris

Curators Joanna Fiduccia and Chris Sharp, invited by Carlos Cardenas, organized the Zero Budget Biennial at Galerie Carlos Cardenas and Galerie Schleicher + Lange in Paris from September 5 to October 3, 2009. The non-profit exhibition, conceived as an antidote to major international fairs, features 34 artists who have never participated in a biennial. No overarching theme is imposed; selection is based solely on this criterion. Works are subtly hung across two galleries, creating dialogues. Notable pieces include Simone Schardt & Wolf Schmelter's "Steady State for Zero Budget Biennial," a pile of press releases topped with a ficus that descends as the pile shrinks but grows over time; Sara Barker's cardboard sculpture "Inbetween Trees," evoking Giacometti's walking man; Marlo Pascula's scotched paper on the glass door reading "Alice n'habite plus ici," referencing Scorsese's film; and Davide Balula's "Filtering the air. Suspended Balance." Video programming includes the Kuchar brothers' "Pussy on a Hot Tin Roof" (1961), Philippe van Wolputte's "Getting over" (2009), and a remake of the first scene from "Wild Side." The biennial aims to end all biennials as known, according to its slogan.