Platform for (un)Solicited Research and Advice

If we wish to train ourselves as cultural analysts, then cultural analysis, however, need not necessarily force us, as Marieke’s suggested question insists, to divide ourselves into two groups: Biennial Haters and Biennial Lovers.

I find Biennials interesting because they are a place where one can see art-documentary films and a documentary approach in visual arts such as video and photography. This is brilliant because such work can carry a nuanced truth about socio-political matters.

1 . The question of truth lies in the documentary!

2 . Biennials can be places for exhibiting the truth!

In her lecture Sophie Berrebi talks about a ‘degree zero form’, which means non-object oriented exhibition. “The look of exhibitions incorporating documentary works tends, in fact, to vary very little, and often consist of rows of framed photographs and television monitors and of successions of black boxes in which films are projected. Hence Documenta 11’s nickname ‘the 400-hour Documenta’, a reference to the time allegedly necessary to view every film included in the exhibition in its entirety”.

For me it sounds like an ideal framework, for Biennials to focus on documentary films or other kinds of documentary media, like photos etc.

Manifesta is entering a new phase, shifting from its previous East-West dialogue to focus on North-South notions. The idea of decentralisation is very necessary and therefore I am very optimistic in imagining the idea of Manifesta together with Murcia starting a dialogue with Northern Africa. In my opinion, if Manifesta is concerned with allowing itself to expand beyond the European continent, then it should organize an art intervention in Northern Africa.