127 artists from 23 countries! – the Ural Industrial Biennale of Modern Art starts in Yekaterinburg on Thursday, September 14. 

The Biennale scale is impressive – the main project exhibition, the art residences programme, performance, education and discussion platforms. A total of 20 sites are involved, in particular, in Moscow.

The Biennale has been held since 2010 and is a significant event not only at the local, but also at the global level. 127 artists from 23 countries take part in the project this year. The Biennale goal is to study industriality as cultural heritage and relevant practice of the Ural region.

This year’s Biennale topic is New Literacy. According to the curator, Portuguese Joan Ribas, the main project exhibition is a tool to study the issue of how practices of modern art production may become the basis for new reality understanding.

In addition to the main project located in the former Yekaterinburg instrument-making plant, the biennale includes special projects, the parallel programme, the art residences programme, and the performance and education platform. In total 20 sites are involved, in particular, in Moscow: a retrospective exhibition of Ural modern art will take place in the SCMA space.

Art Residences.

The art residences programme comprises excursion routes via 27 cities of Ural, including visits to industrial enterprises and public spaces where artists’ installations are shown. The purpose of such residences is to find common ground between modern art, industrial enterprises of Ural, workers, artists and local residents.

Ural SCMA specialists developed 59 excursion routes of 19,000 km long. The excursions are held every weekend until November. Current route schedule may be found here.

The performance platform is an important part of the biennale. The platform forms a new type of performance in Yekaterinburg based on post-dramatic theatre aesthetics, and sets a new vector for development of theatrical life of the city.

The platform is a place for collaboration between filmmakers, actors, artists, musicians, dancers, playwrights, composers. As a result of their interaction, the biennale programme was enriched with multi-format performances and plays in non-stage space.

The main event of the programme is oratorio The Lights of Ural created especially for the biennale. One of its composers is Swiss Carlo Chicheri. Details on The Lights of Ural and Carlo Chicheri may be found here.

From the Pro Helvetia site.