Previous Exhibitions

Previous Exhibitions Explore ArtAbout the Exhibition Artworks Artists Beyond Vancouver Residencies Bike + Walking Tours Legacy Artworks Previous Exhibitions Previous Artworks Alumni Artists Previous Residencies Previous Exhibitions The inaugural Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale-Open Spaces Project 2005-2007 included twenty-four public works of art created by nineteen remarkable contemporary artists from eleven countries. From September 2005 to April 2007, these pieces captured the attention of millions of viewers as they walked, biked, drove, boated, and jogged around neighbourhood communities and urban beaches of Vancouver. The Vancouver Sculpture Biennale realized the vision and goals of its founding governing and curatorial boards. In a successful example of public-private partnerships, the City of Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale created a cultural arts event that was the first of its kind in the world. Accessible 24/7 and free to the over twenty million viewers that viewed twenty-four installations over eighteen months, the Biennale also implemented sixteen community-based interactive programs (several with a national and worldwide reach) including: interactive cell phone self-guided tour; K-12 interactive multi-disciplinary educational curriculum; Post-secondary, college and university video and multi-media competitions; Community and intra-school photo competitions; People’s Choice legacy selection and voting campaign; Weekly multi-media six month awareness campaign; Interactive web site; Art You Can Feel award-winning guerilla street campaign; American Lecture Series; Lifetime-Achievement Award; Black tie Gala and Auction with Christie’s; Curatorial Legacy-Gifting program; Regional intra-school Biennale Great Race; Self guided walking and cycling map tour; and Transit shelters and billboard campaign. ————– The 2009–2011 Vancouver Biennale featured major works from 5 continents with the focus on Asia. By the end of the 2009-2011 biennial, ten lectures by 6 artists took place including one by Landscape Architect, Charles Jencks. This Biennale had the theme of In-transit-ion and expanded beyond monumental sculpture installations in parks, bike lanes and urban plazas, to include New Media and Performance Installations on the new Canada Line rapid transit system. Works included Dennis Oppenheim’s Engagment (USA), Jaume Plensa‘s We (Spain), Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Walking Figures (Poland) from the City of San Diego, Michel Goulet’s Echoes (Canada), Sorel Etrog’s King and Queen (Canada), John Clement’s Jasper (USA) and Bernar Venet’s 217.5 Arcs x 13 (France). Open Borders / Crossroads Vancouver The 3rd Vancouver Biennale exhibition began Spring 2014. We expanded to new cities, broadening our program to include a wider range of artistic disciplines, and inviting an unprecedented mix of famous and emerging artists from around the world to participate in a two-year celebration of great contemporary art, freely accessible to people where they live, work, play and transit. The mandate of the Vancouver Biennale is to exhibit great art in public space and use it as a catalyst for learning and social action. The curatorial theme of the exhibition was Open Borders / Crossroads Vancouver. Unique in the world for its natural beauty, Vancouver became the international hub where artists from all nations, cultural backgrounds, political histories and artistic disciplines gathered to celebrate art in public space. Together we inspired creativity, transformed thinking and found our interconnectedness as global citizens through art. The 2014 – 2016 Vancouver Biennale featured diverse works by both breakthrough and established artists, in keeping with the theme Open Borders / Crossroads Vancouver. Participants included globally-recognized figures ranging from Ai Weiwei, Vik Muniz to OSGEMEOS. Press Coverage for the 2014 / 2016 Exhibition Vancouver Sun: Art and Soul Vancouver Sun: International luminaries flock to third Vancouver Biennale of public art Georgia Straight: Top 10 standout arts events of 2014 The Huffington Post: 17 Pieces That Wouldn’t Belong Anywhere Else National Gallery of Canada: Crossing Borders at the 2014–2016 Vancouver Biennale Biennial Foundation: The 3rd Vancouver Biennale Exhibition Opens Flare Localist: The Art Scene Is Booming NorthShore News: North Shore News Readers’ Choice 2015 winner! Where Magazine: Alfresco Art Where Magazine: The Best 10 New Attractions in Canada Travel2Next: 10 Things To Do In Vancouver Vancouver Art Attack: Vancouver’s Public Art Museum Curatorial Team Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barrie Mowatt, our international team includes some of the most influential and dynamic curators and scholars working in contemporary art. Barrie MowattArtistic DirectorZheng Shengtian Senior Curator (Asia) Open Air MuseumMarcello Dantas Senior Curator (Latin and South America) Open Air MuseumRakhi SarkarCuratorial Advisor, Open Air Museum and Biennale International Artist ResidenciesLuis Camillo Osario Curatorial Advisor, Open Air MuseumJose Roca Curatorial Advisor, Open Air Museum and Biennale International Artist ResidenciesMarc Pottier Curatorial Advisor, Open Air MuseumHans Ulrich Obrist Curatorial Advisor, Open Air MuseumSteve Nash Curatorial Advisor, Open Air MuseumAdriano Pedrosa Curatorial Advisor, Open Air MuseumSarah Fillmore Curatorial Advisor, Open Air Museum and Biennale International Artist Residencies Mahnaz Fancy Curatorial Advisor, Biennale International Artist ResidenciesAissa H. Deebi Curatorial Advisor, Biennale International Artist ResidenciesIlko Davidov Curator, Biennale CineFestTed Grouya Curator, Biennale CineFestMarek HovorkaCurator, Biennale CineFestInti Codera Curator, Biennale CineFestRene Rozon Curator, Biennale CineFestAndre Vaillancourt Curator, Biennale CineFestHelmut Batista Advisor, Biennale International Artist ResidenciesAlexandre Gabriel Advisor, Biennale International Artist R