For this exhibition, five art institutions in the United States will present a biennial of contemporary art consisting of works by five artists in each of the institutions’ local communities, selected by the show’s guest curators, Harrell Fletcher and Jens Hoffmann. The institutions must be in locations that lie outside mainstream art centers, but in places where art nonetheless thrives. Five appropriate, geographically widespread institutions will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. The curators will visit each community to choose artists and works, and will be available to conduct roundtable discussions at each institution during their stay.

The People’s Biennial is a response to several critical issues within the often-isolated world of art. Prominent among these is the fact that many biennial exhibitions in the United States focus primarily on art from just a few cities, usually New York and Los Angeles and sometimes Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco. An even larger problem is the art world’s ever increasing exclusivity, which has turned the spaces where art is produced and exhibited into privileged havens detached from the ordinary realities of everyday life. A critique of the often overly spectacular biennial model is also a key aspect of this exhibition. In contrast, The People’s Biennial will display significant contemporary work originating from often overlooked locales by artists who have not had significant exposure, thus offering a potential model for more community-based and even grassroots exhibitions.

Interested institutions should contact iCI to request the details of criteria for participation. The People’s Biennial is curated by Harrell Fletcher, an artist based in Portland, Oregon, and Jens Hoffmann, director of the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco.

Exhibition Itinerary

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, Oregon
September 10 - November 21, 2010

Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City, South Dakota
January 14 - March 27, 2011

AVAILABLE
April - September 2011

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, Arizona
October 15, 2011 – January 15, 2012