The Turn to Crisis in Biennial Culture : The Politicisation of Biennials and The Artists’ Perspective: A Case Study of The 13th Edition of the Gothenburg Biennial for Contemporary Art

Sammanfattning

This study aspires to deepen the understanding of the current climate in biennial culture, which, like the art world at large, is affected by changing conditions and increasing pressure on artistic freedom, and a simultaneous tendency to thematise societal crisis. By tracing the history of biennials from the perspective of how they have been understood as political and how they have worked with politics, this thesis delineates a shifting relationship. As politically charged content became increasingly incorporated into the content and program of biennials during the 1990s, this thesis suggests that the curatorial approach of using politics began accumulating symbolic capital, according to Pierre Bourdieu’s concept. Approaching biennials as belonging to a field of their own, also aligning with Bourdieu’s field theory, the 13th edition of the Gothenburg Biennial for Contemporary Art is investigated. The case study illuminates and critically examines some of the written rhetorical strategies employed by the curator, which establish a connection between the exhibition and politics. Further, three participating artists contribute with their perspective both on the case of GIBCA 13, and the vulnerability that may arise when the art and biennial field takes a widespread interest in crisis.