Handbook

This course offers first-hand experience of biennales in various parts of the world. You will visit 2-3 biennale (or triennale) exhibitions over a two-week intensive international course. The exhibitions and their content will be examined from the point of view of various disciplines, such as curatorial, art history and theory. The course provides you with an understanding of contemporary, innovative approaches to art and exhibition-making. In addition to discussions led by lecturers, you will hear from curatorial and/or education staff at the biennales, and, where possible, participating artists. Each course is unique, depending on which biennales are on in any given year: generally, the course will cover European biennales one year (e.g. Venice, Istanbul, Lyon) and Asian biennales in the next year (e.g. Gwangju, Shanghai, Singapore, Sharjah). Two introductory seminars are held prior to departure. You will engage with oral presentations at the biennales, a critical response travel journal and a major essay. Note: You are responsible for your own travel arrangements and associated costs. An additional up-front fee is also required by the university (usually around $500) to cover the cost of delivering a course overseas.