Art as extreme sport for next Biennale

An Egyptian, an Israeli and a Scotsman walk into a biennale … At first glance, Juliana Engberg’s invitation list for the 2014 Sydney Biennale sounds like a story in need of a punchline. The 18 artists, revealed on Tuesday, represent a Benetton ad of nationalities and artistic practices.

But while the international artists selected by Engberg, the 19th biennale’s artistic director, may not be household names, they are leading lights in contemporary art.

Engberg says it is her aim to introduce new artists to Australian audiences. ”I want the list to look really fresh and provoke curiosity.

”We’re a very big biennale – a big juggernaut of a thing that ought to be exploratory and have the energy to bring new people into the limelight.”

Egyptian Wael Shawky exhibited his video of marionettes acting out the Crusades at New York’s Museum of Modern Art last year.


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