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| Sharjah Biennial 14 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sharjah Biennial 14 |
| Genre | International contemporary art biennial |
| Location | Sharjah, United Arab Emirates |
| First | 2019 |
| Curator | Christine Tohmé |
| Previous | Sharjah Biennial 13 |
| Next | Sharjah Biennial 15 |
Sharjah Biennial 14 Sharjah Biennial 14 opened in 2019 as an international art biennial situated in Sharjah within the United Arab Emirates, positioned amid institutions such as the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Barjeel Art Foundation, and the Institut du Monde Arabe network of cultural producers. The exhibition engaged histories of decolonization and transnational exchange, dialoguing with archives like the United Nations collections, collections of the British Museum, and repositories including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Modern.
The curatorial concept invoked transregional solidarities inspired by archives and social movements tied to sites including Algiers, Beirut, Alexandria, Cairo, and Istanbul, while referencing theoretical frameworks developed at gatherings like the Venice Biennale, the Documenta series, and programs at the Museum of Modern Art. Thematic inquiries drew upon precedents set by exhibitions at the Serpentine Galleries, the Centre Pompidou, and the Gwangju Biennale, mobilizing methodologies from the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations and activist archives such as those associated with Black Lives Matter, Arab Spring, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Curatorial leadership was led by Christine Tohmé in collaboration with advisory figures connected to institutions including the British Council, the Goethe-Institut, and the Prince Claus Fund. The roster of participating artists spanned generations and geographies, featuring practitioners associated with the Stedelijk Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi proposals, and independent collectives working with archives like the International Centre for the History of Electronic Games. Artists and collectives evoked connections to figures such as Ai Weiwei, Shirin Neshat, Walid Raad, Hassan Sharif, Cildo Meireles, Marina Abramović, Yayoi Kusama, Theaster Gates, Kader Attia, Sophie Calle, Andres Serrano, Tacita Dean, Jenny Holzer, Okwui Enwezor, Doris Salcedo, Tania Bruguera, Ghada Amer, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Mona Hatoum, Lina Bo Bardi, Zineb Sedira, Sam Durant, Do Ho Suh, El Anatsui, Anri Sala, Khaled Hafez, Nidaa Badwan, and representatives from the Arab Image Foundation and the Fondation Cartier.
Exhibition sites included the Sharjah Art Museum, the Bait Al Serkal complex, and adapted spaces comparable to the Tate St Ives model, with satellite projects staged in public realms adjacent to the Al Qasba canals and the Sharjah Heritage Area. The layout referenced itinerant biennial formats used by the São Paulo Biennial, the Istanbul Biennial, and the Biennale of Sydney, integrating site-specific interventions reminiscent of works commissioned by the Hayward Gallery and the Hammer Museum.
Key works addressed colonial legacies, migration narratives, and archival reclamation through media referenced in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Hammer Projects series. Installations combined filmic practices associated with the Cannes Film Festival, photographic sequences in dialogue with the International Center of Photography, and sculptural assemblages recalling commissions at the Frankenstein Museum and the Nasher Sculpture Center. Themes mobilized critiques resonant with scholarship from the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and the New Museum, while engaging activist archives like the Women’s March and the Green Movement.
Public programming involved symposia, panels, and workshops co-organized with partners such as the British Museum’s education department, the American University of Sharjah, and visiting lecturers from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cooper Union, the California Institute of the Arts, and the Royal College of Art. Educational initiatives mirrored formats used by the Getty Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Prince Claus Fund, incorporating residency exchanges similar to those at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Reykjavík Arts Festival.
Critical responses appeared in outlets comparable to the Artforum reviews, coverage in the New York Times arts section, analysis by critics writing for the Guardian, Le Monde, and Al Jazeera cultural pages, and scholarly appraisal in journals like the October (journal), Third Text, and the Brooklyn Rail. Impact assessments cited increased visitation to institutions such as the Sharjah Art Foundation and enhanced collaborations with the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, alongside debates about biennial politics seen in discussions at the Hay Festival and the World Economic Forum cultural sessions.
Category:Art biennials