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Art & Art History vocabulary · Contemporary Art

Biennial

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/baɪˈeniəl/nounCommon term

In art & art history, biennial means: A large international exhibition of contemporary art held every two years in the same city, such as those in Venice, São Paulo and Istanbul.

In Turkish: bienal

How it is used

The Italian form Biennale appears in names such as the Venice Biennale, held since 1895; the Istanbul Biennial has been held since 1987. People visit, curate or take part in a biennial, and in Venice countries have national pavilions. A triennial takes place every three years.

Example sentences

  1. The Istanbul Biennial uses venues across the city, from museums to old warehouses.

  2. She was invited to represent her country at the biennial in Venice.

Common collocations

  • Istanbul Biennial
  • Venice Biennale
  • national pavilion
  • take part in a biennial
  • biennial curator
  • contemporary artThe art of the present time, usually meaning work made from about the 1960s or 1970s to today, often using new media, ideas and ways of exhibiting.
  • curatorA person who chooses and arranges artworks for exhibitions, or who looks after and researches a museum's collection.
  • installationAn artwork made for a particular space, often filling a whole room, which visitors walk into or around and experience with more than just their eyes.
  • exhibitionA public show of artworks or objects, arranged in a museum, gallery or other space, either for a limited time or permanently.

More terms: Contemporary Art

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