BIENNIALISM/BIENNIALIST (fr. biennialisme/biennialiste)

Biennialism is an art format, like Emergency Room.
A biennialist is an artist working in this format.
This working implies some savoir-faire and some rules.

A biennialist may collaborate with Emergency Room,

Biennialism is a commenting format.
As most of the time biennials have themes.
They promote themselves as reflecting and prospective.
They are looking upon important matters.
They are looking concerned and critical.
They are looking analytically and synthetically.
Often their themes are but a pretext.
A cover.
A Blue Stamp.
An alibi.

A biennialist loves biennial themes.
A biennialist loves triennial themes.
A biennialist loves quadrennial themes.
A biennialist loves quinquennial themes.
A biennialist takes them seriously.
As soon as the themes has been announced, the biennialists embraces them
like a chicken on an egg.

Biennial themes are treasures.
Biennial themes often reflect matters about the world of today.
Biennial themes are often very serious.
Biennial themes are often so serious, that the debate they generate
cannot be ignored.

For a biennialist biennial themes are important launch pads for  essential debates           
A theme can be as powerful as a declaration of love
Or as a declaration of war.
No one should underestimate the importance of biennial themes.
They might have been chosen with care or random.
They might have been chosen sincerely or cynically.
Whatever have been the case,
the themes constitute important matter.

A biennialist is like a faillot at school.
A biennialist wants to please the teacher.
A biennialist feels enthusiasm about debates generated by biennialist works,
and by biennialism as such.
The biennialist takes the themes so seriously,
that the biennialist sometimes might appear embarrassing exaggerated.

Biennial themes are precious.
Biennial themes is a matter very much like artists' sweat.
No one should abuse their reflective power.
Everyone should take them seriously.

Biennial themes are statements of desire.
They exhibit a desire to be looked at, for a long time.
They exhibit a desire to be answered.
Il ne faut pas les prendre a la legere.
Which means that they should not be looked lightly upon.

The biennialist sometimes wonders who chooses the themes?
Is it the curators?
Is it the sponsors?
Is it the philosophers?
Or is it communication advisors?
Are the themes serious meant?
Or is it mere word-play?

The biennialist is often pensive.
Bewildered.

Nevertheless the biennialists constitutes an army.
Like an hord of insomniac Colombos.
Moving freeely around with an avid thirst for debates.
Day and night .

At the Istanbul Biennial 2007 the theme was:
“Optimism at the age of global war.“
The biennialist was wondering who choose that theme?
Was the theme choosen to please someone?
And if so, who?
And how could such theme be debated in the context of a biennial?

At the Athens Biennial 2007 the theme was:
“Burning Athens.“
The theme was chosen beforehand.
At the biennial, Athens was really burning.
some people accuse the investor
investor were organizing the biennale
to give value to their property

Biennialism might look like an idiotic format.
It looks pathetic to work, when parties for the biennial pilgrims rule.

But biennials are important places of investigation.
Biennials contain all the important actors:
the thermometers,
the cultural managers,
the pretendants,
the real powerful,
the trend-setters,
the companies,
the politicians,
and the themes.
Biennials are like G-8.

There are no good biennials without biennialists.
Like there are no good democratic institution without emergency artists.

A biennialist does not have to,
but a biennialist often get nutrition from Emergency Room.
For example at the Penetration at the Athens Biennial 2007,
the artists from Emergency Room came and expressed themselves about
today.
The Emergency Room was a motor and a legitimate source of inspiration.
A burning need to express oneself has to be there.
A source of energy has to be there.
If so,
the biennialst is an irresistible enthusiastic voice;
a voice that rises by the burning need to participate in the debate.

There are people playing football.
With a ball on a field.
There are people playing football.
With a beer on a sofa.
Biennialists cannot read the themes without a burning need to interfere.
Biennialists need to express it to us with pure enthusiasm.
Biennialists need to express it even though not asked to.

The biennialist's voice is a passionate voice.
Biennialists use different methods to express themselves.
It could be penetrations.
It could be talking backpacks.
It could be rumours.
It could be party hijacks.
It could be demoralisation of the queue.
It could be parachutes.
It could be fake painters.
It could be happy events.
It could be weddings.
It could be corrective press releases.
It could even be hair cuttings.                                    

The biennialists have been doing some 10 campaigns!
In cultural managed events.
Like art fairs.
We have noticed that even art fairs behave themselves like biennials,
which opens up great opportunities for biennialism and biennialists!

In a statement from an anonymous biennialist at the Venice Bienniale we
read:
“One of the goals of the biennialist is to create a set of methods that will enable artists to penetrate cultural staged events and surf in them freely when they have emergency statements to expose. The  general mission of the biennalist is to point at dysfunctions“.