Prague Biennale 2011

The keenly awaited Prague Biennale 5 / Prague Biennale Photo 2, which has opened in the third week of May, will run until September 11, 2011.

After three successful editions in the magnificent Karlin Hall, the latest edition of the biennial is being held at Microna, a fu¬turistic building that for many years was a factory for aircraft engines. This new space will bring new ideas and new energy, confirming the event as among the most important venues in Central Europe for what is interesting, new, emerging and groundbreaking in the field of art.

A press release elaborates: "The fifth edition of the biennial is divided in three macro-sections: ‘Expanded Painting’, ‘Art In General’ and ‘Focus Italy’. With a structure reminiscent of a Chinese Box, each macro-section is divided into smaller sections, each of them organized by an international curator appointed by Prague Biennale directors Giancarlo Politi and Helena Kontova."

The first macro-section of the Prague Biennale is Expanded Painting. Conceived by Politi and Kontova, the aim of this macro-section is to map the most interesting tendencies in contemporary painting with focus areas such as the United States, Portugal and Scandinavia. Inspired by Rosalind Krauss’ seminal text Sculpture in the Ex¬panded Field, Expanded Painting considers the work of artists who do not necessarily work only with painting, but rather artists whose practices speak about the legacy of the medium.

Art in General is the second macro-section of Prague Biennale. There is a particular focus on the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, as well as on India, which is featured for the first time in the Czech Republic with a special survey “Crossroads: India Escalate” that includes 22 artists.

You will notice the same attention to regions in the third macro-section, Focus Italy, which will feature a selection of Italian artists. Continuing the first edition inaugurated last year, the second edition of Prague Biennale Photo puts the spotlight on the emerging scene in the field of photography in the Czech Republic and internationally.