Ten art biennials worth visiting by the end of 2024

The Biennale Matter of Art, founded in Prague in 2020, explores the possibilities for large-scale exhibition projects as initiatives with political and institutional value. The editions of 2020 and 2022 provided a platform for diverse perspectives on the topics of language, communication, and the interpretation of violence in today's society. This year, curators Katalin Erdődi and Aleksei Borisionok, along with the participating artists, are delving into the themes of labor and its worth, with a specific emphasis on the dynamics of social evolution associated with the domain of labor, approached from two contrasting angles: the perspective of the working class and that of rural life.

Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century is the title of the 15th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024. Pansori is a traditional Korean musical genre, a symbol of the relationships between sound and space: this word in fact means "the noise from the public place," which could also be translated as the voice of the underlings. The idea of creative director Nicolas Bourriaud and curators Barbara Lagié, Kuralai Abdukhalikova, and Sophia Park is to recreate the spirit of pansori in an exhibition that, like an immersive soundscape, welcomes the works of international artists who explore contemporary space through dialogue with the different forms of life that coexist within it.

Manifesta, the nomadic European biennial of contemporary art, is back this year, now in its 15th edition. The focus for 2024 will be on Barcelona, yet the programs introduced will impact the whole of Catalonia. The curatorial team, headed by Hedwig Fijen with Filipa Oliveira and eleven artists, has worked over the past two years on a program that spans sixteen venues and public spaces in the region, with a view to fostering cultural decentralization. Nearly fifty artists were given the assignment to investigate the connections between local history and global issues such as gentrification, climate change, and colonialism.

The Bucharest Biennale continues to build a strong collaboration between the city and the rest of the world. The 2024 edition, under the artistic direction of Daniel Roșca, did not feature a designated curator, but the entire BB11 team identified itself as a curatorial collective. Democracy's Uncharted Territories is the title of this year's event, in which eighteen artists from different countries are called upon to explore the possible conflicts between public participation and the restrictions of representative systems, inspired by the complexities of Romanian democracy.

The Lofoten International Art Festival - LIAF is Scandinavia's longest-running art biennial, presenting works by local and international artists in a context that pays attention to the unique features of its host site. Currently, in its 18th annual edition and overseen by Kjersti Solbakken, the Lofoten Biennale strives to serve as a platform for interaction and innovation, catering to both artists taking part and individuals attending the event. The curator is looking ahead to this year's edition with the expectation that efforts will be made to view the event as a platform for delving deeper into local histories, archives, and collections that can shed light on the recent history of the region.

The Biennial of Contemporary Art will be back in Lyon from September to January, led by Isabelle Bertolotti and curated by Alexia Fabre, focusing on the theme of relationships in the modern world, and taking place in different spots across the city, as it has for the past seventeen years. These include a huge new cultural complex created thanks to an industrial archaeology project called Grandes Locos (big locomotives), a shed once used for locomotive maintenance. More than seventy international artists have come together to explore the tools of contemporary times for understanding our current reality, including concepts such as collectivity, individuality, and belonging that may need to be reexamined to suit the present context.

Toronto this fall hosts the third edition of the Toronto Biennial of Art, entitled Precarious Joys. Curators Dominique Fontaine and Miguel A. López began their research with the goal of identifying and drawing connections between works and artistic interventions that give voice to social and ecological concerns. Sixty Canadian and international artists were called to talk about the city of Toronto but also about the precariousness of global balances in multiple aspects, from self-representation, to migration, to the creation of a collective memory that succeeds in being truly inclusive.

Forty-five local and international artists will participate in the fourth Bangkok Art Biennale. Titled Nurture Gaia, and curated by Thai art historian Apinan Poshyananda, who also directed the previous three editions, this year's event will focus on works made on the themes of animism, eco-politics and supernatural mysticism, investigating issues such as divine femininity, ecological resilience, biodiversity and the debate around the opposition between nature and culture.

Following a few months of setbacks caused by political issues and logistical challenges, the Dakar Biennale has been rescheduled for the fall of 2024, with Salimata Diop as the curator for the edition titled The Wake. Around sixty artists are taking part, showcasing pieces that delve into the political, environmental, and societal changes of today's world, with a particular emphasis on Dakar. This edition's selection highlights extraordinary African creativity through a wide range of media, techniques and artistic dimensions. From illustration to virtual reality, from sound design to sculpture and photography, the selection process followed a strong commitment to inclusivity, seeking a balance across the boundaries of material, expression and thought.

Celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, the fourteenth edition of Rencontres de Bamako, the African Biennial of Photography, features the works of thirty artists of African descent from across the globe, highlighting the rich creativity of Africa. This year's title is Kuma, the Word, which explores the dialogue between image and language. The event includes exhibitions, historical projects and temporary photographic studios, providing a platform to reflect on the profound interactions between speech and such a silent art as photography. The conversation between these two forms of representation becomes valuable and enhances each other's storytelling.