Tom Felber for creative face Magazine

From June 17 until September 7, 2008 the 16th BIENNALE OF SYDNEY, entitled REVOLUTIONS - FORMS THAT TURN takes place. The BIENNALE OF SYDNEY is Australia's largest and most exciting visual arts event. The free exhibition is expected to welcome more than a quarter of a million visitors, and more than 180 artists will participate - with over fifty newly created artworks presented alongside some of the world's most ground-breaking art from the avant-gardes of last century. The artistic Director of the 2008 BIENNALE OF SYDNEY is Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev.

The theme of the 16th BIENNALE OF SYDNEY, Revolutions - Forms That Turn, suggests the impulse to revolt, a desire for change, and seeing the world differently. Many works in this year's exhibition will be participatory, encouraging people to step inside art and discover new ways of looking and thinking about life today. Movement is a strong feature - works turn, spin, go in reverse, mirror, make noise and even blow up. The vision of the artistic director Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev has materialised as art works have been installed over the past week, transforming the city under her watchful eye into a truly remarkable place. She says: "I think art can be experienced by everybody - whether they are someone who reads about and sees a lot of art regularly, or someone who works hard all week and simply wants to see an art show on a Sunday afternoon. The Biennale of Sydney is for everyone!"

Renowned for showcasing the freshest and most innovative contemporary art from around the world the festival is held in seven venues clustered around the harbourside. These are Sydney's leading museums and galleries like the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Furthermore the Biennale features outdoor exhibitions including the magical Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour as a major exhibition site, as well as premiering an extraordinary online venue - a first for a biennale worldwide. At all venues exciting new projects are created for the public sites and outdoor locations and an international program of performances, public talks, symposia and workshops will be held over the duration of the Biennale.

The inaugural BIENNALE OF SYDNEY was staged in 1973 to provide an international showcase for contemporary art. Its aim was to develop and present a program that challenged traditional thinking and encouraged new levels of enthusiasm for innovative creative expression. The 2008 BIENNALE OF SYDNEY marks the organisation's 35th anniversary and the sixteenth exhibition. Hence it's the fourth longest-running recurring event to be established on the international calendar - after Venice (1895), São Paulo (1951) and Documenta (1955). The expectations of the 16th BIENNALE OF SYDNEY are high since the 15 Biennales between 1973 and 2006 have featured the work of more than 1250 artists from over 60 countries.

Portrait of Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev about the theme of the 16th BIENNALE OF SYDNEY REVOLUTIONS - FORMS THAT TURN

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, who is a writer and curator based in Rome, Turin and New York. She graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Pisa, Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, in 1981, majoring in literature and art history. Her master thesis was on the relation between contemporary poetry and painting.

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev is currently Chief Curator at the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art in Italy. Previously, she organised exhibitions as an independent curator in Europe and was Senior Curator at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center - a MoMA Affiliate from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, she was a jury member of the 49th Venice Biennale. more