A
CALL TO ARTISTS
Artists of all kinds are invited to participate in THE
FREE BIENNIAL which will take place in New York during the month
of April, 2002.
Any project which is nonmonetary in nature, and which takes place in public
or quasi-public space in the greater New York area any time during the
month of April 2002 is eligible.
Works which are not eligible include those where an admission is charged
or where anything is for sale, as well as works not taking place within
the time and space designated for the show (greater New York City area,
month of April 2002).
Web-based projects are welcome, and will be represented by a description
and a URL link. Mail art projects are also welcome, and will be represented
by a description and a mailing address (the address may be anywhere in
the world as long as participants in New York are invited).
Projects taking place in ordinarily private space (for instance apartment
shows) are eligible if they are open to the public by appointment or during
publicized hours.
Group projects and projects organized by collectives and independent curators
are encouraged.
There is no deadline for participation, but if you wish your information
to be included in publicity materials it must be received by MARCH 1,
2002. For inclusion in the website, information must be received by MARCH
30, 2002.
To
enter, please read the ARTISTS FAQ and
complete the ENTRY FORM
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 23, 2002
NEW
YORK. This spring New York will host a different kind of art biennial,
The Free Biennial.
The Free Biennial is an exhibition of free art in public spaces, open
to any artist who wishes to participate. It will be held in New York during
the month of April, 2002 (April 2 – April 30, 2002).
Functioning both as an exhibition, and as a situational artwork, The Free
Biennial is a project of artist Sal Randolph who says: “It’s
an experiment in presenting a show which is completely democratic and
unedited. There’s always an element of the unpredictable when you
open the doors.”
In an increasingly crowded field of international art expositions, the
Free Biennial offers a new artistic situation, both for the viewer and
the participating artist. For the artist, the Free Biennial eliminates
the selection process – the curator as gatekeeper or filter. It puts
the question of participation in the hands of the artist, and throws open
the question of value.
For the viewer, the safety of traditional curatorship and spectacle is
removed, allowing an experience which is more direct, raw, and intimate.
The city is transformed into a place of potential where any encounter
could be an artistic one. Armed with a map and the idea that art might
be anywhere, the viewer is invited to step into the shoes of what Baudelaire
and the Situationists called the flâneur, the wanderer, ready to
experience anything.
“It’s a new way of looking at public space,” says organizer
Sal Randolph. “We’ve gotten used to seeing public space as either
institutional or commercial. Here is a way for artists and viewers to
operate together as as citizens, engaged with the life of the city. It
holds out possibility for the values of generosity and civility, which
we are so in need of at this time.”
“There’s plenty of free artwork out there,” Randolph adds,
“but there’s very little context in which to show it. It’s
one of the hidden art movements of our time. This show aims to provide
a context which will make the underground gift economy of art more visible.”
Randolph’s other recent projects have included FREE
WORDS in which 2,000 copies
of a free book are being infiltrated into bookstores and libraries worldwide.