ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of biennales as ecosystems: discrete exhibitions contained within mostly traditional gallery or biennale spaces, comprised of art projects often tightly bound – through participation and/or production – to the local communities in which the biennales are staged. Key exhibitions discussed are the 2019 Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art (France), the 2020–21 EVA International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Limerick (Ireland) and the 2018 and 2020 editions of the Taipei Biennial (Taiwan). This chapter identifies in the biennales discussed a paradigm shift in biennale curation in response to world issues, primarily the ecological crisis. Key signifiers to a change in curatorial approaches area shared by these biennales. They include: the commissioning of art-science interdisciplinary projects; heightened attention to local issues and meaningful involvement of local participants and producers; commissioning legacy projects that will continue to contribute to the social and environmental sustainability of a place; and conceiving of each biennale edition as a building block rather than standalone exhibition.
