ABSTRACT
The process of differentiating each individual biennial draws on both the prevailing discourses found around the field at a given time and space and enacts the signifier of art in novel ways. Biennials are places where certain values — artistic, cultural, political or economic — circulate and attain publicity. As a prestigious platform of circulation, the biennial authorises, supports and allows objects, performances and discourses to become visible, to circulate and possibly be invested with desire within local and global public spheres. The economic aspect of value is a major site of conflict in the context of neoliberalism and biennial’s internal heterogeneity. The strictly hands-on labour that takes place in a biennial, such as the setting up and production of the exhibition is largely secondary in respect to value creation. A certain rationality regarding the potential progressive role of the contemporary biennials is offered by using theoretical perspectives drawn from the contemporary critical social theory.
