London Biennale 2006
HISTORY
The london biennale was founded in 1998 by David Medalla. It has evolved into an
artist community loosely based around London and the biennial events that take
place there. Totalling over 300 artists, the Biennale organisation is not
restricted to London, playing an active part in international events such as
Changing Channels season (2003) in Berlin. The Biennale 2006 is set to be bigger
than any preceding it. Here's to many more years!
The London Biennale is a do-it-yourself free arts festival.This means artists
who wish to participate are solely and entirely responsible for their
participation: for his/her show, funding, transport, publicity, insurance,
documentation, venue. We do help one another but only through voluntary and free
choice. We have no bureau and therefore no bureaucrat.
ARROWS
When I conceived the London Biennale, I thought of the simplest way artists from
all over the world could register for free as members of the London Biennale:
and this is thus: for every artist to make an arrow of any material and of any
size and to have the words "London Biennale" (and date of each biennale, e. g.,
2002, 2004 or 2006) together with the artist's name inscribed on the arrow, and
for three copies of a photograph (or collage, photomontage, or digital image) of
the artist with the arrow and the statue of Eros at Piccadilly Circus to be sent
to me. This one requirement for registering for free in the London Biennale is
mentioned in the first letter I sent to various artists and to Harald Szeemann,
director of the Venice Biennale, Rene Block, formerly director of the Istanbul
Biennial , and Isabel Carlos, currently director of the Sydney Biennial. It was
mentioned in several press articles announcing the beginning of the London
Biennale. Press items about the start of the London Biennale appeared in Art
Forum (New York), Flash Art (Milano), the Art Newspaper (London) and the news
bulletin of Salle de Bains (Rotterdam).
Other news items appeared in articles in various parts of the world. The Eros
statue is a long-standing icon of London. Eros is the god of Love. The arrow
signifies both movement and direction, and could symbolise a different thing for
each and every artist. In my case, the arrow's trajectory defines the imaginary
and real path to creative transcendance.
Many artists who wish to participate in the London Biennale cannot personally
come to London due to various reasons. Making the arrow and sending their photos
to me mean they become bona fide members of the London Biennale. Artists living
abroad, including those who far from London in the English countryside, are
therefore able to organise events and exhibitions directly linked to the London
Biennale through their personal Eros-Arrows. This has happened several times
already and continue to happen in many parts of the world.
I hope this information makes it clear for London Biennale artists the origin of
the idea of the arrow and its reason for being and becoming.
Best wishes, everyone!
David Medalla