Overview

As a precursor to the “Artist Support Program,” the National Center for Art Research, Japan (NCAR), selected the 14th Shanghai Biennale, which was held from November 9, 2023, to March 31, 2024, and supported 4 Japanese artists (Kawaguchi Tatsuo, Sasaoka Yuriko, Ken Niibori (Nibo), and Makino Takashi) with their participation.

Installation view of " Cosmos Cinema: The 14th Shanghai Biennale " © Power Station of Art

Shanghai Biennale

Since its inception in 1996, the Shanghai Biennale has been considered one of the most influential art events in Asia. With Anton Vidokle as the artist director and under the theme of "Cosmos Cinema," the 14th Shanghai Biennale featured works by a total of 79 artists/groups from 41 countries and regions across 6 continents of the world. During the exhibition period, it attracted over 170,000 visitors.
At the venue, there were nine conceptual chapters called "Palaces" (such as "Freedom of Interplanetary Movement," "Ten Thousand Things," and "Futurisms"). Visitors engaged with the artworks by roaming through the dimly lit venue, which conjured up either outer space or a huge movie theater. The core concept of “Cosmos Cinema” is derived from “Russian Cosmism,” an intellectual movement flourished in Russia from the late 19th to the 20th century, which includes the key idea of “immortality based on the development of technology, resurrection, freedom of interplanetary travel.” Vidokle and his curatorial team pursued this utopian thought through the lens of “Cinema,” assembling an exhibition that focused on ancient cosmologies, contemporary societal issues, and a future extending beyond Earth.

Installation view of " Cosmos Cinema: The 14th Shanghai Biennale " © Power Station of Art

Initiatives to Support International Art Exhibitions

Prior to the exhibition, in July 2023, as part of the “Invitation Program for Directors/Curators of International Exhibitions,” NCAR invited Hallie Ayres, a member of the biennale’s curatorial team, to conduct research in Japan and arranged her visits to artists’ studios and various meetings. As a result of this research, the aforementioned 4 Japanese artists were invited to participate in the Shanghai Biennale. Also, following the opening of the biennale, initiatives were undertaken to produce interview videos featuring artists such as Kawaguchi Tatsuo and Sasaoka Yuriko to discuss their participation in the biennale. The Shanghai Biennale thus serves as a pioneering example for NCAR, combining various initiatives to support and promote artists' activities in a multifaceted manner going forward.

Please also see the artist interview videos “[Artist Talk #1] Kawaguchi Tatsuo” and “[Artist Talk #3] Sasaoka Yuriko”, as well as "Research Stay and its outcomes of Hallie Ayres, Curator of the 14th Shanghai Biennale" on the Invitation Program for Directors/ Curators of International Exhibitions.