Perennial Biennial

Europe witnesses significant political and cultural changes regularly putting the cohesion of European countries and actors at risk. This unrest has brought about an urgency and desire for closer collaboration in the arts. The Perennial Biennial is a partnership of five European Contemporary Art Biennials working together to develop and explore sustainable models for perennial practices in the biennial field.

The Perennial Biennial runs as a year-round collaboration and aims to challenge and further the field of biennial practice and strengthen European biennial collaboration across five partners in Germany, Latvia, Slovenia, Norway and the UK and in partnership with the International Biennial Association (IBA). Liverpool Biennial, Berlin Biennial, RIBOCA, MGLC and Bergen Assembly are working together on this programme for four years from september 2018 until september 2022.

The project will support research, writing and the formulation of new narratives in the biennial field through collaborative working, staff exchanges and the sharing of expertise and models for sustainable practice. Its aim is to create a dynamic European platform of exchange which will strengthen the contemporary Art sector at global, European and local level.

On 18 November 2021, the international conference Being a Citizen of the World Today? took place in Ljubljana, with the participation of Alia Swastika, Sami Al Daghistani, Aljoša Pužar, Mahret Ifeoma Kupka, Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker and Kostis Stafylakis. The event was moderated by Muanis Sinanović.

Project team

Nevenka Šivavec (project manager), Yasmín Martín Vodopivec, Luka Novak Kogoj, Dušan Dovč, Lili Šturm, Gregor Dražil.

The project is supported by Creative Europe which is the European Union's programme to support the cultural, creative and audio-visual sectors.