From Biennale to Biennale

The Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2025. This significant milestone will be marked by a series of events, exhibitions and publications, offering an in-depth exploration of the Biennale’s early history, dating back to its founding in 1955, as well as its more recent history, which, according to established interpretations, begins at the turn of the millennium. 

In 2024, as part of the preparations for the anniversary year, we are already organising exhibition tours and a pre-Biennale discursive programme, which includes events, research residencies, writing on the history of the Biennale and editing Biennale publications.

From 16 March to 8 September 2024, the exhibition The Holy Corner. The Print Portfolio of Artists of the 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, with an intervention by the Guatemalan artist Edgar Calel, was hosted at the art centre La Nuevá Fabrica (Antigua, Guatemala). In April, art critic, researcher and curator André Pitol (São Paulo, Brazil) took up a research residency at MGLC Švicarija. In May, Tejswini Narayan Sonawane (Solapur, India), winner of the Grand Prize of the 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts began preparations for her solo show to be featured as part of the 36th edition of the Biennale. In June, the history of the Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts was researched by art historian and professor, Dr Jennifer Noonan (Caldwell, USA). In July, the Biennale's research residency hosted Palestinian artists Yasmine Huleileh and Ahmed Al-Aqr, members of the FANA Collective (Ramallah, Palestine). The research residencies in 2024 also include guest visits by the theorists and publicists Ewe Borysiewicz (Warsaw, Poland) in October and Annosh Urbanke (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) as well as Nonkululeko Mabaso in December (Gothenburg, Sweden).

Arriving for his residency in November 2024 is Christian Guerematchi (Maribor, Slovenia, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands), a creator and performer, and a participating artist in the 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts. In December, he will present his performative event In a Cultural Embrace, which explores themes of duality, black European identity and narratives of the black body.

Further information on the events as part of the From Biennale to Biennale project: https://mglc.si/en/events/4/.