The 12th Berlin Biennale has opened its doors.
Artist-curator Kader Attia has given the event the title “Still Present,” promising that his selection of 82 artists offers an overview of “more than two decades of de-colonial engagement.”
The resulting show is particularly heavy on art that serves as illustrated lecture or data dump, with an emphasis on “forensic aesthetics.” Early reviews have called it “relentlessly grim,” which may be true—though, as with Attia’s artistic practice, journalistic critiques of injustice are leavened by moments of poetry.
The show spans traditional marquee art venues like the KW Institute for Contemporary Art and the Hamburger Bahnhof, but also has works into the Stasi Museum, a research and memorial center about the East German secret police, and elsewhere.
Below, see works featured in “Still Present.”
KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Nil Yalter, (1983) and (1983/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Mathieu Pernot, (1995–2015). Photo by Ben Davis.
Mathieu Pernot, (2017). Photo by Ben Davis.
Nil Yalter, Judy Blum, and Nicole Croiset, (1974–75). Photo by Ben Davis.
Jeneen Frei Njootli, (2013/2022) and Alex Prager. Photo by Ben Davis.
Susan Schuppli, (2021-2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Mayuri Chari, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Simone Fattal, (2006). Photo by Ben Davis.
Deneth Piumakshi Veda Arachchige, (2020). Photo by Ben Davis.
Antonio Recalcati, Enrico Baj, Erro, Gianni Dova, Jean-Jacques Lebel, and Roberto Crippa, (1960). Photo by Ben Davis.
Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, (2017/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
João Polido, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Zuzanna Hertzberg, (2019). Photo by Ben Davis.
Zuzanna Hertzberg, (2019). Photo by Ben Davis.
Myriam El Haïk, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Christine Safatly, (2019), (2019), and (2020). Photo by Ben Davis.
Mila Turajlić, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Detail of Mila Turajlić, (2022
Mónica de Miranda, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Works by Etinosa Yvonne. Photo by Ben Davis.
Mai Nguyen-Long, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Amal Kenawy, (2005). Photo by Ben Davis.
Maithu Bùi, (2022) Photo by Ben Davis.
Binta Diaw, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Taysir Batniji, (2016). Photo by Ben Davis.
Tejswini Narayan Sonawane, (2015). Photo by Ben Davis.
Taysir Batniji, (2001-2004). Photo by Ben Davis.
Marta Popivoda/Ana Vujanović, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Asim Abdulaziz, (2021). Photo by Ben Davis.
Hamburger Bahnhof
Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Air Conditioning (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Driss Ouadahi, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, (2019/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
David Chevalarias, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Detail of David Chevalarias. Photo by Ben Davis.
Alex Prager, (2013/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Birendir Yadev, (2016). Photo by Ben Davis.
Forensic Architecture, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Amal Kenawy, (2010). Photo by Ben Davis.
Elske Rosenfeld, (2012/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Layth Kareem, (2014). Photo by Ben Davis.
PEROU, (2015). Photo by Ben Davis.
Praneet Soi, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Works by Tammy Nguyen. Photo by Ben Davis.
Noel W Anderson, (2016-2020). Photo by Ben Davis.
Raed Mutar, (2012). Photo by Ben Davis.
Jean-Jacques Lebel, (2013) and Sajjad Abbas, (2013). Photo by Ben Davis.
Zach Blas, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Tuan Andrew Nguyen, (2019). Photo by Ben Davis.
Works by Calida Garcia Rawles. Photo by Ben Davis.
Thuy-Han Nguyen-Chi,
Mónica de Miranda, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz
Work by Sajjad Abbas on the facade of the Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz. Photo by Ben Davis.
Elske Rosenfeld, (2014). Photo by Ben Davis.
Works by Moses März. Photo by Ben Davis.
Jihan El-Tahri, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Display of crucifixes. Photo by Ben Davis.
Prabhakar Kamble, (2020). Photo by Ben Davis.
The School of Mutants (Boris Raux, Hamedine Kane, Lou Mo, Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro, Valérie Osouf), (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Taloi Havini, (2016). Photo by Ben Davis.
Works by Prabhakar Kamble. Photo by Ben Davis.
Uriel Orlow, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Dubréus Lhérisson, (2015). Photo by Ben Davis.
Prabhakar Kamble, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Khandakar Ohida, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg. Photo by Ben Davis.
Sammy Baloji, (2021). Photo by Ben Davis.
Temitayo Ogunbiyi, (2021-2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Yuyan Wang, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Imani Jacqueline Brown , (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Ammar Bouras, (2012/22). Photo by Ben Davis.
Mai Nguyễn-Long, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Lamia Joreige, (2016). Photo by Ben Davis.
Susan Schuppli, (2021-2022) and Weaponizing Water (2021-2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Đào Châu Hải, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Dana Levy, (2021/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Forensic Architecture, (2021). Photo by Ben Davis.
Florian Sông Nguyễn, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
DAAR, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Works by Tejswini Narayan Sonawane. Photo by Ben Davis.
Tuan Andrew Nguyen, (2017). Photo by Ben Davis.
Sven Johne, (2021). Photo by Ben Davis.
Clément Cogitore, (2017). Photo by Ben Davis.
Dana Levy, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Paintings by Tammy Nguyen. Photo by Ben Davis.
Stasi-Zentrale. Campus für Demokratie
Exterior of the Stasi Museum. Photo by Ben Davis.
Ngô Thành Bắc, (2007/2022) installed at the Stasi Museum. Photo by Ben Davis.
Two works show Ngô Thành Bắc’s performances (2007/2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Omer Fast, (2020). Photo by Ben Davis.Omer Fast, (2020) installed at the Stasi Museum. Photo by Ben Davis.
Omer Fast, (2020). Photo by Ben Davis.
Haig Aivazian, (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Susan Schuppli, Freezing Deaths & Abandonment Across Canada (2021-2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Hasan Özgür Top, (2020). Photo by Ben Davis.
Selection of Zach Blas’s “Fag Face Masks.” Photo by Ben Davis.
Zach Blas, (2012). Photo by Ben Davis.
The School of Mutants (Valérie Osouf), (2022). Photo by Ben Davis.
Dekoloniale Erinnerungskultur in der Stadt
Work by Nil Yalter. Photo by Ben Davis.
Source: Exhibition - news.artnet.com
