He promises more sustainable ways of producing exhibitions
The Biennale of Sydney has named Colombian curator José Roca as the artistic director for its 23rd edition, scheduled to run 12 March to 13 June 2022. Roca is currently artistic director of nonprofit FLORA ars+natura in Bogota which explores the relationship between art and nature – prior to that, he was the Estrellita B. Brodsky Adjunct Curator of Latin American Art at the Tate in London, and headed up the arts programme at the Museo del Banco de la República in Bogota.
Though a theme is yet to be outlined, the 2022 Biennale of Sydney is set to ‘deal with issues like sustainability, the rights of nature, the knowledge of Indigenous people that inhabit different territories, waterways as means of subsistence but also the enablers of colonial enterprise,’ Roca said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
International travel is set to be minimised for the Biennale’s team, with a greater awareness of working locally and sharing resources. ‘We must think of more sustainable ways to do exhibitions, work collaboratively with and for local audiences, and learn from the peoples that have lived in harmony with nature,’ Roca said. ‘Art has a carbon footprint,’ he told ABC News.
Once travel restrictions are lifted, Roca intends to move to Australia from his home in Bogota to oversee preparations. ‘I thought it was important to go to Australia and live there for the entire duration of the project as a gesture of total commitment and also to limit air travel,’ he said.
Roca will head up a curatorial team drawn from partner venues, comprising of: Paschal Daantos Berry, the Head of Learning and Participation at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; Anna Davis, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney; Hannah Donnelly, producer at Information + Cultural Exchange in Parramatta; and Talia Linz, curator at Artspace in Sydney.
