I invite you to board my ship
And set out on an adventure
To the new shores of art!
I am organizing
A topsy-turvy biennale
An upside-down biennale,
A head-over-heels biennale,
A mobile biennale,
In the Antarctica
Close to the South Pole.
Mobilis in mobile!
We are building a unique community of people who are interested in reimagining the future of shared spaces, beginning with Antarctic culture as a model for global development. With the artistic core, we are creating the platform for the interdisciplinary dialogue.
Practitioners, including technological innovators and visionary business leaders, that seek to address 21 century challenges through new technologies and business models. Leaders that firmly stand on the ground yet look into the future with clear and open mind.
Cultural leaders, including artists, architects, writers, curators and more, whose approach is interdisciplinary and intercultural.
Scientists that consider new models and technologies for changing the ultimate paradigm of human civilization to enable it for sustainable living on the Planet.
Researchers that advance human knowledge of frontier spaces.
Worldwide
August 22
Open-call AntarcticBiennale_Calls announcement
Newport, USA
August 19
Weekend with the Antarctic Biennale
Moscow, Russia
June 29
The friendship between UNESCO and the Antarctic Biennale
Barcelona, Spain
June 20
The Antarctic Biennale presentation to the Spanish scientific and business societies, video screening of the ANTARCTICA: RE-CYCLICAL with comments by Hani Rashid
Venice, Italy
May 27
Opening of the exhibition ANTARCTICA: RE-CYCLICAL a frontier in flux at The Antarctic Pavilion
Moscow, Russia
May 12
The Antarctic Biennale Vision Club in ASI
New York, USA
April 28
Opening of the exhibition Stored in Ice in Richard Taittinger Gallery
New York, USA
April 18
The 1st Antarctic Biennale Council in The Explorers Club
Moscow, Russia
February 26
The Antarctic Biennale presentation in ARTIBUS
Moscow, Russia
September 2016
Antarctic Biennale Vision Club Panel discussion at CosMoscow Fair
London, UK
October 2016
The announcement of the open-call finalists during Frieze Art Fair
Japan
October 2016
Alexander Ponomarev’s Exhibition at Setouchi Triennale, presentation of the project
Moscow, Russia
October 2016
The exhibition of the open-call finalists
Monaco
November 2016
The Antarctic Biennale Gala dinner
Miami, USA
December 2016
The open-call winner announcement during Art Basel Miami
Ushuaia, Argentina
March 2016
Press conference before the start of the expedition
Ushuaia, Argentina
March 27, 2017
Start of the 1st Antarctic Biennale Expedition
Paris, France
April 2017
Press conference about the results of the expedition
The Antarctic Biennale Expedition will bring together approximately 100 participants — artists, researchers, and visionaries from all over the world — to explore and to think about a universal cultural future for Antarctica as a model of other ‘shared spaces’ as Ocean and Outer Space.
The art expedition will start in Ushuaia, the southernmost city of our planet, where approximately 100 participants will board the Akademik Ioffe research ship.
Alexander Ponomarev says that for this hundred the journey will be ‘a revolution that changes the vector.
‘Instead of the usual national pavilions — the icy inaccessibility of the Antarctic continent. Instead of pompous apartments — ascetic cabins. Instead of the chaotic creative wanderings —a conjunction with the Great Nature and explosion of consciousness through the dialogues with scientists, futurists, and technological visionaries.’
Each passenger will have a chance to take part in discussions, poetry, and philosophy workshops as well as to start designing the future in the Antarctic Biennale Vision club.
But the most important thing is that each expedition member will be an eyewitness and contributor to the art-making process.
Since its inception, the biennale organization has been active internationally. Central to the festival’s development strategy is its multi-dimensional interface with the audiences and structures of the global artworld. In advance of the biennale’s inaugural edition in the South Polar Region, Commissioner Alexander Ponomarev established a permanent ‘base’ for programming in Venice, Italy. The exhibitions that have since occurred at The Antarctic Pavilion set the intellectual and aesthetic tone for the expeditions to come. In addition, the establishment of the Antarctic Biennale Vision Building Club constitutes an interface with academics from various fields, with a series of symposia planned worldwide.
Learn moreCatalogue
World-famous architects (Zaha Hadid, Hugh Broughton, Alexey Kozyr, and others) presented both speculative and realistic architectural projects for Antarctica.
Catalogue
The basis for this project was the idea of Salvation, as developed by the artist for many years, and of Concordia between people and nations.
Download the complete project overview of the Antarctic Biennale. This document details our mission, structure, program outline, team profiles, and partnership opportunities. For those interested in becoming a partner institution, a patron, or corporate sponsor, this is the best place to start.
Download