WEISS, Rachel et al.
Exhibition Histories: Making Art Global (Part 1). The Third Havana Biennial 1989

This book in Afterall’s “Exhibition Histories” series focuses on the third edition of the Bienal de La Habana, which took place in 1989, and interrogates the ways in which this exhibition extended the global territory of contemporary art and redefined the biennial model.

In the core essay, Rachel Weiss examines the ways in which this exhibition extended the global territory of contemporary art and redefined the biennial model. A key member of the curatorial team, Gerardo Mosquera, contributes a reflection on the project, and its constituent exhibitions and events are documented photographically. The book also includes papers delivered by Geeta Kapur and Mirko Lauer at the Bienal conference and republishes reviews of the Bienal by Coco Fusco and Luis Camnitzer. It opens with an introduction by Charles Esche and brings together recent interviews with participating artists Alex Ángeles, José Bedia, Alfredo Márquez and Lázaro Saavedra. Crucial texts from the time are complemented by vital new material, including 105 colour images and 18 black and white images. [publishers’ note]

Published by Afterall Books, 2011
Art History / Curatorial Studies / Essays