Taipei Biennial 2025 Explores Yearning as Creative Drive.

4 hours ago7 min read

The Taipei Biennial 2025, curated by the formidable duo Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, is poised to become a landmark event with its theme, 'Whispers on the Horizon,' a poetic and profound exploration of yearning as the fundamental engine of creativity. This isn't merely another exhibition; it's a meticulously crafted narrative that weaves contemporary artistic visions with approximately thirty pivotal pieces from the Taipei Fine Arts Museum’s own collection, creating a dialogue across time that feels both urgent and timeless.Bardaouil and Fellrath, whose curatorial partnership has consistently redefined institutional critique through shows like 'Ways of Seeing' at the Gropius Bau, are masters of thematic depth, and here they frame yearning not as a passive state of longing but as an active, generative force—the quiet tension that exists between memory and potential, between what is and what could be. This conceptual framework allows for a stunningly diverse presentation, where a haunting video installation by a young Taiwanese artist might converse with a seminal 1980s painting from the museum's vaults, each piece a testament to the ache for connection, for homeland, for a different political reality, or for a purely formal artistic breakthrough.The inclusion of historical works is a particularly brilliant stroke, preventing the biennial from floating in a detached, contemporary ether and instead grounding its explorations in the specific cultural and political soil of Taipei itself, a city whose own identity is perpetually shaped by layers of historical yearning. One can imagine walking through the galleries and feeling the cumulative weight of these artistic whispers—the subtle brushstroke that seeks to capture a fading dream, the aggressive sculptural form that yearns to break its material constraints, the digital avatar that longs for corporeal existence.This curatorial approach elevates the entire event beyond a simple survey of current trends, transforming it into a critical commentary on the role of art in a world saturated with both hyper-connectivity and profound isolation. The biennial becomes a space where the personal and the political collide, where an artist's intimate desire resonates with a collective, societal aspiration, making 'Whispers on the Horizon' not just a title but a guiding principle for experiencing art that is restless, ambitious, and deeply, quintessentially human.

#featured

#Taipei Biennial 2025

#contemporary art

#museum collection

#Sam Bardaouil

#Till Fellrath

#Whispers on the Horizon

#art curation

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