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candice breitz

B3 Biennial of the Moving Image

B3 Festival Center, Frankfurt Main
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The B3 attracts moving image artists from 20 countries: many are presenting new work
New: Witnesses and explorers – the B3 as a forum for collectors

The B3 is more attractive than ever before. Over 40 artists from 20 countries have confirmed they will be participating in the feature exhibition “ON DESIRE” alone, and almost a third of them will be presenting world premieres. Furthermore, many works will be on show in Europe or Germany for the first time. Alongside linear and installation moving image works, the exhibition will also showcase 360- degree dome films and immersive VR projects.

“The large number of premieres and the many works produced especially for B3 are evidence that the choice of our theme “ON DESIRE” is spot on. Given the far- reaching political and economic upheavals across the globe, many artists feel called upon to take a clear stance in their art. Moving image and electronic art are topical means of expression for doing so, and the B3 provides the right kind of context,” says HfG President Prof. Bernd Kracke, Artistic Director of B3.

He points out that the B3 universally addresses individual and collective human desires – in ways that range from the philosophical, artistic, and political to the economically relevant and controversial. This is also reflected in the diverse forms of the works shown. Aspects such as individuality, the future, home, freedom are addressed artistically and scientifically, as are love, religion, sexuality and other “visual desires” and obsessions.

The collaboration with renowned collectors of moving image art is new to the format – and quite unique in its nature. The B3 was able to convince important collectors Ingvild Goetz (Germany), Mario von Kelterborn (Germany), Carol Weinbaum (CAN), Manuel de Santaren (USA), Baryn Futa (USA), and Tony Podesta (USA) to engage in an intensive collaboration. In the exhibition they will be showing works from their extensive collections of media art, including works by Marina Abramovic (Serbia), Matthew Barney (USA), Jesper Just (Denmark), Haroun Farocki (Germany) and Julian Rosefeldt (Germany). Ingvild Goetz will be presented with the B3 BEN Lifetime Achievement Award for her pioneering work as a dedicated supporter of time-based art. The collectors will be talking about their passion, which has led them to collect time-based art, at various panel discussions.

“With this new approach we aim to make it clear that moving image art has been supported by dedicated collectors for decades now. They have not only bought artworks but also made productions possible, and time and again have put new artists and their work in the public eye. They are both witnesses and explorers,” as B3 exhibition curator Anita Beckers explaines.

Alongside the previously mentioned international artists, including Jonas Mekas (USA/Lithuania), Douglas Gordon (GB), Federico Solmi (USA/Italy) and Candice Breitz (USA), the feature exhibition also brings together important proponents of current time-based art such as Johan Grimonprez (Belgium), Igor Simic (Serbia), Claire Langan (Ireland), Johannes DeYoung (USA), Larissa Sansour (Palestine), Soren Lind (Denmark), Skawennati (CAN) and Yang Fudong (China). The German art scene is also well represented by the likes of Clemens von Wedemeyer, Joscha Steffens, Geissler/Sann and Johanna Reich.

The B3 feature exhibition takes place on close to 3,000 square meters in the B3 Festival Center. This year, the heart of the B3 will be beating in the center of Frankfurt, on the site of the future high-rise neighborhood FOUR Frankfurt.