Vancouver Biennale

Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale (French:Biennale Internationale de la Sculpture de Vancouver) is an open-air museum for Contemporary Art in Canada. It is a non-profit charitable organization that mounts a major outdoor sculpture exhibition, biennially. Each exhibition is accessible for a two-year period, featuring international artists, New Media and Performance Art, in the cities of Vancouver, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Squamish and Richmond public spaces The sculpture is in situ and is open to the public 24/7, 365 days a year.

Vancouver Biennale was founded by Barrie Mowatt in 2002. It is now in its third biennial featuring 38 installations from China, Spain, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Korea, India, UK, USA, France, Mexico and Denmark. The first biennial that ran from 2005-2007 was called by the namesake of the charity, Vancouver International Sculpture Biennale. It featured 24 public works of art from 11 countries. The second exhibition with the theme "In-Trans-Ition" concluded in 2011 while the next biennale started in 2014.

Vancouver Biennale has a distinguishing component. It is committed to community outreach through its education program and has been responsible for the implementation of various community-based interactive programs. These include intra-school photo competitions, interactive self-guided tours and a K-Crew detective that enables students to learn more about the sculpture and their locations.

The Vancouver Biennale Legacy Foundation is another component, committed to leaving a legacy of public art in the city by acquiring major pieces of sculpture from each exhibition and offering them to Vancouver and the surrounding area for long-term display. The legacy programme ensures that the city benefits from a legacy of internationally acclaimed works of art for generations to come.

Sculptures proposed to this purpose from the 2009-2011 exhibit were selected based on a ‘Curator’s Choice’ and a ‘People’s Choice’. These choices were submitted to the appropriate municipal department for standard review and consultation.

The 3rd Vancouver Biennale exhibition began in Spring 2014 with a curatorial theme of "Open Borders/Crossroads Vancouver." The 2014 – 2016 participants include globally recognized figures ranging from Ai Weiwei, Vik Muniz, Andy Goldsworthy to Os Gêmeos.

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