Coventry Biennial 2021: HYPER-POSSIBLE
Coventry Biennial returns to Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
To present a significant group exhibition of newly commissioned projects and artworks from studios and galleries, as well as local and national collections.
Grace Ndiritu, Black Beauty: For A Shamanic Cinema, Moving Image, 2020. Courtesy: Grace Ndiritu
The third Coventry Biennial is called HYPER-POSSIBLE, in a reference to the radical nature of Coventry’s history, whilst also signifying a positive way forward following a deeply difficult 2020 and start to 2021. HYPER-POSSIBLE will unfold over 7 exhibition venues across Coventry and Warwickshire from 8 October 2021 until 23 January 2022, with the major exhibition at Herbert Art Gallery & Museum remaining open until 6 February 2022.
HYPER-POSSIBLE takes three moments from the city’s recent (art) history as starting points. From these, local, national and international artists have developed artworks that imagine radical futures: enable new forms of knowledge production, reflect on our relationships to the places that we live, explore the social and political impacts of our identities and the impacts that human activity is having on the planet.
Image features work by John Yeadon, Jacob Epstein and Denzil Forrester
The region-wide HYPER-POSSIBLE will feature the following artists:
…kruse, Ayo Akingbade, Art & Language, Terry Atkinson, Leilah Babirye, Sarah Badr, Nuotama Bodomo, Vanley Burke, Kate Carr, Ryan Christopher, Faye Claridge, Ravi Deepres, Jeremy Deller, Department of Energy, Rupi Dhillon, Laura Dicken, Lamin Fofana, Laura Grace Ford, Denzil Forrester, Rosa Francesca, Georgiou & Tolley, Rob Hamp, Russell Haswell, Amelia Hawk and Helen Kilby Nelson, Jeffrey Charles Henry Peacock, Claudette Johnson, AM Kanngieser, KMRU, Matthew Krishanu, Mamba Negra Collective, Mark Fisher and Justin Barton, Rie Nakajima, Grace Ndiritu, Helen Kilby Nelson, Chris Ofili, The Otolith Group, Keith Piper, Ben Rivers, Luke Routledge, Andy Sargent, Janek Schafer, Simon Scott, Sin Wai Kin, sirenscrossing, Alan Van Wijgerden, melissandre varin, Paul Walde, Duncan Whitley, Jana Winderen, John Yeadon
Ryan Christopher, "The Whole Drama", 2021 Copyright: Ryan Christopher
Ryan Hughes, Artistic Director of Coventry Biennial said:
“Coventry Biennial 2021 seeks to highlight that social, political and critical art in Coventry is, has been and always will be HYPER-POSSIBLE.
“The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum has always performed a vital role for the city’s visual art sector and it is a pleasure to continue our long-standing relationship with the gallery and its team. Our exhibition in the galleries and public spaces around the building bring together artworks from national collections with newly commissioned and co-created projects that explore a range of urgent ideas. We also hope that the Biennial will act as a way for people to reconnect with each other following the painful months of 2020 and 2021.”
Within the wider HYPER-POSSIBLE programme there are opportunities to speak to, eat with and learn new skills with artists, as well as discover hidden parts of the city.
For further information about the Biennial visit: www.coventrybiennial.com
