Andrés Jaque Named Chief Curator Of 2020 Shanghai Biennale
By Ophelia Lai
The Power Station of Art (PSA) in Shanghai has tapped architect and curator Andrés Jaque to helm the 13th edition of the Shanghai Biennale, slated to open at the institution on November 13, 2020.
Born in Madrid in 1971, Jaque completed his doctorate in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and currently serves as the director of the Advanced Architectural Design Program at New York’s Columbia University. In 2013, he founded the New York- and Madrid-based architecture and design agency Office for Political Innovation (OFFPOLINN), which has garnered numerous accolades for its multidisciplinary projects. Under Jaque's leadership, OFFPOLINN's movable structure COSMO (2015) won the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program competition. Sales Oddity. Milano 2 and the Politics of Direct-To-Home TV Urbanism (2014), an installation exploring the rise of cable television in Milan's outskirts, earned the Silver Lion for Best Research Project at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2016, Jaque was honored with the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Art and Architecture, conferred by the Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna.
Jaque’s appointment as chief curator of the upcoming Shanghai Biennale was made in consultation with the PSA Academic Committee and the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism. In the press release, the PSA Academic Committee noted that Jaque “excels at establishing connections between art and the public through his frequent interdisciplinary collaborations with artists, scientists, architects, historians, ecologists, and other like-minded individuals.”
Jaque remarked of his vision for the forthcoming edition: “It will be my priority that the city of Shanghai is not only a venue but also a fundamental actor in the discourse, content, and experience of the Shanghai Biennale.”
The theme of the 13th Shanghai Biennale will be released in January.
Ophelia Lai is ArtAsiaPacific’s associate editor.
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