Intensity, experimentation, and visceral presence were the hallmarks of 13 significant one-person installations – some of them newly commissioned, all of them never-before seen in the U.S. – that constituted SITE SANTA FE’s Sixth International Biennial. Ottmann’s exhibition both concentrated and amplified these singular works, empowering them to speak for themselves without the common filter of a prescriptive curatorial theme. As Ottmann explained, “I want this Biennial to be about the artists, not about the curator.” Ottmann envisioned a bold concept for this timely, groundbreaking Biennial. Eager to steer away from the now ubiquitous mega-biennials, he dramatically reduced the quantity of artists to 13 and the exhibition to approximately 40 works. Each artist had separate rooms, designed to encourage as well as seduce their audiences with a purer, unmediated experience. The exhibition covered the full spectrum of contemporary art media and comprised photography, installation, painting, performance art, soundscapes, sculpture, and video. All the work was new, and four artists were commissioned to create works expressly for the Biennial

Exhibited Artists:
Mirosław Bałka
Jennifer Bartlett
Patty Chang
Stephen Dean
Peter Doig
Robert Grosvenor
Cristina Iglesias
Wolfgang Laib
Jonathan Meese
Wangechi Mutu
Carsten Nicolai
Catherine Opie
Thorns Ltd.

Curator:
Klaus Ottmann