Athens Biennale 2021: ECLIPSE

Does life imitate art? Or art imitate life? The 7th Athens Biennale – ECLIPSE – was hatched pre-Covid-19 as a bid to grasp the fleeting and ominous signs of an imminent era of agony. What was being devised as a metaphor; an omen, has now come to pass. The role of art, now more than ever, is to stay relevant and speak to our need for analysis and release. To pose alternative answers to our existential and socio-political dilemmas.

Amid our stark reality, the international artists of the 7th Athens Biennale put their heads together to transmute this new world into artistic expression. One year later than initially planned, the show - it seems - will go on. 

Presenting more than 80 artists from North and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe, the 7th Athens Biennale will delve into the issues of identity, history and cultural complexity that constantly shapeshift our experience and perspective and illuminate potential parallel worlds.

Expect to witness contemporary black and queer narratives conversing with primitive incantations and myths, astral readings, and radical healing practices. Let fear, surprise, humour and irony guide us beyond moments of absolute darkness.

The Athens Biennale has always had a reputation for shaking up notions of what contemporary art is and how (and where) it should be exhibited. This year, it's primed to be far more than an exhibition. The 2021 edition will be a snapshot of life in the shadows.