Kennedy, B., 2013.

Pavilioning Manchester: boundaries of the local, national and global at the Asia Triennial

Responding specifically to the Asia Triennial Manchester
(established in 2008), this article locates the triennial's title
theme of 'Asia' within the historical and cultural locale of
the city of Manchester, and considers the conceptualisation
of categories such as exhibition, festival, pavilion, city and
continent, and divisions of 'east' and 'west' within this cultural
landscape. It offers some alternative approaches to the
presentation of so-called global artworks in the local spaces
of galleries and pavilions, evaluating the international
tri/biennial in relation to market forces and notions of
nationhood and authorship. Two case studies - the Asia
Triennial Manchester of 2008 and 2011 - highlight
processes of categorisation and the difficulties these present
for participating artists, explored from the perspective of
the author's own involvement as an academic and curator.
The article compares approaches taken by curators at
other such art events in Istanbul, Gwangju and Singapore,
in order to interrogate the place of such large scale festivals
within global cities, and to consider how to represent art
from different nations, with or without using pavilions. Finally,
suggestions are made as to how this background of analysis
may assist in envisioning the potential creative format for
Asia Triennial Manchester 2014.