Biennial opens at City Hall tonight

After a successful opening of the BNG East Biennial on Saturday evening, the larger section of the exhibition will open tonight at the Bermuda National Gallery, City Hall.

Its theme — A View From The Edge — invited artists to explore “how we transcend restriction or embrace limitation” in the context of island living. 

The question was raised: “In what ways are we both bounded and connected, living in confinement and paradise, experiencing insularity and resilience?” Finally, they were asked how the physical reality of an island informs their identity. 

The Biennial has again invited international jurors from respected art institutions to share their knowledge through lectures, workshops and school visits. The show opens tonight at 5:30pm. This year’s jurors are Amanda Coulson and Isolde Brielmaier: 

• Amanda Coulson is Executive Director at the National Gallery of Bahamas. Her focus in contemporary art is seen through her practices as a curator, art critic and as a co-founder of the VOLTA fair in Basel, Switzerland, and VOLTA NY. Amanda holds a Master’s degree from the Institute of Fine Art, NYU, and started her critical career in various galleries in New York, Paris and London. She has written for a variety of art journals, including Frieze, Frieze d/e. Modern Painters, Contemporary, Lapiz, Art review and ARTnews. 

• Isolde Brielmaier is a New York-based curator, writer and programme consultant, as well as Visiting Professor, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Previously, she was Chief Curator of Exhibitions at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) where she oversaw the curatorial and programming initiatives for the SCAD Museum of Art, and at SCAD’s galleries in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and Hong Kong. Prior to joining SCAD, she maintained a curatorial and consulting practice in New York and served as Visiting Assistant Professor at Vassar College. She has worked at the Guggenheim Museum and the Bronx Museum of Art and has authored many books and essays. She has also developed contemporary art programs and special events for ARCO Contemporary Art Fair in Madrid, Art Chicago, The Armory Show/Volta NY, Krug Champagne and the fashion house Versace. Isolde holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University.