KIEV — The first Kiev Biennale opened on Wednesday evening — well, it was supposed to. By press conference time — pushed back from 11am to 4pm — droves of construction workers could still be seen traipsing in and out of the newly renovated Arsenale with scaffolding and electrical equipment.
For his introductory remarks to the exhibition — whose title “The Best of Times the Worst of Times” is taking on added notes of irony with every passing hour — a defeated and exhausted-sounding curator David Elliott began by apologizing to the participating artists and the visitors assembled from as far as New York and Tokyo. “It’s not the way I usually handle things,” he said.
Explaining the lack of organization he continued, “There are things that you can’t plan for: like having to install for 36 hours with minimal electricity and no light. In the Tate Modern or even the Louvre these things tend to cramp your style. Anyway, the body of the show is there.” Kind of. After having to push through security guards to get a look at the exhibition, the first hall — featuring sculptural installations like a series of Louise Bourgeois cells and Ai Weiwei’s “Zodiac Heads” — made Elliott’s supplications seem unnecessary.
However, about a third of the way through the first floor, passing by a trio of bubble-wrapped paintings on the floor, things started to go a bit haywire. Wall markers dropped to the floor and then disappeared altogether. More and more works weren’t hung. Projectors showed blue screens and dancing Samsung and Pioneer logos in place of video art.
Upstairs galleries were even more bleak. Where the first floor may have been 90 percent complete and 24 hours away from being ready for the public, on the upper level about a quarter of the pieces were not ready or not there at all. The organizers needed another 72 hours, at least. During a first circuit of the top floor, art handlers were still working with power drills, running extension cables, and tinkering with audio.
Most alarming yet was what couldn’t be seen. Hidden behind curtains were several rooms where work had been torn out, allegedly due to artists who had pulled their pieces because of this state of affairs. Most prominently, a massive stage for Bill Viola’s “The Raft” (2004) lay empty (it is unconfirmed whether the work was pulled or just not ready).
“It will be remembered (for those involved at least) as a truly dreadful experience,” Tanya Leighton Gallery director Robert Fitzpatrick told ARTINFO. There to assist Aleksandra Domanović with her video contribution to the biennale, he continued, “Major organizational oversights led to one of the most chaotic set-ups I have ever witnessed, with most of the artists, and even some gallerists (me included) having to step in to install their own works. We even had to help David Elliott unwrap several of the works (just hours before the VIP Preview).” Domanović’s piece was finally ready about halfway through the opening event.
One major factor said to be contributing to the chaos was that the Ukrainian government has not yet provided its half of the Biennale’s funding — the other half was provided by corporate sponsors and private individuals. Apparently, the government’s involvement came with the hopes of furthering their goal of joining the European Union. But because of the country's tenuous political situation and allegations of human rights violations against former president Yulia Tymoshenko, those chances look ever more slim — not unlike the Biennale’s.
To see photos of the Kiev Biennale still being installed, click on the slide show.