The Kitsch Biennale is an international traveling exhibition spotlighting the finest contemporary representational painting, drawing, and sculpture. Our goal is to promote and support the flourishing renaissance of emotively powerful, skillful, and intellectually challenging work that is being created by brilliant minds and hands today.
Our predecessor, The Kitsch Annuale, opened in Norway in 2004. However, with the establishment of worldwidekitsch.com, the amount of applicants grew swiftly. Receiving submissions from all over the world, it was decided to establish the exhibition abroad. The inaugural Kitsch Biennale was held at Munich`s Pasinger Fabrik in 2008. The KB 2010 at Palazzo Cini at San Vio in Venice, drew more than 5,000 visitors in four weeks.
Our Vision
The painters invited to exhibit have been chosen for their ability to create life on the canvas: their timeless emotional resonance, their mastery of their medium, and their humanist aesthetic philosophy as revealed through their work.
For over a century, these values have been rootless in contemporary art, which generally eschews skill and the timeless universal human experience, and instead, aims to reflect the spirit of the time. These values were not included in the modern concept of art (originally fine art) that was born about 250 years ago. Rejecting technical mastery and sincerity, art represents a break with the values of Ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and Baroque – and not a continuation of them.
Because of this situation, an alternative to art is needed for those who desire creative freedom within the Greco-Roman tradition and the Kitsch Biennale seeks to present a venue for this.
Why the term “kitsch”?
Historically, many groups have successfully adopted derogatory terms originally used to criticize them.Mannerist, Baroque, Impressionist, Fauvist, and even “Queer” have been embraced and molded into positive terms. “Kitsch” is about 150 years old, and has historically been used as a negative term synonymous with “bad” or “tasteless” art. It typically denotes sentimentality and pathos in music, sculpture, and painting.
After the turn of the 20th century, “kitsch” began to be used more theoretically and consequently, became considered the opposite of art. Painters who still wished to paint living skin, were considered reactionary and were dismissed with this term. Notably, even Andrew Wyeth drew this response from art critics. According to Herman Broch: “In art the evil is represented by kitsch”. Thus, kitsch is not even “bad art”, but forms a system of its own.
In 1996, Odd Nerdrum discovered the positive potential for the term. He claimed “kitsch” as a positive superstructure for figurative, non-ironic and narrative painting to which the concept of “kitsch” fits better than “art”. Consequently, hundreds of painters are now identifying themselves with the kitsch movement.
According to the positive view of kitsch:
The eternal perspective is preferable to a contemporary, limited horizon
A “sentimental” or “empathetic” image is no cause for shame (unless badly painted)
Quality is more important than originality
Unlike other biennales, we hope to present a body of work, which combines emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual content in a way that seduces and speaks meaningfully to the viewer. Steering this course today requires a great effort, but this is the nature of aspiring to create a masterpiece, and an equally great effort is necessary to support those who generously make this endeavor.
The Kitsch Biennale will be hosted at several galleries in Chelsea, New York, NY, from October 3, 2013 – November 3, 2013.
Based on past experience we expect extensive media coverage and at least 10,000 visitors.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Richard T Scott
+33 01 39 62 21 92
richardtscottart@gmail.com
www.richardtscottart.com
Fedele Spadafora
917 239-8060
spada47@yahoo.com
www.fedelespadafora.net
Adam Miller
503 891-4307
adam@adammillerart.com
