Converge 45 Reveals the Artist List for Its 2023 Biennial, Titled “Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship”
Converge 45, the Portland-based, nonprofit arts organization, has revealed the artist list for the upcoming edition of its biennial program, which is titled Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship. Opening August 24, 2023, the citywide exhibition will showcase the creations of more than 50 artists and artist collectives.
Organized by writer and curator Christian Viveros-Fauné, Social Forms focuses on contemporary and historical artworks alike that captured the zeitgeist. The goal of the exhibition is to not only celebrate great art, but to promote increased citizenship.
“There are several ideas behind the show,” Viveros-Fauné stated in a press release. “Firstly, we want to reflect the many ways artists are working to understand the present moment. Second, we believe it’s important to place these artists and their works in conversation with examples of art-as-a-social-form from the 1960s onward. Lastly, Converge 45 and its partners want to locate Portland front and center as an imperfect but progressive American city where the era’s principal themes can be uniquely addressed through forward-looking cultural production.”
Many of the artists featured in Converge 45′s biennial are exhibiting significant new creations. Marie Watt, an acclaimed artist and member of the Seneca Nation, will display a new public artwork for the city of Portland. (Ja:göh)
A full list of the artists featured in the exhibition is available HERE.
The artists participating in Social Forms represent a range of practices and media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, textile, printmaking, installation, sound and film, as well as projects that emphasize collaboration with local communities and cultural organizations. Audiences can expect an array of solo and group presentations which unite local, national, and international creative perspectives to examine themes of ecological degradation, indigeneity, displacement, race and representation, migration, and intergenerational dialogues.
