PORTLAND2019 BIENNIAL
August 24 - November 3, 2019 | Oregon Contemporary (formerly Disjecta Contemporary Art Center), Portland, OR
Artists & Projects:
Natalie Ball (Chiloquin, OR) | Adam Bateman (Ashland, OR) | Jovencio de la Paz (Eugene, OR) | Demian DinéYazhi with R.I.S.E (Portland, OR) | Dru Donovan (Portland, OR) | Ka'ila Farrell-Smith (Modoc Point, OR) | Harriet Tubman Center for Expanded Curatorial Practice (Portland, OR) | Sabina Haque (Portland, OR) | Anthony Hudson (Portland, OR) | Garrick Imatani (Portland, OR) | Colin Ives (Eugene, OR) | rubén garcía marrufo (Portland, OR) | Jess Perlitz (Portland, OR) | Vanessa Renwick (Portland, OR) | Sara Siestreem (Portland, OR) | Sharita Towne (Portland, OR) | Lou Watson (Portland, OR) | Lynn Yarne (Portland, OR)
Co-curated with Elisheba Johnson and Ashley Stull Meyers
Overview:
The Portland2019 Biennial presents a survey of work by Oregon-based artists whose practices are rooted in a rigorous approach to socio-political commentary, showcasing diverse perspectives on historical and contemporary narratives unique to the Pacific Northwest. The exhibition focuses on the nuanced thematics of site, diaspora, and the multifaceted histories of the region as told in eighteen projects. These gestures address the continuous migration and erasure of communities from the Oregon landscape and, in some cases, serve as an act of preservation and remembrance for their stories. The exhibition also reflects a layered view of Oregon’s current landscape – observing and commenting on some of the structures and landmarks that populate the state to formative ends. Such objects influence perceptions of the state of Oregon (and the city of Portland) within the country’s pop-cultural imagination and lingering fascination with Manifest Destiny. The selected artists were chosen as those whose current studio practices have been influenced by their relationships to community, landscape, and local politics.
This exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue that includes a curatorial essay and contributions from the artists.
For purchase visit OC’s website.
Press:
Jasmine Jamillah Mahmoud, “Practicing an Immersive, Attentive, and Decolonial Oregon: On the 2019 Portland Biennial,” ASAP/Journal, April 30, 2020
Erin Langner, “A Poignant Tour of a Disappearing Queer Neighborhood in Portland,” Hyperallergic, October 29, 2019
Kyle Cohlmia, “Thoughts on the Portland Biennial By a Recent Portland Transplant,” Art Discourse, October 2019
Laurel Reed Pavic, “The View from Portland2019,” Oregon Arts Watch, September 23, 2019
Cervante Pope, “The Curators of This Year’s Portland Biennial Imagine the Future of Regional Art by Uncovering Oregon’s Past,” Willamette Week, September 4, 2019
Emily Green, “Portland Biennial explores Portland through art,” Street Roots, August 24, 2019
Interview on XRAY FM, August 22, 2019
Jason Vondersmith, “Biennial gets a grip on art,” Portland Tribune, August 22, 2019
Robert Ham, “Disjecta’s Portland 2019 Biennial: North Interstate Love Song,” Portland Mercury, August 15, 2019