VI Baltic Contemporary Art Biennale

The Baltic Contemporary Art Biennale is an ongoing project, organized in Szczecin under the auspices of the UBC Commission on Culture. Since its debut in 1995, each edition presents international artists, performers and musicians, exploring the newest trends in contemporary visual arts and the way art functions within society.

Each exhibition is devoted to a particular topic, a curatorial practice enables organizers to achieve coherence of content and form. Thanks to the wide network of contacts established through MARE ARTICUM - the Baltic Art Magazine that is published by the National Museum in Szczecin - the professionals that act as contributing editors to the magazine recommend participants from around the region, who are selected based on the artistic merit of their work as it relates to the theme being undertaken.

The sixth edition of the Biennale, entitled HABITAT, will feature an exhibition that runs for two months in Szczecin and includes screenings, lectures, concerts and publications. HABITAT literally means the social environment and the way it is organized. And for most Europeans, their habitat is an urban one. HABITAT will present works in all media that focus on urbanization and the social, political and cultural context of urban processes, as well as the problems generated by them. The theme will be addressed from a variety of perspectives - from the individual, private, intimate surroundings to the modes of participation in, and creation of, public spaces. Accompanying screenings and lectures are being produced in cooperation with Szczecin University. While the Musica Genera Association, a local group, is arranging concerts for the opening weekend of the event. Lectures and screenings will feature sociologists, ethicists, architects, artists and curators who, in their research and practice, focus on the organization of social space in its material (architecture/planning) and spiritual (values/beliefs) aspects. The concert program will present experimental music inspired by the technological aspects of urban development. A detailed calendar of events will be available shortly. We welcome visitors to Szczecin, for the opening of HABITAT exhibition on 9 December 2005.