IBA Conversations: Drafting Guidelines

The 10th General Assembly of the International Biennial Association (IBA) will take place between September 2nd and 7th in collaboration with the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo during the opening days of the 35th Bienal de São Paulo.

In the run up to this year’s gathering, we are happy to announce the return of IBA Conversations with a special series titled Drafting Guidelines. 

This series of online discussions will include three sessions of IBA Conversations in the months leading up to the 10th General Assembly in São Paulo to prepare members for the assembly and help build up the ongoing creation of IBA’s ‘Code of Conduct’ (title to be confirmed). The drafting and approval of this document will be at the core of the program of the 10th General Assembly as it marks a pivotal moment in the history of our association.

The decision to develop such a document, stating a list of best practices IBA wishes its members to strive for, is the result of the collective knowledge gathered through previous discussions between biennial makers which IBA facilitated. It has become apparent during the years that the presence of such a document will allow us to address some of the most relevant questions biennials face throughout the globe while assuring a sustainable future for this model.

Given the sensitive nature of such a document, we believe it will be important for the discussions leading up to its approval to include as many voices from our membership as possible as these can contribute to shaping it in the best possible form to be relevant.

The topics for each session which you can find below (including individual registration links) have been lifted directly from the ‘chapters’ of the draft with a focus on each section. The outcomes of these discussions will help to shape the Focus Groups scheduled to take place at the 10th General Assembly and guide the rest of the overall program with the goal of establishing a written guideline approved by the general assembly in São Paulo.

We remind you that IBA Conversation is an event reserved for our members as we would like discussions to be as open and transparent as possible. If you are not a member and yet would like to participate, please specify in your registration the reason for your interest and your institutional affiliation as exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

Jun 30, 2023: Preamble & Biennials as Communities

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpf-qprDotE92pJrFzBT2x2jqiQpfua74b

The Preamble of IBA’s “Code of Conduct” will serve as a frame for the whole document, highlighting elements which bring biennials together while pointing at fundamental structural differences.

Biennials as Communities gathers the first set of principles IBA strives for our members to adhere to. In recognition of the vital role played by the communities surrounding and rendering biennials possible, we decided to open our “code of conduct” with this subject. This, as much as all other points discussed in this document attempts to lay out a foundation for mutual accountable actions and respectful cooperation between the institution and its wider community.

Jul 19, 2023: Biennials as Sustainable Institutions

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElfuqtpjMuHNS8XqJsGInv1Beoe1JQCTE_

Biennials as Sustainable Institutions, as the second set of principles listed in the “Code of Conduct” is tentatively titled, lays out an idea of biennials as institutions operating within their own means, accountable for their actions socially, environmentally and economically. While some of these elements are limited to a single biennial, by aiming at a sustainable institutional landscape this point also raises questions on the competition v. cooperation principle under which biennials operate.

Aug 16, 2023: Biennials as Listening Institutions

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwuduGsrTgsG9E_mXv2h3OUCo9HCcNH7Wnp

Biennials as Listening Institutions, points the attention towards the ways and proceedures biennials can enact to be/become a space for communities to identify. In particular through a good and transparent communication but also through the care of outreach and educational programs intended as moments of growth for the institution as much as the participants. 

As a reminder, the 10th General Assembly of IBA will be co-hosted by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo. This event and those related to it would not be possible without their support.