The 5th Riwaq Biennale in Palestine

Tirdad Zolghadr will be presenting the 5th Riwaq Biennale (RB5) in Palestine, focusing on the distinctive features of it with regards to display, representation and institutional agenda. As a curatorial endeavor, the RB5 polemically sides with the notion of embodiment and enactment as opposed to representation and testimony. For one, the Riwaq Biennale is named after an institution, as opposed to a place and is committed to Riwaq’s – an organization preserving Palestinian collective memory through documentation and restoration of architectural heritage sites across the West Bank and Gaza – approach to revitalizing the historic centers of 50 towns and villages throughout Palestine. For another, the RB5 is spanning an entire two years, during which it is developing an informal educational program and structuring its public events – from drive-in movie theatres to artist retreats to guided tours – as responses to existing programs in Ramallah and beyond.

Tirdad Zolghadr is a curator and writer, currently affiliated with Al Quds Bard College and the International Academy of Art in Ramallah. His writing includes novels, essays and criticism, which have been published, amongst other publications, in frieze, Parkett, Bidoun and Cabinet. His curatorial work includes a number of durational projects and several biennial settings. Zolghadr is currently curator of the 5th Riwaq Biennale, the working title of his third novel is »Headbanger«.