This cultural challenge, which is of significance today for linking Berlin internationally far beyond the art context, is a highlight in the art scene of the capital city. With their interdisciplinary approach the berlin biennale for contemporary art provides international artists, architects, musicians, choreographers, theatre and film-makers with a platform for the presentation of their works.

Klaus Biesenbach together with Nancy Spector and Hans Ulrich Obrist held the 1st berlin biennale in 1998. More than 70 international artists showed their works for three months most of which had been especially produced for the exhibition. Based on this success the curator of the 2nd berlin biennale, Saskia Bos, was oriented to the key terms "connectedness", "commitment" and "contribution" - thinking in connections, participation and commitment - and therefore succeeded in rejecting egocentric approaches in the art.

The 3rd berlin biennale for contemporary art will be held from 14th February - 18th April 2004 under the art leadership of Ute Meta Bauer. The founding director of the Office for Contemporary Art Norway and Professor for Contemporary Art at the Uni Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna last worked as co-curator for the documenta 11 in the team of Okwui Enwezor.

The structural changes in Berlin since the reunification of Germany are the background for the 3rd berlin biennale. A wide international spectrum of fine arts, urban, film, performative and sonic productions will be presented in the Martin-Gropius building in Berlin Kreuzberg, in the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin-Mitte as well as in the Kino Arsenal cinema at Potsdamer Platz.

Through so-called "Hubs" (analogy for the hub of international airports) the works of the around 50 artists (a list of the artists taking part can be found underhttp://www.berlinbiennale.de/index.php3?sid=bb_02_03)from Europe and the USA will be implemented into the exhibition as freely arranged rooms, providing interactions to the other works exhibited.

Six external "culture producers" will arrange these information rooms, which will examine the five main themes "migration", "urban conditions" , "sonic scapes", "fashions and scenes" and the "other cinema". In the hubs individual problems within the respective main theme will be emphasized by audio-visual searches, in which the selected themes are not only of historical and up-to-date relevance for Berlin but are also part of the everyday reality of the "Berlin" myth.

Project framework: February - April 2004

Project venue: at various places in Berlin

Project partner: 3. berlin biennale for contemporary art, Berlin