Volume 13 Issue 1 » 49
Since its creation, Biennale has featured
91 outdoor sculptures and new media
works by 78 participating artists from 25
countries and four continents.
Along the way, Mowatt left his gallery to
focus the Biennale on establishing strong
municipal partnerships, alliances with other
arts organizations, international biennales,
curators, auction houses and media. He
wanted to extend the Biennale’s audience
and impact globally. Funded through
grants and sponsorships, gifts in-kind,
philanthropic donations and supplemented
by the sale of art, the Biennale has
facilitated the acquisition of over $3
million worth of public art donated to
host cities. This legacy is exemplified in the
“only public art installation in the country
nominated as one of the Great Places in
Canada, the iconic A-maze-ing Laughter”
in Morton Park by Yue Minjun of China.
Another example is the whimsical Jasper,
across from the Listel Hotel on Robson
Street by New York artist John Clement.
Vancouver Biennale is unique in crossing
multiple disciplines, featuring sculpture,
new media, film, music, and performance.
It literally transforms Vancouver’s urban
landscape into an Open Air Museum.
The most recent work, WOW
Westminster, is the largest public art
installation of the 2014-2016 Vancouver
Biennale. Now the dominant view along
the Fraser River and from the bridges
at Westminster Pier Park in New
Westminster, the 140-foot installation
is comprised of four 40-foot shipping
containers precariously cantilevered to
form a towering ‘W.’ It is designed by
Brazilian artist José Resende.
Marcello Dantas, the Biennale’s senior
curator, is credited with choosing the
site and Resende. He says, “WOW
Westminster is not only an interpretation
of the economic activity of the Fraser, it’s
about capturing the energy and history of
this transportation hub, the transformation
of the City of New Westminster and its
waterfront into a recreational arts and
cultural playground.”
Sure to resonate with car enthusiasts,
Trans Am Totem by Vancouver artist