The Berlin-based artist Christian Jankowski has been named as the chief curator of Manifesta 11, the European biennial of contemporary art, which will take place in Zurich in 2016.
This is the first time that an artist has taken on this role and Jankowski’s approach promises to explore the wider urban landscape of Switzerland’s largest city. In particular, Manifesta 11 will question the complex and changing nature of this financial centre, which was once a largely rural area.
Jankowski, whose own artwork often involves performative interactions between himself and non-art professionals, was chosen by the Manifesta 11 curatorial selection committee consisting of Manifesta director Hedwig Fijen, along with Gijs van Tuyl, Mirjam Varadinis, Cuauhtemoc Medina, Barbara Basting, Heike Munder, Christoph Doswald and Martin Heller.
“Jankowski will investigate the whole array of art’s authorship, its production and its reflection on Zurich’s professional landscape,” said Fijen. “In doing so, Manifesta 11’s chief curator approaches the complex identities of the city in an unexpected way, reaching out to audiences beyond the inner circle of contemporary art biennials.”
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