Sue Jones is brimming with enthusiasm about this year’s Biennale. ‘For me everything is a highlight!’ she offers, when asked the politically charged question of what artworks she is most excited about.
“Our major new commissions are something that we’re really proud of – you can see them all the way through the festival […] We’re interested in the emerging artists making work that’s exciting, at the very cutting edge of what is happening at the moment.’’
Jones, who has led the bi-annual arts festival since 2006, heads up a curation team including Emma Leach – a writer and performance artist, and Gareth Evans, who is Adjunct Film Curator at Whitechapel Gallery.
The work that best represents this theme is perhaps Sarah Wood’s Boat People – a film essay that explores this question of whether homelessness is the ‘destiny of the world’. Wood beat 344 other artists to secure the commission, and the 20-minute film will be projected on loop in the harbour.
Says Jones: Without being heavy handed, this also relates to where we are in Whitstable – on the coast in Kent, closest to the European mainland […] Local authorities are under real pressure with the number of people arriving here and [in particular] the number of children. We wanted to reflect upon that in the programme.’
Whitstable 2016 Biennial takes place in the town of Whitstable, Kent from 3rd to the 12th June. For full programme of events visit here.