Laughing in the face of…
23. Gabrovo Biennial
Call for submissions
At a time when the news sound like jokes, humour might well be the best response to reality. Subversive, troubling or liberating, it has played an essential role in art since the time of the avant-garde. ‘Laughing in the face…’ stands for an attitude assumed for purposes as diverse as survival, critical commentary and protest.
The Biennial was launched in 1973 in Gabrovo, Bulgaria and in that time humour was the only excuse to present contemporary art work from both sides of the Iron Curtain. It is organized by the Museum of Humour and Satire and to date is the only international art forum showcasing the use of humour in contemporary art. It has two major sections – one for contemporary art and one for cartoon.
In its contemporary art section the Biennial awards:
a Grand Prize, Golden Aesop, 2500 euro
a prize for young artist, 1500 euro
and a special prize of 1500 euro
In the face of what do we laugh today? Fear, crisis, adversity, the status quo, … – artists are invited to complete the phrase and make their statement by addressing today’s social, economic, political, and cultural problems and challenges.
Submissions are made online by 12 March 2017.
The Biennial opens on the 19th of May and runs until 30 September 2017.
