Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, will be joining the first ever Antarctic Biennale – a creative journey that will bring together artists, scientists and technology visionaries from all over the world, to explore and create a universal cultural future for Antarctica.
Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, will be joining the first ever Antarctic Biennale – a creative journey that will bring together artists, scientists and technology visionaries from all over the world, to explore and create a universal cultural future for Antarctica. Kaspersky Lab actively supports the project, which will take the contributors on a 12-day expedition from Argentina to the Antarctic and back. Each expedition member will be an eyewitness and a contributor to the art-making process.
The art expedition under UNESCO’s patronage will start on March 16, 2017 in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, where the participants will board the research ship ‘Akademik Ioffe’. During landings at various Antarctic locations, artists will temporarily install works of art, or engage in performances. Mobility, proportionality to the space, ecological compatibility, artistic expressiveness and conceptual acuity will be the themes of these art objects. All installations created during the expedition will be dismantled and loaded back on the ship, to continue their lives in the world’s leading museums and art centers.
“Antarctica is the last truly free space and a model for the future; and according to the Antarctic Treaty (1959) and related international agreements it is intended exclusively for creative activities and scientific research in the interests of all humanity”, says Alexander Ponomarev, the project’s leader, artist, sailor, and philosopher. “Antarctica is the continent that can encourage people to think about the future of humanity and culture, providing an opportunity to create new ways of seeing life on our planet.”
Among the artists joining the Antarctic Biennale are Tomas Saraceno, Zhang Enli, Lara Favaretto, Matthew Ritchie and Hani Rashid.
Alexander Ponomarev believes that this journey will be “a revolution that changes the vector” because it is “a unique sociocultural phenomenon”. He comments: “Instead of the usual national pavilions, we will face the icy inaccessibility of the Antarctic continent. Instead of pompous apartments, we will reside in ascetic cabins. Instead of the chaotic creative wanderings, we will experience a conjunction with great nature and an explosion of consciousness through dialogue with scientists, futurists, and technology visionaries.”
Commenting on his upcoming journey to Antarctica with the Biennale, Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, said: “We have supported Antarctic expeditions in the past, but this will be the biggest project for us on the continent. I think it will be a fascinating endeavour and I made my decision to support it when I saw the genuine passion from the organisers. The Antarctic is like no other place on earth; it’s a shared continent without borders that’s both beautiful and fragile in its barely inhabitable wilderness. I’ve already been there – and I think it’s a place that provides plenty of inspiration for artistic exploration and expression. I’m really excited to be participating in the expedition, and I’m looking forward to all the art it will produce.”
About the Antarctic Biennale
The Antarctic Biennale is a project initiated by the artist, sailor, and philosopher Alexander Ponomarev, who has conducted several expeditions to Antarctica. Ponomarev has organized more than 100 artistic projects, exhibitions, and events. The Antarctic Biennale aims to create an intercultural and interdisciplinary platform for effective performance and communication in areas with limited resources, as well as social and natural constraints – places at the frontier of humanity. Learn more at www.antarcticbiennale.com.
