Silva, Ana Luísa dos Santos Diniz daChinnappa, Nidhi2021-06-012021-06-012021-01-152020http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/33407The exhibitionary complex in the 21st century is continually transforming due to the global shifts in the contemporary art market. As a consequence, contemporary art biennials have transformed and proliferated into self-appointed institutions in every other city around the world. This report corresponds to a four-month internship experience at the European Cultural Centre in Venice during the 58th Biennale di Venezia, starting from September 2019 to December 2019. The aim of this report is to critically question and investigate the nature of large-scale temporal exhibitions, specifically in light of their proliferating complexities. This internship report intends to make an analysis using two case studies, the Venice Biennale which will serve as a theoretical study and the European Cultural Centre as a practical experience. A critical analysis of the Venice Biennale, arguably the oldest and most prestigious biennial alongside the European Cultural Centre’s art biennial Personal Structures, a young and alternative exhibition platform, provides a measure in weighing the commercial grandeur of the big art event against the biennial platform as a space for presenting something new where art and their producers are elevated. To do so, this report will consider the contemporary art biennial format, the curatorial positionings, the challenges of presenting and representing the global exhibitionary form and the questions in wake of the proliferation of art biennial at large. Ultimately, the questions articulated in this study are intrinsically linked to a single argument, the future direction of contemporary art biennials. Consequently, the purpose of this report is to meaningfully contribute to the biennial debate by encouraging and opening discussion where the cultural, social and economic factors can be further explored through the lens of Culture Studies. Finally, for biennials established, new and forthcoming this report will highlight important conditions to examine.engContemporary Art BiennialsVenice BiennaleThe curatorialGlobalisationExhibition formatsProliferationEuropean Cultural Centremaster thesis202723879