René Block appointed Chief curator for the third edition of the Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art

Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA) is delighted to announce the appointment of René Block as chief curator for the third edition, RIBOCA3, running from 15 July-2 October 2022 in Riga, Latvia. Further details on the curatorial concept to be announced later this year.

The third edition follows RIBOCA2, which was realized as both a physical exhibition and a feature film—premiering in Autumn 2021. The latter was produced as a direct response to, and product of, the global pandemic. RIBOCA3 expands on this global perspective; taking the rich history of the Baltic states as its foundation, it highlights artists from the wider region, whilst inviting international artists to engage with its cultural, historical and socio-political context.

One of Germany's leading art world figures, Block has worked as an independent curator for over fifty years. His established career includes holding the positions of director of the Kunsthalle Fridericianum in Kassel, and curator for numerous international biennials, including Belgrade October Salon (2006), Gwangju (2000), Istanbul (1995) and Sydney (1990). In 2008 he co-founded the Kunsthalle 44 Møen in Denmark and continues to operate as its artistic director. RIBOCA3 will be his most ambitious project of the last fifteen years.

Working alongside Block, Nico Anklam will act as associate curator for RIBOCA3. Anklam was recently appointed as director of the Kunsthalle Recklinghausen and Recklingausen’s museums in Germany and has previously curated at Block’s Kunsthal 44 Møen. Nico Anklam will also develop the public program for RIBOCA3.

Nico Anklam has published widely on conceptual and Fluxus-related art practices and has lectured at the Berlin University of the Arts, Humboldt University, Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art in Norway and the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. Anklam holds a PhD that discusses the visual invention of the Northern landscape during the 1800s and has curated for René Block’s Kunsthal 44 Møen in Denmark. He has realized further exhibition projects at institutions and spaces like the Rietveld Pavilion in Amsterdam, YEARS in Copenhagen, and the Malmö Art Academy.
 Share: