World-making as a matter of scales

In this conversation, Ting Tsou and Barbara Lutz discuss the curatorial concept behind the 13th Taipei Biennial, Small World . Held at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum from November 2023 to January 2024, the exhibition explores the connections, isolations and imbalanced scales experienced by “worlds” from diverse geopolitical and cultural backgrounds in the midst and aftermath of the pandemic. The two interlocutors begin by examining the evolution of biennial culture within Taiwan’s art development and political context, tracing the Taipei Biennial’s national objectives since the 1990s and considering the potential mission that Small World might inherit. Drawing on examples of artistic practices presented in the exhibition, they contemplate how the biennial can reflect individual and collective identities beyond the manifestations of globalization and the aspirations of internationalization. They also discuss how Small World , through its curatorial approach, enables various worlds from elsewhere to engage with broader societal narratives. Another focal point of the dialogue is the Music Room—a distinctive public space and programme that emphasizes community, interaction and artistic discourse, highlighting the intimacy and collaboration between artists and audiences. Beginning with the small and expanding across different scales, this biennial challenges conventional notions of the relationship between art and the world.