TIAMSA Live Book Discussion No. 5 – Paco Barragán, “From Roman Feria to Global Art Fair, From Olympia Festival to Neo-Liberal Biennial: On the ‘Biennialization’ of Art Fairs and the ‘Fairization’ of Biennials” (Online; 20 Jan 2022, 6.30pm CET)


TIAMSA is pleased to announce its fifth book discussion – From Roman Feria to Global Art Fair, From Olympia Festival to Neo-liberal Biennial: On the ‘Biennialization’ of Art Fairs and the ‘Fairization’ of Biennials. Author Paco Barragán will discuss his book, followed by a conversation with Marta Perez Ibañez (Universidad Francisco de Vitoria) and Clarissa Ricci (Università di Bologna).

As usual, the event will be moderated by Kim Oosterlinck (Université libre de Bruxelles). All attendants will be invited to join the discussion!

Please RSVP to inna.schill@artmarketstudies.org.

About the book

From Roman Feria to Global Art Fair, From Olympia Festival to Neo-liberal Biennial: On the ‘Biennialization’ of Art Fairs and the ‘Fairization’ of Biennials constitutes an essential and much-needed book with relevant historical, social, economic and art historical information about the genealogy of art fairs and biennials from ancient Greece and Rome to contemporaneity. Paco Barragán’s ambitious and profound research sheds new light on the origins and typologies of both art fairs and biennials and the contradictory phenomena of the ‘biennialization’ of art fairs and the ‘fairization’ of biennials in the twenty-first century. The book is further complemented with a series of charts and timelines that provide clear, easy access to the information and Pablo Helguera’s artoons function as a kind of poignant and witty ‘New Institutionalism.’

About the author

Paco Barragán, International PhD, 2020 (Universidad de Salamanca), he directed the art fairs CIRCA Puerto Rico and PhotoMiami (2004-2007), after which he authored The Art Fair Age (2008, CHARTA). He was co-curator of the Prague Biennale—IBCA (2005), La Bienal de Lanzarote (2008) and Toronto’s Nuit Blanche (2016). Between 2015 and 2017 he was the Head of Visual Arts of Matucana 100 in Santiago de Chile.

Praise for the book

Paco Barragán’s new book From Roman Feria to Global Art Fair, From Olympia Festival to Neo-Liberal Biennial provides great food for thought, historical awareness, and analysis in a time of much needed self-criticism and reappraisal of these art events looking for new directions.

GERHARD HAUPT, Editor-in-Chief Universes-in-Universe

“This book paints a refreshing and truly global picture on the world of biennials and art fairs as well as offering a valid alternative to the generally accepted narrative by the mainstream.”

MICHELE ROBECCHI, art critic and Editor Phaidon Press

“The book struck us for the extensive research behind it” […] it appears to be one those monographs which will have to appear in every scholar researching biennials”.

CHRISTIAN OXENIUS, Content Manager, International Biennial Association (IBA)

TIAMSA members receive a discount of 30% from the regular sales price of $29,99= $19,99 (plus postage)

https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Roman-Feria-Global-Art-Fair-Olympia/31050913935/bd