LONDON.- Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture will present the first Brent Biennial taking place in public spaces, libraries and streets across the Borough, running from 19 September – 13 December 2020.

The programme includes 23 new commissions and projects that will be presented in locations across the Borough and features international and Brent based artists. The featured artists are:

Pio Abad (lives and works in London): Kilburn High Road • Barby Asante (lives and works in London): Gatherings online and in Brent • Rasheed Araeen (lives and works in London): The Library at Willesden Green • Ruth Beale (lives and works in London): Kilburn Library • David Blandy (Grew up in Brent. Lives and works in Brighton and London): Harlesden Library Plus • Helen Delany and Brenda Aherne: Electronic Sheep (live and work in Brent): Kilburn • Adam Farah (lives and works in London): Screening and distributed across the Borough • Lucy Fine (lives and works in Brent): Online and across the Borough

FOR NOW For House of Life (lives and work in London): Willesden Jewish Cemetery • Carl Gabriel (lives and works in London): Preston Community Library • Avant Gardening (live and work in London): Barham Park Library • Brian Griffiths (lives and works in London): Cricklewood Library • Jaykoe (lives and works in Brent): The Library at Willesden Green • Dawn Mellor (lives and works in London): Kingsbury Library and High Road • Dan Mitchell (lives and works in London): Wembley Library • Yasmin Nicholas (lives and works in Brent): Across the borough • The October Anthropologist & Abäke (live and work in Brent): Two Doors Down, Willesden Green • Paul Purgas (lives and works in London): Camden Art Centre • Imran Qureshi (lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan): Ealing Road Library • John Rogers (lives and works in London): Kensal Rise Library • Dhelia Snoussi (lives and works in London): Kilburn • Jude Wacks (lives and works in Brent): Online • Abbas Zahedi (lives and works in London): Across the Borough

A team of curators and producers have worked with Lois Stonock, Artistic Director of Brent 2020, to develop a programme that explores and highlights Brent’s history, cultures, and people, spanning sculpture, installation, murals, film, and performance.

Lois Stonock, Artist Director of Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture, said: “We’ve created the Brent Biennial as a platform for the visual arts in Brent that can develop over the coming years and as one of the legacies of Brent 2020. Brent’s creativity lies in its communities, in the streets and its civic spaces. We see the Biennial as an opportunity to shine a light on the rich stories, ideas and voices that reside in the borough and also a unique context for artists outside of the borough to work in. Our hope is it reflects the true diversity of London with all its energy and talent, and shows how art can be part of our everyday lives.”




Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “Our city is overflowing with creativity, and public art is a fantastic way to showcase it. Brent Biennial will give artists a public canvas and bring the stories of our local communities to life. It will create a lasting legacy for the borough and is a great example of why the Mayor created the London Borough of Culture.”

Community and council libraries have collaborated with 10 artists to present new commissions, including an interactive sculpture by Rasheed Araeen at The Library at Willesden Green, a parallel lending library of selected books paired with sculptures by Brian Griffiths at Cricklewood Library, and a large-scale twisted paper installation by Imran Qureshi at Ealing Road Library.

Supported by Art Fund, new commissions by Barby Asante, Adam Farah, Yasmin Nicolas, Dhelia Snoussi and Abbas Zahedi explore personal and collective stories that have shaped Brent’s identity as a place where self-organising is intimately linked to care, community building, and resistance. Events and artworks will centre on the relevance and connection of histories through performance, conversation and film.

The programme features ambitious co-commissions with leading arts organisations: Camden Art Centre (Paul Purgas); CREATE London (Pio Abad); LUX (Adam Farah), Studio Voltaire and CREATE London (Dawn Mellor).

2020 Culture Fund artists Helen Delany and Brenda Aherne: Electronic Sheep, Lucy Fine, FOR NOW for House of Life, Jaykoe: The October Anthropologist & Abäke, and Jude Wacks will showcase new work and projects.

Additionally, Culture Fund programmes and events presented by ActionSpace, AiR, INANIMATORZ and Crisis will take place, highlighting their work with artists and communities in Brent.

Guided walking tours will be held during the 12 weeks of the Biennial, as well as a public programme of artist talks and workshops, some presented in partnership with ArtReview. An illustrated guide will be available to visitors to download from the Brent 2020 website, or to pick up from venues during the Biennial.