After a series of new developments in programming and scope, AURORA—the Dallas-based biennial public art exhibition of light, video and sound—announced this week that they will present their fifth edition in November 2018 with a new location, theme and curatorial team.
Quayola: ‘Pleasant Places’, 2016 at AURORA Prelude // Courtesy of AURORA
With over 50,000 visitors attending AURORA’s last biennial event, organizers decided to support its audience growth by debuting a new urban footprint that centers on the iconic I.M. Pei designed Dallas City Hall and stretches throughout downtown Dallas.
In addition to AURORA’s expansion, the organizers have also announced the theme of next year’s exhibition, ‘Future Worlds’: “a forward-looking invitation for artists and visitors alike to imagine a series of possible futures. As large scale, technological advances and environmental and political shifts are presenting us with new historical possibilities, the public will be engaged—through a series of artistic propositions—to think about the direction our world might take and to actively participate in its creation. Whether dystopian or utopian, sci-fi or retro-futuristic, the contributions to AURORA 2018 will aim to open a dialogue about how we collectively envision our Future Worlds.”
Shilpa Gupta: ‘Deep Below the Sky Flows Under Our Feet’, 2016 at AURORA Prelude // Courtesy of AURORA
AURORA 2018’s curated exhibition will present a fresh lineup of local, national and international contemporary artists selected by three reputable guest curators hailing from Dallas, New York and Berlin. Dooeun Choi (Art Director of Da Vinci Creative 2017 and Adjunct Curator of Art Center Nabi), Justine Ludwig (Director of Exhibitions and Senior Curator at Dallas Contemporary) and Nadim Samman (Co-Curator/Founder of Antarctic Biennale and Co-Director of Import Projects Berlin) will curate the 2018 edition, bringing to the event their wealth of knowledge and experience in institution-level public art and international exhibitions.
James Geurts: ‘Periphery’, at AURORA 2015 // Photo by Scogin Mayo, courtesy of AURORA
Since its inception in 2010, when it was founded by Dallas-based artists Shane Pennington and Joshua King, alongside veteran Dallas arts supporter Veletta Forsythe Lill, AURORA has become a city favorite and internationally-recognized art event and it is currently the largest event of its kind in the United States.
