Biennale

In the art world, a biennale (/ˌbiːɛˈnɑːleɪ, -li/ BEE-en-AH-lay, -⁠lee, Italian: [bi.enˈnaːle]; Italian for 'biennial' / 'every other year'), is a large-scale international contemporary art exhibition. The term was popularised by the Venice Biennale, which was first held in 1895, but the concept of such a large scale, and intentionally international event goes back to at least the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. The 1990s saw the boom of art biennials, a period of multiplication of this exhibition form during which art biennials grew from approximately five to over 250 internationally.^[1]

Although typically used to refer to art festivals or exhibitions which occur every two years, the term is not always applied strictly. Since the 1990s, the terms biennale and biennial have both been used to refer to large-scale international survey shows of contemporary art that recur at regular intervals (Documenta is held every five years, and Skulptur Projekte Münster every ten).^[2]

The term has also derived a suffix for other creative events, as in "Berlinale" for the Berlin International Film Festival and "Viennale" for the Vienna International Film Festival, both of which are actually held annually.