Bonavista Biennale
String Games

Any “mainlander” visiting the Bonavista Peninsula will be immediately charmed by the sapphire of the North Atlantic and the vibrant homes that dot its coastline. However, the Bonavista Biennale offers something much deeper than these touristic clichés of Canada’s easternmost province and transcends the region’s colonial legacies.

In recent years, biennales have been questioned for succumbing to platitudes or criticized for their apathy toward ecological and economic crises. During the Bonavista Biennale’s inaugural weekend, Newfoundland was in the midst of one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, and an Air Canada labour conflict left many visitors unsure of when they would be able to fly home. Despite this, there was an urgent sense of togetherness that underlined the event’s opening days. Aptly titled String Games, this edition of the biennale brought together over twenty artists who consider notions of play and connection. With a curatorial framework that equally prioritizes traditional craft and practices in contemporary art, the Bonavista Biennale looks forward and backward. Moving beyond slippery stereotypes of Newfoundland, this festival offers a singular richness strengthened by community hospitality.