Both the exhibition, simultaneously a contest, organized at the National Art Museum of the Republic of Moldova, and the events in the framework of the current Biennial, like the International Conference, with the generic „Current, international aesthetic tendencies of contemporary art”, and the two personal exhibitions of previous edition (2017) winners, Igor Svirnei (Moldova) grand prix laureate, and Agneszka Zawisza (Poland) winner of First Prize, which will be held at the „Constantin Brâncuși”, International Exhibition Centre, confer an open space for intercultural communication and endorse the cultural discourse of artists from different countries and generations.

The editions previously unfolded, have gradually established, rigorous selection requirements, attracting, as a result, artists with rich professional experiences, from all over the globe. We welcome this dynamic, and remain convinced that in the future, we will be able to engage with an even greater amount of artistic presence, which will reflect, extensively and objectively, upon the current artistic tendencies of the contemporary pictorial universe.

The sixth edition of the BIP Chișinău - 2019, organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova, takes place, just like the previous edition, in the exhibition spaces of the National Art Museum of Moldova and brings together 145 paintings of artists from 27 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, USA, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, with over 152 works exhibited.

This year’s pre-selection offer was as generous as in previous editions, but unfortunately, the exhibition space of the museum, due to restoration works initiated in a major sector of the headquarters, imposed a reduction in the number of participants. At the same time, a more rigorous selection of the works admitted in the contest can be noted.

The museum spaces are regarded as classical, official institutions, and sometimes they are less appreciated, especially by artists of the younger generation, but we will continue to support the contemporary artistic approach of contemporary creators. Thus, we will try to ensure a broader communication venue for the public interested in contemporary art. And this time we have tried to attract and support the consecration of as many young artists as possible, who have the ability to synchronize with current aesthetic trends, discovering new means of artistic expression, consistent with transformations taking place in society. Young people who already contribute to the creation of an innovative environment of artistic visions, who have managed to create a certain artistic individuality, are eager to exhibit in any public space alongside established artists. Evidence is the selected works of the group of young artists, graduates of the National University of Arts in Bucharest, whose works can be distinguished, in a significant way, from the vast majority of the creations in the exhibition, through aesthetic approaches oriented towards the artistic experiment. For these reasons, the present exhibition was conceived in the form of compartments that maintain the common framework of artists’ groups representing different principles and artistic concepts, both innovative, and based on traditional artistic processes. This form of exhibition attempts to ensure a better coherence and cohesion of the pictorial language elements and individual styles in the general context of the exhibition. At the same time, aesthetic polarizations must be seen as a creative experience based on democratic principles, where freedom of artistic vision can mark the personality of each creator. In this respect, a wide range of works by artists from different countries were admitted in the contest, with distinctive stylistic visions and options, representing the dynamics of the contemporary aesthetic space.

This year also highlights the numerous and qualitative presence of innovative artists from Romania. Along with already popular names representing Romania (Corneliu Vasilescu, Florin Ciubotaru, Petru Lucaci, Vasile Tolan, Liviu Suhar etc.), a series of artists from the younger generation (Lucian Hrisav, Radu Pandele Barbu, Laurian Popa, Razvan Boar, Gili Mocanu, etc) will be present as well, with the jury recognizing their high standing in the event. Of the seven awards, four were awarded to Romanian artists (Lucian Hrisav, Ileana Ștefănescu, Daniela Grapă, Vasile Rață).

For the first time at the Biennial we organized an international conference entitled “Aesthetic Trends of Contemporary Art in the International Context”, where aesthetic approaches of exhibiting artists can be debated, where participants from different countries will have an open dialogue in the context of the evolution of contemporary art.

In the current edition of the Biennial, according to the schedule, at the “Constantin Brâncuși” Exhibition Center of the Artists’ Union from the Republic of Moldova, two remarkable award winners of the 2017 edition are exhibited. Igor Svernei (Republic of Moldova), the Grand Prize winner and Agnieszka Zawisza (Poland), winner of the First Prize. Both exhibitors, with distinct artistic visions, enjoy appreciation and a real success in context of public developments in recent years. The organization of the Polish artist’s exhibition was possible due to the direct involvement and support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest, with which the museum has a successful collaboration and for that we express our complete gratitude.

At the same time, we express our gratitude, for the permanent support and contribution, to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research for the organization of the event, the Culture Department of the Chișinău City Hall, the Romanian Cultural Institute and the Sturza Family Foundation, the one that supports our event unconditionally since the first edition. Our acknowledgment goes to the permanent partner of the National Art Museum of Moldova, Mobiasbancă - Groupe Société Générale, to all those who have given us the necessary support for the realization of this project, which is the most important international event in the art field in the Republic of Moldova, an event which, over ten years after its founding, has created numerous international communication platforms and will maintain permanent relationships with various cultural institutions which will further the initiation of direct contacts between artists and create optimum conditions for new perspectives and various forms of international collaboration.