The Biennale was founded in 2016 by 3 individuals - Tao Ruspoli, Lily Johnson White, and Stefan Ashkenazy - who birthed something beautiful, working as three separate entities towards the shared goal of gathering artists and thinkers and humans over the course of weekend to thrive in the strange place that is Bombay Beach. 

 

Like many arts and events organizations, COVID caused the hiatus of the “official” Biennale, but in its wake, the start of a grassroots DIY movement began. Artists started choosing to live in Bombay, some just for the winter season, some for the whole year, not necessarily under the guise of the biennale, but somewhat and necessarily in relation to it. 

 

In 2021, one of the founders - Tao - spearheaded the resurgence of the “official” Biennale, and Dulcinée DeGuere, as a fellow lover of all things renegade & all things Bombay beach, signed on to help bring the “official” Biennale back to life. Stefan and Lily were unable to participate in 2022 given their life circumstances, but supported the grassroots endeavor from afar.

 

And so 2022 became a renegade, DIY, grassroots, bottom-up version of what had previously been something more structured, top-down and hierarchical - it was fitting that our 2022 theme was “questioning hierarchy.”