The World One Minutes exhibition is a demonstration of what artists can do with sixty seconds of absolute freedom.

A book called World One Minutes in video and literature has just been published for the exhibition. Along with an overview of the works shown at the exposition, and a DVD with One Minutes, the book contains literary contributions by such luminaries as Arnon Grunberg and Cees Nooteboom from the Netherlands, the Australian Eliot Perlman, Danish poet Helle Helle and East European writers such as Igor Štiks and Vladimir Arsenijevic. These authors were asked to write a short story or a poem inspired by the concept of The One Minutes. The book was put together by art critic Lucette ter Borg and published by Veenman Publishers, in an edition of 3000 copies. The book will be sold during the exhibition and will be sent in the future to cultural institutions all over the world.

Beijing 2008

The One Minutes foundation in Amsterdam and the Beijing Today Art Museum are pleased to present the World One Minutes exhibition. The best One Minute videos from ninety countries will be projected continuously on the walls of the museum (3000 m2).

Visitors will be able to enjoy about a dozen one-minute videos from each of these countries, the movies being split up among approximately thirty beamers. All together there will be about 1000 One Minutes. Participants range from talented young people to both beginning and established artists. The selection of the best One Minutes was made by The One Minutes foundation in collaboration with curators from the participating countries. Among them are art critics, museum directors, art teachers and, of course, artists.

The World One Minutes exhibition is a demonstration of what artists can do with sixty seconds of absolute freedom. The exhibition opens a window on China and offers a unique opportunity to take a trip around the world — from China to the Netherlands via Alaska and Benin, then via Morocco and Egypt back to Beijing.

The World One Minutes exhibition in Beijing is the first of a series that will continue in Zagreb, Istanbul, Lisbon and São Paulo. It constitutes the beginning of the World One Minutes Biennale, with subsequent events taking place in 2010 and 2012.

The exhibition is included in the city of Beijing’s cultural programme connected with the Olympic Games.

Editor: Lucette ter Borg,

design: Katja van Stiphout