English Learning: Global Art Biennale 2025

Dialogue

Alice: Bob, guess what just popped up on my feed!

Bob: Alice, if it’s another cat video, I swear I’m going to unfollow you.

Alice: Even better! The Global Art Biennale 2025 dates just dropped!

Bob: No way! Already? I thought we had more time to mentally prepare for the ‘what even *is* that?’ phase.

Alice: Exactly! Remember that installation last time that looked suspiciously like a giant pile of forgotten laundry?

Bob: Oh, the ‘Existential Socks of Our Times’ piece? Groundbreaking. Or just… dirty. Hard to tell.

Alice: And then there was the performance art where a guy just stared at a wall for three hours.

Bob: I related to that on a spiritual level, actually. Felt like a typical Tuesday morning at my desk.

Alice: This year, I’m hoping for something a little less… interpretive, and a little more ‘wow, that’s pretty!’

Bob: Dream on, my friend. It’s a biennale. The more obscure, the better. I’m already mentally preparing my ‘hmm, yes, I see the profound commentary on consumerism’ face.

Alice: You always do that! And then you spend twenty minutes trying to figure out if it’s actual art or just a misplaced fire extinguisher.

Bob: It’s part of the experience! Adds to the mystery. Are we going, by the way? I need to start growing my ‘art connoisseur’ beard.

Alice: Of course we’re going! You can shave that beard if it gets too itchy. I hear there might be a giant inflatable squirrel this year.

Bob: A *squirrel*? Now that’s what I call cutting-edge. Sign me up! Maybe it’ll be gnawing on the existential socks.

Alice: Let’s hope not. We don’t want a repeat of the ‘Mysterious Disappearance of the Curator’s Lunch’ incident.

Current Situation

The Global Art Biennale is a major international art exhibition that takes place every two years (biennale means ‘every two years’ in Italian). It’s a prestigious event that showcases contemporary art from around the world, often featuring cutting-edge, experimental, and sometimes provocative works by both established and emerging artists.

For the 2025 edition, art enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the announcement of themes, participating artists, and specific dates and venues. These biennales are crucial platforms for cultural exchange and offer a unique opportunity to explore current trends and discourse in the global art scene. While some installations might be easily appreciated for their aesthetic beauty, others often invite deeper interpretation, challenging viewers to consider social, political, or philosophical questions through the artist’s lens.

Key Phrases

Popped up on my feed: Appeared on my social media timeline or news feed.
The news about the concert just popped up on my feed.
Dates just dropped: The dates (for an event) have just been announced.
The festival dates just dropped, and tickets are already selling out!
Mentally prepare for: To get oneself ready in thought for something difficult or significant.
I need to mentally prepare for this job interview next week.
What even *is* that?: An emphatic way to express confusion or surprise about something’s nature.
I saw this strange sculpture and thought, “What even *is* that?“
Existential: Relating to existence, often involving deep philosophical questions about life, meaning, or purpose.
His paintings always have an existential feel, making you ponder life’s big questions.
Groundbreaking: Innovative, pioneering, making new discoveries or advancements.
Her research is considered groundbreaking in the field of artificial intelligence.
Relate to that on a spiritual level: To understand or empathize with something very deeply, almost instinctively.
When she said she just wanted to eat pizza and watch movies all weekend, I related to that on a spiritual level.
Dream on: Used to tell someone that what they are hoping for is very unlikely to happen.
You think you’ll get a promotion without working hard? Dream on!
Obscure: Not well known; difficult to understand.
His musical taste is quite obscure; I’ve never heard of half the bands he likes.
Profound commentary: Deep and insightful observations or explanations about a topic.
The film offered a profound commentary on social inequality.
Art connoisseur: A person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts.
She’s an art connoisseur, always knowing the history behind every piece.
Cutting-edge: The latest stage of development in technology, design, or art; very advanced.
Their new smartphone features cutting-edge technology.
Repeat of (an incident): Another occurrence of a previous event, usually an undesirable one.
We don’t want a repeat of last year’s chaotic meeting.

Grammar Points

1. Present Perfect with “just”

We use the present perfect tense with “just” to talk about actions that happened a very short time ago. The structure is: subject + have/has + just + past participle.

Alice: “guess what just popped up on my feed!”
Alice: “The Global Art Biennale 2025 dates just dropped!”

I have just finished my lunch. (meaning: I finished it a moment ago)

2. Phrasal Verbs: “pop up” and “drop (dates)”

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and a preposition or adverb (or both) that create a new meaning.

Pop up: To appear suddenly or unexpectedly.
A new coffee shop popped up on my street.
Drop (dates/news): To announce or release information, especially dates for an event.
The band will drop their new album next month.

3. Emphatic Questions with “even”

Using “even” in questions can add emphasis, often expressing surprise, frustration, or a strong sense of confusion. It makes the question more intense.

Bob: “what even *is* that?”

“Why even bother?” (Expressing frustration about the pointlessness of an effort)

4. “Need to + verb”

This structure expresses necessity or an obligation. It means something is required or advisable to do.

Bob: “I need to start growing my ‘art connoisseur’ beard.”

I need to buy groceries for dinner tonight.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with key phrases from the list.

The news about the new album has just ________ ________ my social media ________.
I need to ________ ________ ________ the difficult conversation with my boss.
That abstract painting is so strange; I have no idea ________ ________ ________ ________.
Many critics consider her first novel to be ________ in its genre.
He’s a true ________ ________, with an impressive collection of classical works.
“You expect to get a perfect score without studying? ________ ________!”

Exercise 2: Rewrite sentences using the Present Perfect with “just”.

The movie started a moment ago.
I finished my homework recently.
They announced the winners a short while ago.

Exercise 3: Create sentences using “need to + verb” based on the prompts.

(Study for an exam)
(Buy groceries)
(Call my friend)

Answers

Exercise 1:

The news about the new album has just popped up on my social media feed.
I need to mentally prepare for the difficult conversation with my boss.
That abstract painting is so strange; I have no idea what even *is* that.
Many critics consider her first novel to be groundbreaking in its genre.
He’s a true art connoisseur, with an impressive collection of classical works.
“You expect to get a perfect score without studying? Dream on!“

Exercise 2:

The movie has just started.
I have just finished my homework.
They have just announced the winners.

Exercise 3: (Example answers)

I need to study for my exam tonight.
We need to buy groceries for the week.
She needs to call her friend back.

Global Art Biennale 2025