The Melbourne International Biennial was a large scale art exhibition of over 60 local and international artists held over six weeks in 1999 in a disused telephone exchange and office building in the central city of Melbourne, Australia, along with eleven 'national pavilions' in existing public and private galleries.
Originally called Melbourne Arts International, the event later changed name once the University of Melbourne became a partner, and brought in Frances Lindsay as director, and curator Juliana Enberg as artistic director, who initiated a successful fund-raising campaign that raised another $1 million of in-kind sponsorship.
[3][4] According to Enberg, "[Signs of Life was designed to exhibit] a very human set of projects, as should be the case as we leave the twentieth century and begin to engage with the next millennial frontier.
The artists in the show included:[6] Following a method deployed by other art biennials like Venice Biennale and São Paulo Art Biennial, the Melbourne Biennale featured 11 'national pavilions' in existing public and private galleries across the city.
Participants included:[2] Juliana Engberg, Signs of Life, exhibition catalogue published by the City of Melbourne.