Venice Biennale: Highlights So Far
The 56th Venice Biennale is in full swing with one week having passed of the event. We offer you the highlights so far.
This year’s International Art Exhibition of the Biennale was titled All the World’s Futures in appraisal of the relationship of art and artists to the current state of the world. According to the curator Okwui Enwezor every part of the global landscape has witnessed catastrophes through history. All the World’s Futures allows artists, writers, filmmakers, performers, composers and musicians to make sense of the current state of things with a fresh approach, which is inspired by the radical changes in artistic ideas and output seen over the last two centuries.
A remarkable theme seemed to appear across a number of Pavilions this year. This theme related to the inclusion of wooden objects and uprooted trees in the art exhibitions. Céleste Boursier-Mougenot had a large pine feature as part of the French Pavilion in a space emptied for nothing else but the tree. Outside the United States Pavilion performance and video artist Joan Jonas presented a formation of tree limbs tied together to form a tree-like sculpture, and the Central Pavilions saw a large uprooted dead tree by Robert Smithson feature across the floor of one of the exhibition spaces. In all the varieties the trees seem to function as reminders of the disorder of contemporary society in ecologically strained times. Yet, they also function as symbols of hope for a greener future.
An unusual entry requirement was put on the New Zealand Pavilion, adding a sense of exclusivity to the exhibition. To be able to see the installation, visitors were asked to show their passports, making it a little hard to access. Artist Simon Denny expressed “I like that it’s hard to see […] I think that adds another layer to the clandestine world of contemporary intelligence”. The subtle twist shows a different side to the New Zealand art scene than previously assumed.
This year’s Biennale saw the addition of a new permanent Australian Pavilion. Designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall, the architecture of the building is made in a clear-lined contemporary design with a bold dark colour. It is the only 21st century building on the Giardini site. Artist Fiona Hall, who works across a broad range of media, is the sole artist exhibiting at the newly constructed Australian Pavilion. Curator of the space, Linda Michael, spoke to us about the expectations for the 56th Venice Biennale. Click here to read the interview.
The first week of the Biennale also saw the introduction of a project titled The Internet Saga by Jonas Mekas, which is the only project dedicated to art on the web. The Internet Saga was inaugurated on the Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 May and now continues as a site. Mekas has become known as a cinema legend and leader of American avant-garde cinema, founding the New American Cinema in 1960. In 2006 he started experimenting with new audiovisual languages online becoming a contemporary art web-star prior to anyone else.
A final noteworthy exhibition is Proportio by Axel Vervoordt, which examines the role that proportion play in people’s lives through a wide range of representations from art and nature to economics and history. The exhibition focus on proportions not only as a measurement for comparison, but also as a transition from duality to unity.
The 56th Venice Biennale continues. Stay tuned to fluoro for more from the iconic event.
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