The Venice Biennale 2024 opened its doors on April 20th, marking the 60th edition of the International Art Exhibition. Running until the end of November, the Venice Biennale is an essential visit for all contemporary and modern art enthusiasts.
The Main Exhibition
The main exhibition is divided into two sections across the Central Pavilion and the Arsenale: the Nucleo Contemporaneo and the Nucleo Storico, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, the current artistic director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo. This year’s Biennale Arte 2024 prioritizes artists who have never before participated in the International Exhibition, making space for artists from minority backgrounds. Titled Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, the theme is inspired by a series of works started in 2004 by the Claire Fontaine collective. These works feature neon sculptures in various colors, displaying the phrase “Foreigners Everywhere” in an ever increasing number of languages.
Highlights of the main exhibition include the Disobedience Archive, an evolving video archive that explores the connection between artistic practices and political action. Another notable piece is Bouchra Khalili’s The Mapping Journey Project, which traces Mediterranean migration routes and captures the experiences of migrants.
The exhibition also features a self-portrait by Indonesian artist Affandi. Isaac Chong Wai, a Hong Kong-based artist, presents a captivating video performance titled Falling Reversely, which delves into violence against communities and the structures we build together. Additionally, Daniel Otero Torres’s site-specific installation Aguacero looms over the Arsenale corridor, embodying a sense of precariousness.
Beyond the main exhibition, 88 National Participations are scattered across the city’s two primary venues and various islands in the lagoon. Each Pavilion showcases unique themes, highlighting art’s versatility as a communicative tool and inviting visitors to delve deeper into their curated experiences.
Art on a Political Stage
Politics have been and always will be a focal point of numerous installations at the Venice Biennale; 2024 is no exception. Starting with Israel, the participating artists and curator have refused to open the pavilion until a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached. A sign on the front of the Israel pavilion conveyed the team’s decision. In the run up to the Biennale’s opening, the presence of Israel at the Biennale had been widely criticised.
The Polish Pavilion transports visitors into a dimly-lit karaoke bar, complete with a stage, microphones, tables, and chairs—an open invitation to participate. Large screens display the ‘singers’ of the show. However, instead of cheerful songs, participants recreate the sounds of war, referring to what they have witnessed in the past years in Ukraine. The public is invited to join in, echoing these ‘songs’ of conflict and violence. This powerful piece highlights the surreal nature of war when juxtaposed with an unrelated setting, such as a karaoke bar. Titled Repeat After Me II, the project is curated by the Open Group Collective.
Ukraine presents the exhibition Net Making, which serves as an ongoing act of resistance against the Russian invasion. The pavilion’s title references the practice of weaving camouflage nets, which has become widespread in Ukraine since 2014, when Russia began its annexation of Ukrainian territories in the 21st century. The Pavilion symbolizes and embodies the power of collective action—forging connections in times of crisis. One of the four works is the video installation Civilians. Invasion. that features archival footage captured on smartphones and other devices during the initial months of the Russian attack. These unedited and unfiltered short clips serve as testimony, often posing the poignant question: where do we bury the dead? By assembling these raw videos, with the makers’ current situations unknown, the artist creates a living archive.
Austria’s installations by conceptual artist Anna Jermolaewa explores the poetry of everyday life. The several works on show range from her experience as a political refugee. The Penultimate consists of a series of plants and flowers poised on a chair or stool; each plant representing a revolution, an uprising or political moment which has later been symbolized by the flower or color. Daily live performances of the work Rehearsal for Swan Lake turns Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet from a tool of distraction and censorship into a political protest.
The Past Redirects
Several Pavilions have taken inspiration from the countries often intertwined with a history of colonisation and its later impact on modern day and the days still to come. Australia is awarded the coveted Gold Lion award for Best National Participation, a decision motivated by the artist Archie Moore’s quietly powerful approach to bringing indigenous history to the forefront. Titled kith and kin, the installation consists of a dark room with one large table covered in seemingly endless documents, and the black walls are covered in hand-written chalk—an expanse of a family tree. The artist began the project by looking into archives for information on his parents and their relatives. However, these methods of recording history become constrained by reliance on oral storytelling and the lack of proper documentation—including censored and poorly preserved documentation. The immense installation evokes the richness of Aboriginal culture while simultaneously urging contemporary Australia to reflect on and improve its relationship with Aboriginal communities.
Germany’s entrance is entirely obstructed by a mound of earth, piling high against the Pavilion’s fascist facade—a work by Ersan Mondtag. Inside, a dialogue instantly forms between future and past worlds. Yael Bartana presents a vision of Earth teetering on the edge of environmental and political collapse, envisioning a future with neon lights and spaceship—like forms. In contrast, Mondtag transports us back in time: an East German household occupies the central space, yet devoid of life. His work references the life of his grandfather, Hasan Aygün, who migrated from Central Anatolia to West Berlin in the 1960s.
Bring Back Color
Back to the basics and back to primary colors, there is a playful feel (with underlying deeper themes) to both France and USA’s presentations. Attila cataract your source at the feet of the green peaks will end up in the great sea blue abyss we drowned in the tidal tears of the moon is an invitation from French-Caribbean artist Julien Creuzet to engage in an immersive, multisensory experience. Surreal, multicolored forms, crafted from a variety of textures and shapes inspired by his Caribbean heritage, hang from the ceiling and transform the space, which is no longer a white cube. The environment bursts with more than 80 sculptures, video installations, and seven musical sequences.
The US Pavilion this year is bold and unapologetic. Artist Jeffrey Gibson has seamlessly blended American, Indigenous, and queer histories into a single exhibition. Visitors are immediately captivated by striking color combinations and rich textures like beadwork and textiles. Gibson’s patterns and abstract geometries challenge the chromophobia often seen in contemporary art. His exhibit, the space in which to place me, transforms the US Pavilion into a manifestation of his radically inclusive vision for the future, where Indigenous art and a wide range of cultural expressions and identities are integral to the American experience.
Leaking From Somewhere
The Japanese Pavilion features Yuko Mohri’s installation, Moré Moré (leaky), filled with homemade contraptions in constant motion. Everyday objects like plastic bottles, buckets, hoses, and wooden furniture take over the space in a kinetic choreography. Inspired by Tokyo subway efforts to stop water leaks, Mohri crafts artificial leaks and fixes them using items found in Venice’s second hand stores and markets. This use of water symbolizes Venice’s own battle against climate change and rising sea levels. The installation ingeniously shows how crises can spark creativity and innovation.
Cover photo: Markus Krottendorfer and Bildrecht
Written May 2024
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