Over the past editions, the Venice Biennale has considerably grown in size and this year, marking its 60th anniversary, is no exception. Beyond the Biennale’s main exhibition, the national pavilions and the collateral events, private institutions, and galleries are increasingly staging shows during this time, taking advantage of the visibility and popularity of the event. As a result, there are countless artists and exhibitions to be seen in and outside of the official Biennale. With the impossibility to discuss them all, it is best to highlight a selection of individuals artists, national pavilions, collateral events and independent exhibitions on view across the city.
This year’s Venice Biennale is curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Brazil, under the theme of Foreigners Everywhere. As it has become custom for the nominated curators, the theme of the event references a book or an artist, and for 2024 the title is based on the Italian-British collective Claire Fontaine, founded in Paris in 2004, which has been active in fighting xenophobia over the past 20 years, including those who have been displaced or moved between countries, and to give a platform to artists who have been overlooked or ignored because part of their minority status. Beyond the curator’s statement, invited artists to the Biennale also viewed Foreigners Everywhere as the appropriate way to describe the art world: as a large family.
In the main exhibition area of the Venice Biennale, divided between the Padiglione Italia in the Giardini and the Arsenale, Adriano Pedrosa created a section entitled Nucleo Storico, bringing together past and present artists who have been an inspiration to the younger generation, or who have art historically helped shape a movement. As such, the concept is brilliant as it represents an opportunity to see or rediscover artists who are seldom included in exhibitions of that magnitude. This section features many artists who were recently included in the exhibition Présences Arabes at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. As much as this section is art – historically eye-opening towards following movements as they developed over all continents and appreciating their legacy, some viewers may find it overwhelming as the Nucleo Storico features more than 140 artists who perhaps could be exhibited in a different constellation instead of a Biennale that is focusing on art of our time.
Among the artists invited by Adriano Pedrosa and due to the nature of the theme, many artists’ works are dealing with issues of migration, exile, or displacement. Such is the case for the work of Filipino artist Pacita Abad (1946-2004), who with her large colourful pieces made of painted cloth, depicted migrants awaiting their faith. Having herself moved to more than 10 countries and having travelled extensively, she has always paid close attention to the experience of exile and migration. That is also true for artist and scholar Bouchra Khalili (b 1975, Morocco) with The Mapping Journey Project, a piece comprising eight video screens projecting a static map. In the video, refugees recount their journey crossing the Mediterranean migration route, drawing their itinerary on the map with a permanent marker. The project narrates the difficulties and dangers of their journey, but indirectly also address the lack of coordination and proper organisation in Europe’s migration policy. Migration is also a topic that is echoed in the work of Nil Yalter (b 1938, Egypt). Exile is a Hard Job consists of videos of migrants addressing their difficulties in a new context that all too often leads to precarity, isolation, and a growing nostalgia for what was left behind. Based in Paris since 1965, and a pioneer in the French feminist art movement, Nil Yalter was the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s Biennale.
One of the causes leading to displacement are the wars and terrorist attacks that are currently destroying historical and cultural sites in the Middle East. As the title of the work Come, Let Me Heal Your Wounds, Let Me Mend Your Broken Bone suggests, devastation is at the centre of Dana Awartani’s work (b 1987, Saudi Arabia). Drawing inspiration from Arab culture and Islamic traditions, the artist restages traditional sites – here in the form of large dyed-silk pieces hanging from the ceiling – and manually mending sections that were destroyed. The piece not only echoes acts of war and terror in the Arab world, but also reflects the indiscriminate attacks that are taking place in Gaza. Similarly to her piece Standing by the Ruins of Aleppo, shown at the 2022 Biennale de Lyon, Dana Awartani’s work is documenting loss while at the same time preserving the memory of our heritage. Memory is also a driving element for Libyan artist Nour Jaouda (b 1997) that she translates in the form of renderings of trees. Using pieces of cloth died in earthy tones that she then sews together as large tapestries, these works represent her way to hold on to memories of places from the past.
Interpreting the theme Foreigners Everywhere, as a minority that feels and is excluded from the community, are Salman Toor and Xiyadie. Salman Toor (b 1983, Pakistan) brings queer protagonists to the forefront, an endeavour he has pursued since working and living in New York. With his distinct style of painting, Salman Toor captures moments of daily life, not shying away to expose scenes of a community that still feels marginalised. Similarly, Xiyadie (b 1963, China) presents large papercuts that refer to his gay sexuality while married and locked in a traditional lifestyle.
Among the 200 artists featured in the section curated by Adrian Pedrosa, Samia Halaby (b 1936, Palestine) was honoured for her contribution to abstraction, and Korean artist Kim Yun Shin (b 1935) is also gaining broader recognition. At almost 90 years old, Kim Yun Shin’s pioneering work in sculpture is being acknowledged following a career that spans more than 50 years. An excellent overview of her sculptures in stone, as well as in wood, is included in the exhibition.
Among the national pavilions curated independently by each nation, the Egyptian pavilion represented by Wael Shawky (b 1971) stands out, attracting long lines during the initial days of the event and expected by many to win the Golden Lion of the Biennale. Drama, a 45-minute video, is set in the late 1870s and recounts in eight segments the revolt of nationalist Ahmed Urabi (1841-1911) with his following against imperial forces, and its subsequent crush in 1882 by the British. Wael Shawky considers 1882 a pivotal year since it marks the beginning of the British occupation that would continue for several decades. In the film he wrote, directed, and composed with the actors singing in Arabic, the artist re-examines the notions of power, colonisation, encouraging us to question the way history is written. In a beautifully choreographed film staged like a modern opera that pays great attention to detail in terms of costumes and sets, Wael Shawky also raises the question of accountability of past historic events.
Representing the Saudi pavilion is Manuel AlDowayan (b 1973), who through her practice has been extremely active to raise attention to the condition of women in her home country. Frequently incorporating the voices of women from participatory workshops, Shifting Sands: A Battle Song echoes the voices of women in Al Khobar, Jeddah, and Riyadh in a recording that surrounds her large-scale installation of desert rose petals. The songs performed by these women offers a sharp contrast to the silkscreened words on the petals that refer to the misconceptions of international media towards Saudi women. In this installation, Manal Al-Dowayan pursues her endeavour to encourage Saudi women towards self-consciousness and empowerment.
An unexpected and intriguing contribution is that of Abdullah Al Saadi (b 1967) in the UAE pavilion. Less known by the global audience than Hassan Sharif (as one of the five pioneering conceptual artists of the UAE), Abdullah Al Saadi is an artist for whom the world is his studio. Taking us on a journey through the wilderness, we follow the artist’s experience wandering through nature through his poems, diaries, and drawings of maps and captivating sites. All these items are kept in colourful tin boxes of various sizes, numbered and dated, and subsequently placed in larger chests. Opening the boxes, performers provide information and share stories with the audience, making that installation almost an immersive one to explore memories of our collective history.
Addressing our senses through an immersive presentation is Koo Jeong A (b 1967) in the Korean pavilion. The idea behind the project is to create a sensory experience for the audience by having one large bronze sculpture diffuse a perfume throughout the national venue. The perfume is the result of a broad survey, where through an open call prior to the Biennale, the artist had asked people to translate their memory of Korea into scents. The artist subsequently created data using such memories as a grandparent’s house, fog, scent of people, etc, that would allow for the creation of a perfume reflecting the scents found in the survey. If the initial concept is intriguing and interesting, its implementation actually proved to be challenging, as sadly no actual scent could be noticed (at least by this visitor): thus, the large pavilion (beyond two sculptures) was left to its architectural structure, with the audience sadly missing out on any sensory experience altogether.
Japan’s pavilion also addresses the audience’s senses with the site specific installations Com+pose and Moré Moré (Leaky) by Yuko Mohri (b 1980). The artist acknowledges the influence of Fluxus on her work, which relies primarily on experimentation as the basis of her practice.
A continuation of her previous exploration of our environment, for the Venice Biennale, the artist created a gigantic kinetic sculpture based on everyday objects, such as hose pipes, buckets, umbrellas, bottles to collect rain water from the pavilion’s open ceiling, which is subsequently transferred through a system set up by the artist that ultimately functions to create sounds. The other installation metaphorically addresses life, by monitoring decomposing organic matter while inserting electrodes into fruits and converting their moisture into electric signals. The fruits’ internal state shifts constantly, modulating the pitch of the drone and the intensity of the light. Ultimately, what remains of the fruits and vegetables will be used as compost in the Giardini, creating a sustainable ecosystem where everything in our surroundings can be recycled.
With Hallow and Broken: a State of the World, Gülsün Karamustafa (b 1946) provides an outspoken view on all the crisis presently affecting the world. As such, the Turkish pavilion features plastic columns that instead of their historical symbol of power now stand as hallow remnants of a once majestic past. The installation is completed by large Murano-glass chandeliers representing the three main religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The barbed wire surrounding the chandeliers express the tensions and conflicts between these communities. Although the pavilion appears to present a stable and healthy world, a closer look reveals it to be hallow, broken and in conflict, an observation the artist feels is true in too many parts of the world.
Among other national participant countries at the Venice Biennale, Taiwan is also included in the official collateral events of the Biennale with a solo exhibition by Yuan Goang-Ming (b 1965). Considered Taiwan’s foremost video artist, he has over the past years explored the fragile status of his country amidst growing national and international uncertainties. Thus, videos like Everyday War, Everyday Manoeuver, and The 561st Hour of Occupation, all of which echo the artist’s preoccupations. Another collateral event bringing together artists from the same geographical area or origins is South West Bank: Landworks, Collective Action and Sound, a group show featuring approximately 20 artists from Palestine and their allies. Considering the international tensions generated by the conflict in the Middle East, it was initially unsure if the exhibition could be staged at all. The group show triggered great interest among visitors eager to know more about intimate narratives primarily dealing with belonging and survival.
A wonderful collateral event for the Venice Biennale is La Maison de la Lune Brûlée by Korean artist Lee Bae (b 1956), whose practice is based on the use of charcoal. With the main venue covered in hanji paper, the exhibition room turns into a gigantic canvas, driven by a monumental site-specific piece from his brushstroke series and surrounded by smaller ones. A four-and-a-half-metre black sculpture standing in the middle of the room refers to the Korean academic tradition of transmitting knowledge and represents Lee Bae’s first piece completed in granite. All the featured works connect to the video projected at the entrance entitled Moonhouse Burning, bringing together the community of Lee Bae’s home town for a ritual based on the lunar calendar.
Shahzia Sikander’s Collective Behaviour, at the Venice Biennale, is a thorough examination of what the artist (b 1969, Pakistan) has created since rising to fame with her piece The Scroll in the late 1980s. Highlighting various aspects of her practice ranging from miniature painting, drawings, glassworks, and digital animation to mosaics and sculpture, the show brings to the forefront important topics such as identity, gender issues, feminism, and colonialism among others. Conceived as a retrospective, the exhibition will subsequently be on view at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2025.
The Fondazione Querini Stampalia features the collateral event A Journey to the Infinite, an homage to the late Korean abstract painter Yoo Youngkuk (1916-2002), who has so far been overlooked and has not received the same attention as the artists from Dansaekhwa. It marks the first solo exhibition in Europe devoted to the work of Yoo Youngkuk.
Among the exhibitions not officially part of the Venice Biennale, but staged during the event, is a most magnificent exhibition devoted to the late MF Husain (1915-2011). Rooted Nomad brings together paintings, drawings, and photographs emphasising how the artist translated into his practice what he experienced and saw on the streets of India. Addressing colonialism, displacement, and poverty, MF Husain, a founding member of the Bombay Progressive Artists Group, relentlessly covered the country’s complex panorama and narrative through a career that spanned more than six decades. Husain’s later works created controversy, especially his works relating to religious subject matter, which caused several lawsuits to be filed against him and his eventual self-exile from 2005 until his death in 2011.
Other exhibitions worth visiting around the Venice Biennale include Reza Aramesh (b 1970, Iran) with his wonderful marble sculptures in the church San Fantin opposite the Teatro della Fenice, Yu Hong (b 1966, China) with a site specific painting installation at the Chiesa della Misericordia, Zeng Fanzhi (b 1964, China) with a selection of paintings and works on paper demonstrating the artist’s mastery of painting, and the solo exhibition devoted to the late Chu Teh-Chun (1920-2014), who had all too often has been overshadowed by his fellow artist Zao Wou-Ki.
With the proliferation of biennales, triennials, and art fairs throughout the world, the Venice Biennale remains an outstanding venue translating the pulse of the art world. Are artists forerunners, identifying issues, trends, and longings before we do, or should they rather be seen as a vehicle articulating them?
Through this year’s theme at the Venice Biennale, Foreigners Everywhere, which discusses issues such as migration, displacement, exile, colonialism, and identity – all issues that will increasingly have to be addressed and resolved in the future – this Biennale has made each and one of us leave the venue with a broader lens when looking at the world.
Until 24 November, Venice, labiennale.org
