The 60th Biennale of Contemporary Art opened in Venice

Queer artists who challenge heteronormative society, outsider artists who are on the fringes of the art world, artists belonging to indigenous peoples who are considered foreigners in their native land, became the main characters of the 60th Biennale of Contemporary Art, which opened on April 20 in Venice.

The artistic director of the Sao Paulo Museum of Art, Andriano Pedrosa, who became the curator of the main project of the Biennale, called the exhibition “Strangers Everywhere.” We are talking about the voluntary resettlement of millions of people, and about the problems of forced refugees, and about the internal search for ethnic or gender identity.

The historical part of the exhibition contains works by artists from the “global South” who in the last century found new paths in art.

86 countries presented national pavilions at the Biennale, 4 countries are participating in the exhibition for the first time.

The jury, headed by a professor from Columbia University, awarded the Australian Pavilion the Golden Lion. It features artist Archie Moore’s project “Family and Friends.” The pavilion is in twilight. On the black walls, Moore, an Australian Aboriginal, has chalked his family tree, the 3,484 names of people who he claims have lived for 65,000 years.

In the center of the room is a man-made black water pond, containing a huge table covered with white stacks of archival documents about the deaths of Indigenous Australians in British police custody.

The jury noted the aesthetic power and lyricism of this “mournful archive”, resurrecting a lost past.

The Kosovo Pavilion, which features aluminum sculptures by Doruntina Kastrati, received a special mention from the jury. The artist studied the situation of female workers at a sweets factory in the city of Prizren. They work while standing, and many have to undergo knee surgery. The sculptures resemble both surgical implants and factory equipment.

After the invasion of Ukraine, Russia does not participate in the Venice Biennale. In 2022, the pavilion, built in 1914 according to the design of Alexei Shchusev, stood empty. This year it was ceded to Bolivia, and now there is a collective exhibition of Bolivian artists “Looking into the future past, we move forward.”

The Ukrainian pavilion hosts the group exhibition “Networking”. The organizers remind that weaving camouflage nets for military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has become an important activity that has not only practical, but also symbolic significance, since it unites communities. The creators of the pavilion were greeted in a video message by the wife of the country’s president, Elena Zelenskaya. The exhibition in the Polish pavilion “Repeat after me” is also dedicated to the war: Ukrainians who witnessed the fighting describe the sounds of war (air raid siren, machine gun fire, drone flight) and invite visitors to repeat them.

The Israel Pavilion did not open this year. The artists who participated in its creation stated that the opening will take place only after a ceasefire agreement is concluded and the hostages are released. The pavilion is under heavy security, and rallies in support of Palestine have taken place near it.

For the first time in history, the Pope will visit the Venice Biennale on April 28. In particular, he will examine the Vatican pavilion located in the women’s prison on the island of Giudecca.

The 60th Venice Biennale will run until November 24. More than 800 thousand people are expected to visit it.