All articles tagged with #venice biennale
The article highlights seven top art destinations to visit in 2026, including major events like the Venice Biennale, Art Basel Qatar, Sydney Biennale, Bangkok Art Biennale, Lagos Biennale, Philadelphia's Calder Gardens, and Malta Biennale, offering a diverse range of contemporary and historical art experiences worldwide.
The Jewish Museum has acquired an artwork that was originally intended for the Venice Biennale but was never shown. This acquisition highlights the museum's commitment to preserving and showcasing significant cultural and artistic works.
Trailblazing video artist Bill Viola, known for his monumental video works exploring themes like grief and spirituality, has died at 73 from complications related to Alzheimer's disease. Viola's innovative use of technology and immersive installations established him as a leader in video art. He represented the U.S. at the Venice Biennale in 1995 and was the subject of a major retrospective at the Whitney Museum. Viola is survived by his wife, Kira Perov, and two sons.
The Venice Biennale, the world's longest-running contemporary art festival, opened with a preview showcasing highlights such as a sonorous symphony made by fruit and a modern-day Tintoretto. This year's edition, "Foreigners Everywhere," curated by Adriano Pedrosa, features valuable displays of lesser-known Brazilian artists and a historical section of older painting and sculpture from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Despite a hectic opening with a severe rainstorm and a pro-Palestinian protest, the Biennale continues to attract massive crowds and offers a principal exhibition of hundreds of artists chosen by a single curator.
The 2024 Venice Biennale, featuring work by over 330 artists from 90 countries, is set to open to the public, with pre-opening celebrations already underway. The exhibition, titled "Foreigners Everywhere," curated by Adriano Pedrosa, showcases a mix of contemporary and historic 20th century artworks that expand the image of the "foreigner." The event has seen visitors lining up to enter exhibitions, protests outside the Israeli Pavilion, and the debut of a new sleeper carriage designed by artist JR for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train.
The Israel pavilion at the Venice Biennale remains closed as the artist refused to exhibit her work until a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza is reached, sparking protests from over 100 demonstrators chanting "Viva, viva Palestina!" Tensions arose in February when activist groups called for Israel to be banned from the event over its conduct in the war in Gaza, and despite the Biennale's organizers and Italy's government affirming Israel's right to participate, the pavilion doors remained locked during the media preview.
The artist and curators representing Israel at the Venice Biennale have refused to open the Israeli pavilion exhibit until a cease-fire in Gaza and an agreement to release hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7 are reached. Their decision, supported by the festival's main curator, was made in solidarity with the families of the hostages and the community in Israel calling for change. The Israeli exhibit, titled "(M)otherland" by artist Ruth Patir, remains closed for now, with a video work visible through the pavilion window. The move comes amid heightened security and controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the Biennale, with thousands calling for its exclusion to protest the war in Gaza.
Israeli artist Ruth Patir has decided not to open her exhibit at the Venice Biennale until Israel and Hamas reach a cease-fire and hostage release agreement, in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. This decision comes after months of efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to have Israel banned from the prestigious international art exhibition.
Adriano Pedrosa, the curator of the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, presents "Foreigners Everywhere," a provocative exhibition celebrating the foreigner and historic waves of migration across the planet. The show features 331 artists, most from the Global South, with a focus on contemporary and 20th-century art, including many unfamiliar names. Critics note that this Biennale showcases more dead artists than living ones, making it a somber tipping point for the event.
Almost 9,000 artists and cultural figures have signed an online appeal urging the exclusion of Israel from the Venice Biennale art fair, citing the country's actions in Gaza as "genocide." The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) collective stated that any official representation of Israel would be an endorsement of its policies. The appeal comes amid international criticism of Israel's military operation in Gaza following Hamas's attack. The Venice Biennale press office has not yet responded to the request for comment.
Esra Sarıgedik Öktem, the curator selected for the Turkish pavilion at the Venice Biennale, has resigned in protest of the rejection of Defne Ayas as the curator of the Istanbul Biennial. The decision sparked criticism of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) for its opaque selection process and conflict of interest. Ayas had been unanimously chosen by the advisory board, which included the newly appointed Istanbul Biennial curator Iwona Blazwick. It is speculated that Ayas was not appointed due to her acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. The controversy has reignited debates about censorship and the responsibility of arts institutions. The IKSV has not addressed the backlash or reconsidered its decision.
The 2024 edition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, will focus on artists who have traveled at various points in their careers, emphasizing outsiders, foreigners, and more. The show, titled "Foreigners Everywhere," will celebrate the foreign, the distant, the outsider, the queer, as well as the indigenous. The exhibition will include a "Nucleo Contemporaneo" and a "Nucleo Storico," sections dedicated to new and old works, respectively, with the latter portion aspiring to expand the history of modernism beyond Europe and North America.