African Business, 25/04/2024
All eyes are on Venice as the city unveils its 60th contemporary visual art exhibition. The Art Biennale, the Biennale d’Arte di Venezia, runs from April to November. It is one of the most prestigious and longest-running of its kind in the world, and features a central exhibition curated by an artistic director, national pavilions hosted by participant nations, and independent exhibitions throughout Venice.
This 60th edition is curated by Adriano Pedrosa, the artistic director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, who was recently the 2023 recipient of the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence. “I am honoured and humbled by this prestigious appointment,” says Pedrosa, “Especially as the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition, and in fact the first one based in the southern hemisphere.”
Rethinking representation
The Art Biennale’s outgoing President, Roberto Cicutto, recognises that the Art Biennale traditionally demonstrated biases in prioritising displays by western artists. He may soon be departing from the role, but in a speech given earlier this year Cicutto maintained his pride in the growth of the national pavilions that he had overseen over the past four years. The national pavilions host the official representation of each participating nation during the Art Biennale.
Throughout the twentieth century countries including Japan, Uruguay, and Australia constructed their own pavilions. This year the number of international pavilions has reached 90. Cicutto believes that these “make La Biennale a unique meeting ground between the arts and the changes in society”.
The 2024 Art Biennale has seen the debut of multiple African nations represented in their own international pavilions, and the largest-ever number of African countries represented. Benin, Tanzania, Senegal, and Ethiopia are each displaying artworks in their own pavilions for the first time. They are joined by Nigeria, Gabon, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Uganda, Madagascar, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Egypt – all of which have presented at Venice Art Biennales in previous years. Continue Reading >>
