Foreigners Everywhere. This is the theme of the exhibition commissioned by the Brazilian Adriano Pedrosa, who gives it two meanings: first, no matter where we are, we encounter strangers everywhere on our path. But also: wherever we go, we ourselves are strangers in the eyes of others. Many indigenous artists, artists or artisans from the South, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, or even from LGBTQ communities – considered foreigners in their own country – were invited to the Biennale, but also European artists who have lived abroad. In short, Pedrosa wanted to give a voice to those who do not have one.
These are the two main historical locations of the Venice Art Biennale. L’Arsenale is a former shipyard that is over 1000 years old! More than 350 artists are exhibiting their works related to the theme Foreigners Everywhere. A stop halfway is planned to take a break and refuel. In the Giardini, you can visit the pavilions of the different participating countries in a rather unique universal exhibition atmosphere. But other pavilions and museums also house delegations which are scattered throughout the labyrinthine streets of the city. The Biennale obviously provides a detailed map of the exhibition locations. A total of 88 countries are represented at the Biennale this year. We particularly recommend the pavilions of Finland, Egypt, France and Japan, among others…
It is impossible to ignore the political dimension of the Biennale, the equivalent of the Olympic Games of visual arts. This year, Russia was completely banned from the Biennale (two years ago, it was the Russian artist who withdrew in reaction to the invasion in Ukraine), but not Israel, whose presence irritated many countries. This time, it is the Israeli artist Ruth Patir who has chosen to suspend her exhibition. “The artist and curators of the Israeli pavilion will open the exhibition when a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached,” reads the building’s window. A gesture welcomed by many observers. The only shadow in this idyllic Giardini, two armed Italian soldiers stand guard.
Tanzanian-Canadian artist Kapwani Kiwanga, who grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, was chosen to represent Canada this year. His installation called Pacotille – a commission from the National Gallery of Canada – is made up of several curtains of small glass beads from the Venetian island of Murano, once used as currency, now considered objects junk. The curtains that surround the exterior walls of the pavilion are blue, those that line the interior walls create patterns with several colors. All this to illustrate “the way in which certain societies were built through commerce, exchanges and meetings between peoples”. Another Canadian artist present at the Biennale, Montrealer Joyce Joumaa, presents her installation Memory Contours in the central pavilion of the Giardini.
The theme of immigration, eminently topical in Europe (as elsewhere), is brilliantly explored in several works and installations in this Biennale. Among them, The Mapping Journey Project, by the Franco-Moroccan artist Bouchra Khalili, an installation of eight videos produced between 2008 and 2011 which can be seen at L’Arsenale. On large screens, we hear the chaotic stories of several migrants who left their country for all kinds of reasons. On a map, we see their hand tracing with a felt-tip pen the multiple routes that led them (or not) to their final destination. Often poignant testimonies during which, in the absence of a face, we cling to the stories.
A moving installation created by the artist of Palestinian and Saudi origin Dana Awartani is located in the first third of the route of the immense hall of L’Arsenale. Come, let me heal your wounds. Let me mend your broken bones is a requiem for all the cultural and historical sites destroyed in Gaza since the start of the war. Awartani designed an assemblage of silk canvases torn in several places, each tear corresponding to the destruction of a place. But upon closer inspection, every tear has been stitched back together. The webs were then soaked in a blend of herbs and essences that promote healing.
The Swiss pavilion is like a breath of fresh air in this often charged journey – politically, socially, emotionally – with very strong works. The artist Guerreiro do Divino Amor has designed an immersive kitsch work full of self-deprecation which represents an all-powerful Switzerland, which would be part of a superior civilization. An exhibition which is part of an even larger project called Super Superior Civilizations. It is thus a question of the Swiss miracle, and in a dome film projected at 360 degrees, the Swiss creator of Brazilian origin has a field day presenting us with an allegory of super-powerful Switzerland, an earthly paradise, with its lush gardens and its deities. A surprise awaits us at the exit, a nod to the fall of great empires.
The Australian installation Kith and Kin, designed by Archie Moore, plunges us into darkness. On the slate walls that surround the room, and even on the ceiling, we can see a monumental First Nations family tree written in white chalk, with holes to fill. A dense, but incomplete, tree that traces a 65,000-year-old history (to which the artist belongs). At the center, hundreds of documents were deposited on an island, including coroner’s reports mentioning suspicious deaths or abuse suffered by these people at the hands of the state. The jury chose to reward this work which required years of research and months to write all the names in chalk for “its aesthetic, its lyricism and the evocation of its hidden past”. The Franco-Turkish artist Nil Yalter also received a Golden Lion for all of his work.