10 Biennale VENICE BIENNALE by Olivia Sand O ver 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. Tis year’s 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,


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. Tis 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. Tat is also


ASIAN ART | SEPTEMBER 2024 |


If the Olive Trees Knew… (2023) by Nour Jaouda, hand-dyed textile, steel, courtesy of the artist


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EXPERIENCE Lee Bae’s


‘La Maison de la Lune Brûlée


La Maison de la Lunes Brûlée (2024) by Lee Bae, installation detail


Foreigners Everywhere is the salient theme of this year’s Biennale


Hallow and Broken: a State of the World (2024) by Gülsün Karamustafa, installation detail


Black is Beautiful (1969) by Samia Halaby, oil on canvas, courtesy of the artist


true for artist and scholar Bouchra Khalili (b 1975, Morocco) with Te 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. Te 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. Te


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


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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


Come, Let Me Heal Your Wounds, Let Me Mend Your Broken Bones (2024) by Dana Awartani, darning on medicinally dyed silk, courtesy of the artist


Asian Art Newspaper


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