BENIN 0101


the Biennale’s eminence might now have their own adage: ‘exhibit in Venice and shine’. Tese Beninese artists did that. Tey shone a new light on Venice. Venice: a city of casual encounters and


chance recognitions. Amid the hazy light and shifting waters of the lagoon in 2024 nothing was what it seemed. So much of the Venice Biennale is self-referencing – what was here before, how does it compare with the last show or another show, one of the 100 or more biennales that now exist around the world. Dissent, diplomacy and drama have always surrounded the Venice Biennale. Tey used to call this waterlogged city the Most Serene Republic, but there was nothing serenissima about this Biennale: it was as political as ever with both the Ukraine/ Russia and Israel/Gaza conflicts hovering over


In 2023, the Venice Architecture Biennale was pointedly political. Africa was the star. In the radically white world of architecture, this was something of a shock


everything. Artists are hardly synonymous with nations, nevertheless the wild, the weird and the controversial exhibits were confronted with political protests that were impossible to ignore. Yet as ever, the Venice Biennale is not just food for thought, it’s a feast; and one that every nation hopes to gain from, simply by being there. Tere were a number that aspire to be an artistic and cultural hub of Africa: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. Benin was a new one, but a significant one. Amid those swirling waters and that hazy light, it was just possible to discern which country could be the eventual, and surprising, winner. Tere is a seldom seen Sondheim musical, Merrily We Roll Along, that contains the lyric, ‘but for those who dare / the world is there / to change’. Tis year Benin has dared.


All images Franck Houndégla designed the Benin Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, while the show was curated by Azu Nwagbogu alongside Yassine Lassissi


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125