I seriously choose the right year and place to study abroad. Venice is the host to the Biennale contemporary art exhibition that goes on during the summer every other year. There are artists from countries all over the world
Zimbabwe Pavilion located off of San Marco
that are chosen to display a piece or collection of contemporary art. The major pavillion and many of the country pavillions are located down from San Marco at the gardens at the GIradini. There are also pavillions at the Arsenale and many individual country pavillions located throughout the city.
It has been around for 116 years. The first Biennale was held in 1895 and was more of a show for decorative art. In 1907 some countries started to install pavillions. The exhibition grew over the years and gained international popularity. It became a place for modern art to be showcased and was important through many of the art world’s major movements, for example avante-garde, abstract expressionism, pop art and post modernism. There were times that the Biennales were suspended due to war or crisis, but this tradition has survived and the exhibition still brings amazing pieces of art to Venice bianually.
Art the visitors got to create
I went to the Giaridini exhibition with a friend. We only had about 3 or 4 hours before it closed and we realized that we could spend days in there exploring the pavilions, watching the documentaries and playing with the one piece of art where you got to make things out of clay and stick them on the wall. There was everything from grand pieces to beautiful pictures to an atm machine built into a pipe organ, that when cash was withdrawn played a lovely tune. There was truly something for everyone. We walked through the grand pavilion, looked up and saw there were stuffed pigeons all throughout the rafters. I do not know why they thought i needed to see more pigeons in venice, but at least these ones were not flying directly at me or trying to kill me.Each country
british pavilion
pavilion had interesting displays of one artist or multiple artists. Some of the works i understood and some i thought i was looking at them upside down. The ones i liked the most out of the main pavilions were the British, Dutch and Czechoslovak(still just one pavilion even though it is two countries). The british pavilion was the recreation of a building in its pre-restoration stage that is located in Istanbul. I was explained what the work was, otherwise it just looked like a dirty old building. The work was called “I, Impostor”. Mike Nealson, the artist, had refurbished an old building in istanbul, but took pictures of its state before he started the work. From those pictures he recreated the original building and used items from both Venice and Istanbul throughout the different rooms. You walked through the whole house with its low ceilings and dusty floors and could actually see the important interplay between Venice and Istanbul in the time of the Ottoman Empire through the different objects and symbols in the building. The cities have a long history of trade and conflict and it was really cool to see this play out through such a unique work of art that you actually walked through and explore.
The dutch pavilion was set up like a giant skeleton of a stage and had really cool things to look at. You could walk up the stairs and look at the mirrored floor
part of the Czechoslovak pavilion. It was in the floor and scared me when i looked down.
that reflected a picture that was handing above your head. There was also a self playing piano and other cool things to look at. Finally the Czechoslovak
pavilion was a sculptural collection of the artist Dominik Lang. In the pamphlet he explained that this was a collection to create an intergenerational dialogue between his father (who was a sculptor but stopped before his son was born) that had never happened in real life. It was an interesting story and the sculptures were pretty cool. I have to admit by themselves, each sculpture was strange and kind of creepy, but together as a whole they were quite cool.
So, if you are ever in venice on an odd numbered year in the summer and fall, go to the Biennales. For me this was a once in a lifetime experiene, and was not to be missed.
~megan