The 60th edition of the Venice Biennale (April 20–November 24) presents a staggering presentation of 330 artists from over 90 countries around the world. Its curator, the artistic director of the São Paulo Museum of Art, Adriano Pedrosa, is the Biennale’s first Latin-American curator, bringing a refreshingly new perspective to a centuries-old tradition.
Dana Awartani. Photo by Marco Zorzanello.
The 2024 Venice Biennale
When it was announced last year that the theme of this Biennale would be “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere,” an ode to the work of the Paris-born and Palermo-based collective Claire Fontaine, Pedrosa clarified the focus of his curatorial efforts. “The backdrop for [Claire Fontaine’s] work is a world rife with multiple crises concerning the movement and existence of people across countries, nations, territories and borders,” he said. “In this landscape, the phrase ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ has a dual meaning. Wherever you go and wherever you are you will always encounter foreigners—they/we are everywhere. Secondly, that no matter where you find yourself, you are always, truly, and deep down inside, a foreigner.”
Great Britain pavilion, courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.
New Presenters in Venice
While the Venice Biennale routinely unites dozens of countries through a host of pavilions across the island, this edition of the festival astutely doubles down on its devotion to internationalism. The façade of the Central Pavilion has been emblazoned with a monumental mural by the Brazilian Indigenous Mahku collective. Inside, the rooms give a home to the 20th-century work of the Global South and the Italian artistic diaspora. Four countries—the Republic of Benin, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste—are joining the Biennale as newcomers, and Senegal and Panama both are debuting their first-ever pavilions.
Electric Dress (Atsuko Tanaka), 2023. LED-dress made from textile and plastic, draped on mannequin, 12 lithium-ion batteries in cases in textile pockets, Madrix programmed micro SD-card 81 × 66 × 63 cm. Hartwig Art Foundation. Photo by Andrea Avezzù. Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia.
The 60th edition of the Venice Biennale is on display to the public from April 20–November 24.
