58. La Biennale di Venezia 2019

Press Preview 8-10 May 2019

MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES

My first TOP 10 favorites

1

Pavilion of India at Arsenale

GR Iranna | Naavu (We together)

The on-site installation titled Naavu (We Together), uses the padukas in congregation. In it’s conception, Iranna plays with the idea of proximity and distance: the swarm of padukas on the wall when seen from a distance appear as a solid mass of energy, bearing a single identity. On a closer viewing, they draw the viewers to engage with individual symbols/stories that hint at people from all walks of life – the farmer, barber, moneylender, coppersmith or artist, all together to uphold values of self-dignity, peace and freedom.

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Jitish Kallat | Covering Letter

Fog screen projection black and white video, silent with the brief letter written by Mahatma Ghandi to Hitler in July 1939, just weeks beore the start of World War II. Ghandi makes a radical appeal for peace, in spirit of universal friendship.

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2

Anicka Yi | Biologizing the Machine

Main exhibition at Arsenale

This installation of stretched kelp-based glowing globes, Biologizing the Machine (tentacular trouble), recalls skin or leather, even embryos; Yi makes a connection between the origin of human life and the sea. Never forget we all emerged from water.

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3

Liu Wei | Microworld

Main exhibition at Arsenale

This sculptural installation, composed of various aluminum spheres and colorful convex and concave shapes, reflects the artist’s long standing interest in how one’s perception is adapted and manipulated by social, environmental, technological, and personal influences.

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4

Zahrah Al Ghamdi | After Illusion

Pavilion of Saudi Arabia at Arsenale

Al-Ghamdi wants After Illusion to feel like stepping into an imaginary world. The 50,000 handmade leather spheres come to life around you, glowing, vibrating and moving like creatures, activated by the visitor’s presence. Inviting them to recognise, reconnect, and revisit a feeling of exploring something new but familiar. From the materiality of the leathers, sand and rocks that form the installation and creatures, to the artist and curator’s own upbringings, After Illusion draws on important elements of Saudi culture and conjure a sense of the artist’s home. The artwork goes beyond the most common, and sometimes surface-level understandings of Saudi Arabia. It draws on Saudi oral history and poetry for a modern audience, reflecting on the country’s rich history and nuanced identity.

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5

Renate Bertlmann | Discordo Ergo Sum

Pavilion of Austria at Giardini

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6

El Anatsui | Earth Shedding Its Skin

First Pavilion of Ghana at Arsenale

There wall installations are made of bottle caps and copper wires.

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7

Djordje Ozbolt | Regaining Memory Loss

Pavilon of Serbia at Giardini

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8

Sun Yuan & Peng Yu | Can’t Help Myself (2016)

Centrale Pavilion at Giardini

Sun Yuan & Peng Yu | Dear (2015)

Main exhibition at Arsenale

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9

Dan Mihălțianu | Canal Grande

Pavilion of Romania at Giardini

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10

Marco Godinho | Written by Water

Luxembourg Pavilion at Arsenale

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To be continued 🙂