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Every two years the artistic world gathers in Venice for the largest festival of the visual arts where countries “compete” for the prize of the best place in the world. It is a gallery of taste, a shop window for artists and a great gathering of companies – once described by the historian Lawrence Alloway as “a society of contact and communication”.
This year, 99 countries are participating, including Somalia and Qatar, which are among the seven first-time participants in the event covered by The death of his supervisor, Koyo Kouohabout a year ago. They wanted an event that focused on “improving” with a big show called In Minor Keys. Despite calls for calm, the fiery mix of politics and protests made for a week to watch. Pussy Riot activist group found on the website opposition to the annexation of Russia and Friday’s boycott against the annexation of Israel caused several pavilions – including the UK, Austria and France – to close their doors.
Here is a list of the necessary containers.
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1. Female nudity was everywhere
The Austrians and their nude yachtsmen, the Danes and their porn stars are worried about the number of men’s sperm, Richard PrincePictures of girls taken from old biker mags. Some of the women watching weren’t happy about it – or asking where all the men were. The feminist movement Femen and Pussy Riot’s influence also influenced their nonsensical signings.
It’s All Over by Richard Prince. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian -
2. How do you deal with Russia?
The presence of Russians at the biennale for the first time since the country’s war with Ukraine was inevitable speech. On the first day, raucous music played in the arena and several cases of prosecco sat outside before being carried into the party. Pussy Riot responded by turning up in front of the pavilion on the second day, singing a song called “Disobedience” – and forcing for a while to close its doors when the police stopped them.
Britain’s response was less direct. During the launch of Lubaina Himid’s work, the representative of the embassy said that the minister of state will not come because of the intervention of Russia. The government eventually confirmed that this was the case, adding that the UK “strongly opposes Russia’s participation in the Venice Biennale”.
Pussy Riot is protesting in the Russian pavilion. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian -
3. A strong effort to avoid ‘wake up’ work resulted in bad art
Not everyone loved the US classic from 2024 by Jeffrey Gibson, but it was fun with its rainbow colors, traditional Native American costumes and dances, and high-end vibes. Compare it to Alma Allen’s US gallery – her “nameless” sculptures had no meaning or aesthetic joy and looked like something you’d look at without joy in a hotel lobby.
Not yet mentioned by Alma Allen in the US pavilion. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian -
4. Venice rules the sea
Florentina Holzinger’s human voice was the most iconic in the fields and the Austrian arena is attracting large crowds who have seen the SeaWorld Venice of the artist in action. The musicians rode in weather slides, spun around on jetskis, and were submerged in a tank for four hours. Maritime themes were an important part of several arenas: Israel, Uzbekistan and Canada all used water or connections to the sea to create jobs inland.
Florentina Holzinger’s work at the Austrian pavilion. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian -
5. Art that stinks up the place
Stinky art is all the rage. In the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in San Polo, the site of the Belarusian house, perfumers created what has been going on. he explained like the smell of “freshly dug graves in the villages of Belarus at the end of August, laid with rotting flowers”. Lydia Ourahmane’s exhibition at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation was fragrant with dried onions and celery.
The Syrian museum – within the recreation of the old tomb tower that was destroyed in Palmyra – worked with perfumers from the country, and there were pongs and various spices in the Egyptian and German courts. Fortunately, the smell did not form part of the Luxembourg pavilion of Aline Bouvy, called La Merde; or the Austrian museum, where urinals, toilets and sewage all came in handy.
La Merde by Aline Bouvy at the Luxembourg pavilion. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian -
6. Famous foreigner
The lack of technical, AI or video services was evident in the main exhibition of In Minor Keys. Instead, most of the art on display – as directed by Kouoh – was low key and light. But two of the most well-received works were the video pieces that appeared on the biennale’s main website.
The last part of the three works that started at the 2022 event was found at the Fondazione In Between Art Film, which consisted of eight new videos. Canicula also included Turner prize winner Lawrence Abu Hamdan, who looked at the “weapons” allegedly used against the protests in Serbia. Gabrielle Goliath’s multi-film work, Elegy, was another standout that many thought would have added interest to the big show.
Elsewhere, Arthur Jafa released his best songs at his show with Richard Prince at the Prada Foundation, including his own. Love is the Gospel, the Gospel is Death which – before 10 years – prevents you from walking.
Canicula at the Fondazione Between Art Film. Photo: David Levene/The Guardian -
7. The obvious absence of Koyo Kouoh
It’s even more difficult when your leader dies while leading the team. Kouoh died suddenly of liver cancer after about a year of work and his team of five decided to pick up the stick and repair it according to his instructions. But there was unfinished business in the group that took place – you could really feel that the vision he had was slowly coming back to life.
