Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1480367
E stablished in 1895, the Venice Biennale has been the most interesting, prestigious, and inclusive exhibition of international contemporary art that can be experienced by the public, for more than 120 years. Every two years, the city known for its historic splendors becomes a beacon of contemporary art with present and future cultural expressions, esthetic trends, and current art practices from all around the world on view. In the area of the Giardini (the only relatively empty space of the city), countries have been for decades invited to build their National Pavilions. Dormant throughout the year, of the Art World A Totem La Biennale di Venezia By Filippo Tattoni-Marcozzi they burst back into life for this year's exhibition, which runs through November 27. The gardens are scattered with pavilions encompassing the many architectural styles that have defined the last century, from Palladian to minimalist, heritage-inspired to brutalist, creating a fantastical microcosm of follies and structural amusements. Each year the ever-growing number of invited nations is called to respond to a broad theme the curator sets — a "food for thought" meant to delineate a common thread — guiding the audience through the long and carefully mastered journey spreading out into the entire Laguna. The 59th edition, themed The Milk of Dreams by curator Cecilia Alemani, gives voice to artists to create unique projects that reflect their own visions of our society. The two-part exhibition that accompanies the national presentations is essential to the visit. All those evoked dreams can be experienced by simply walking through the large main show (divided between the two locations: Arsenale and Giardini) Alemani curated. It provides a stunning array of stimulations, wide ranging thought-provoking ideas, evocative objects, sculptures and installations, immersive sound, and visual presentations, all created by the many international artists she included. The Biennale is always permeated by current social and political events, and this year it was even more evident in the sudden cancellation by the Russian curators of their participation announced at the time of the start of the invasion of Ukraine. While the empty Russian Pavilion stood silent, the voices of the Ukrainians were resonating from the poetic and powerful installation titled The Fountain of Exhaustion by Pavlo Makov, where water flows through a pyramid (Continued) Simone Leigh's Brick House, 2019 ROBERTO MAROSSI 40