The 54th Venice Biennale had high expectations from this year’s curator Bice Curiger who gave it the title ILLUMInations. The excessive play on the name essentially left a very broad invitation on how the Biennale would shed light on the idea of ‘nation.’ Curiger used Tintoretto’s works to highlight her theme stressing his ability to engage viewers in presenting three of his works to exemplify his experimental and unorthodox qualities in lighting as challenges to classical conventions. However, more of a general confusion was created in what the theme would cover by jumping throughout her statement between multiple subtopics that the Biennale would also include as if trying to account for the fact that many nations may not be able to identify with Tintoretto’s Italian works in their historical context through their own national framework.

The statement coated the main theme with undefined variables and generically conceived notions merely skirting topics and creating a broad sense of how the artists of the pavilions were connected. In the International pavilion the only obvious references made to Tintoretto was seen in the small handful of artists she made mention of in her statement who followed Tintoretto’s works which hung in the main gallery: a two man guarded room open to fluxuating temperature and the possibly of more harm to the great works than reverence. The failed attempt to connect to Venice and establish a strong relationship with the city was suggested but not delivered with a one line association between Venice and light. 

With few connections established, a reoccurring voice was heard over Tintoretto’s minute influence leaving artists to their own devices. Perhaps their challenge to the institution was delivered in doing exactly so. This year’s loosely connected theme of ILLUMInation loomed ambiguously as many pavilions preferred to state more relevant testimonies through more politically-oriented agendas.

A few of the pavilions that stood out for independent reasons would include the United States, Iraq, and Egypt in relationship to politics and sociological nuances for their world affairs.  The United States pavilion spoke volumes in presenting Gloria. Its first impression was undoubtedly made with Track and Field, which consisted of an overturned tank mounted with a treadmill, upon which an Olympic runner took jogging intervals in front of viewers.  Evoking immediate response into a gestalt of statements, its shock value intelligently encompassed the conditions of the nation and contemporary society even down to the ironic importing of the materials used in the exhibit. In the context of sociopolitical conditions of the nations, a similar manifestation of current issues made presence in many pavilions.

The Egyptian pavilion collided with the Egyptian revolution in making an honorable tribute to the work of Ahmed Basiony including real time footage shot by the artist under the pressure of shutting down the entire project during riots. The pavilion was mournfully felt, bringing attention to the outcomes in world changing events now making their way across the Middle East.

The special reintroduction of the Iraq Pavilion, after an absence of 35 years, established a strong presence by its contemporary Iraqi artists. Two generations of artists gave their interpretation of water as a vital energy source in their exhibit titled Wounded Water. The selection of artists chosen gave an insightful perspective into the personal impact that the sociopolitical climate of Iraq has made in their lives.  It stood on its own in visual presentation, yet another issue to mention was the condition of the pavilion. The structure appeared to be on the verge of collapse and in desperate need of restoration. 

Collateral events generally appeared to have had a much easier capability in organizing exhibits and tying together a theme, partially due to working on exhibits of a smaller scale. The Palazzo Grassi’s exhibit titled The World Belongs to You, uncovered the artists’ individual ability to draw upon their relationship to reality through a variety of techniques and diverse backgrounds to surround a general idea and more applicable theme of contemporary history. The Della Punta Dogana appeared to ironically struggle with its gallery space in their exhibit In Praise of Doubt. Unfortunately the exhibit seemed to give yet another generic reasoning to work with the idea of space in a space that overpowered the art- architecture designed by Tadao Ando.

The Guggenheim presented a safe showing of Ileana Sonnabend’s collection, while the Correr Museum opted to display a rather lackluster presentation of Julian Schnabel’s works.  Prada offered a variety with their collection with an inviting first impression made with Anish Kapoor’s Void Field arranged across the open hall of the historically intact gallery space.

Among the private exhibitions, Palazzo Fortuny considerably made the best connection to Venice.  The exhibit titled TRA: Edge of Becoming, unfolded a seriously thought out effort to draw connections between the West and the East.  Viewers are taken along a journey, ascending the floors of the gallery’s eclectic collection to the exhibition, where culture and philosophy intersect, synchronizes actual space to spiritual space as a passageway for transcendence.

Fondazione Buziol’s Future Pass exhibit focused on the phenomena of new Asian art aesthetics and its growing popularity across the art world. This infatuation with digital new age technology mixed with the animation of popular Asian culture makes an interesting addition to the Biennale and indeed examines the future possibilities of what Pop Art may entail.

The Jan Fabre exhibition displayed his stunning reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s “Pietà”. Executed in classical technique, the profoundly conceptual piece reinvented the powerful use of symbols in modern context with current realities. Here tradition meets with contemporary portrayal with a deeply rethought rendering.

In most cases the collateral events made use of better curatorial judgments, from the considerable time put into organizing exhibits to the careful selection of the art exhibited. Such was seen with the exhibit Personal Structures at Palazzo Bembo.  This highly professional and properly presented exhibit met expectations with its intriguing delivery of the reoccurring ideas diverse artists from different backgrounds can approach and mentally co-inhabit. Spaces were simplified down to just one artist per room, except for Weiner and Matelli, offering a clean and coherent flow as not to overwhelm areas with a sense of needing to occupy space as seen in other exhibits. Curators chose to work closely with the artists to create site specific pieces either directly in the gallery or straight from their studios. This attempt to understand the intentions of the artists’ works went to considerate lengths in bridging a much needed communication with the artists to achieve a well executed exhibition.

SITO UFFICIALE