An Insider's Guide To The Venice Biennale

 

“My suggestion for anyone visiting the Biennale would be to explore the off-the-beaten-track pavilions outside of the main venues (namely, the historical Arsenale and the grandiose Giardini). This year sees the unprecedented rise of African pavilions representing the nations that have often stood by the sidelines of the art world’s most competitive arena. After a century of virtual absence, 2001’s Authentic/Ex-centric: Africa in and out of Africa was the first major exhibition by African artists to be exhibited in the Biennale; this year, however, countries including Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles, will each unveil their own pavilions. While there is no easy solution to upending the longstanding hierarchies of power, Venice should be a place for unexpected discoveries and new encounters, a place where artists dare to transform the way we see the world.”

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