The 59th Venice Art Biennale opened on Saturday in the city of the Doges. Britain won the Golden Lion for best national entry for its pavilion, which features the work of artist Sonia Boyce.
The UK pavilion, titled ‘Feeling Her Way’, features a video installation in which five black female musicians (Poppy Ajudha, Jacqui Dankworth, Sofia Jernberg, Tanita Tikaram and composer Errollyn Wallen) are invited to improvise, interact and play with their voice.
The jury praised a work that ‘proposes another reading of stories through sound’ and ‘reveals a multitude of stories that have remained unheard’.
The international jury awarded two special mentions, one to France for its pavilion ‘Dreams have no title’, by Zineb Sedira, the other to Uganda. For its first participation in the Venice Biennale, the African country presented works by artists Acaye Kerunen and Collin Sekajugo.
‘A will of Venice’
The Golden Lion for ‘the best participant’ at the 2022 edition was awarded to the American Simone Leigh. Presenting him with his award, the president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, hailed “a desire for rebirth, to start once more and to become protagonists of culture and tourism once more, following two years of pandemic”.
“There is a will from Venice,” he added. The Biennale, which runs until November 27, was originally scheduled to take place in 2021, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
majority of women
This edition, which has as its theme ‘The milk of dreams’, is directed by Cecila Alemani, a 45-year-old Italian who wanted to ensure the presence of a majority of female and non-binary artists. In total, 58 countries are represented in national pavilions through 213 artists, including 191 women, i.e. more than 80%.
Organizers banned Russian officials in protest once morest the war in Ukraine, while the Ukrainian delegation managed to leave Kyiv the day Russian troops crossed the border.
The Swiss pavilion was inaugurated on Thursday by Federal Councilor Alain Berset. In the spotlight: the installation ‘The Concert’, by Latifa Echakhch, which invites you to travel through time. The Franco-Moroccan visual artist lives and works in Vevey (VD) and Martigny (VS).
/ATS
