AO ON SITE: 60th Venice Biennale “Foreigners Everywhere”

April 30th, 2024

Movimento dos Artistas Huni Kuin at Venice Biennale 2024

Movimento dos Artistas Huni Kuin at Venice Biennale 2024

The 60th International Art Exhibition, known as the Venice Biennale, is set to run from April 20 to November 24, 2024. This year’s theme, “Stranieri Ovunque” or “Foreigners Everywhere,” is curated by Adriano Pedrosa, marking a significant milestone as the first South American curator of the Biennale Arte. The event is hosted at Venice’s historic Giardini and Arsenale venues, which have been central to the Biennale since its earliest editions. The theme explores the concepts of intersectionality, displacement, and the reevaluation of geographical margins in the art world. 

Mataaho Collective at Venice Biennale 2024

Mataaho Collective at Venice Biennale 2024

This year’s Biennale Arte is distinct in its focus on artists who are typically considered outsiders within the global art scene – foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, and other members of the diaspora. The exhibition features 331 artists and collectives from about 80 countries, showcasing a variety of interpretations and responses to “Foreigners Everywhere.” In particular, it highlights artists from the Global South and those who have moved between the Global South and the Global North, challenging traditional narratives and perspectives in contemporary art. The exhibition includes a strong representation of artists who are engaging with issues of identity, nationality, and migration.

Ione Saldanha at Venice Biennale 2024

Ione Saldanha at Venice Biennale 2024

For the first time in its history, the Biennale features a large-scale painting by indigenous art collective, Movimento dos Artistas Huni Kuin (MAHKU) of the Huni Kuin people, prominently displayed on the façade of the Central Pavilion. This inclusion signifies a shift towards a more inclusive approach to the selection of artists and artworks, emphasizing the importance of diverse origins and stories in contemporary art. The exhibition also incorporates a plethora of artistic mediums, with notable emphasis on textile art, serving as a metaphor for interconnectedness and the weaving together of different cultural narratives.

Omar Mismar at Venice Biennale 2024

Omar Mismar at Venice Biennale 2024

The Central Pavilion is split in two thematic halves – the first being titled ‘Nucleo Contemporaneo’, the ‘Contemporary Core’, which engages with the term “foreigner” by spotlighting queer, outsider, self-taught, and indigenous artists; grouped together, these artists expand upon the notions of duality and “otherness”. The second half of the exhibition, ‘Nucleo Storico’ or ‘Historical Core’, includes works from twentieth-century artists from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This section addresses the lesser-known modernisms of these regions, presenting them not just as historical footnotes but as vital contributors to the global artistic landscape. Aiming to detach from the Eurocentric focus of art history, it broadens the understanding of modern artistic movements and their global impact.

Frieda Toranzo Jaeger at Venice Biennale 2024

Frieda Toranzo Jaeger at Venice Biennale 2024

Historically, the venues themselves, the Giardini and the Arsenale, have been central to the Venice Biennale since its inception. These venues have evolved over the years, reflecting changes in architectural and exhibition practices. The Giardini houses 29 national pavilions, some designed by notable architects such as Josef Hoffmann and Alvar Aalto, while the Arsenale has been a flexible space for thematic explorations and large-scale installations since its inclusion in the Biennale program. Together, these venues provide a fitting backdrop for an exhibition that interrogates and celebrates the vast spectrum of global artistic expression.

Wifredo Lam at Venice Biennale 2024

Wifredo Lam at Venice Biennale 2024

Salman Toor at Venice Biennale 2024

Salman Toor at Venice Biennale 2024

Nil Yalter at Venice Biennale 2024

Nil Yalter at Venice Biennale 2024

Wael Shawky at Venice Biennale 2024 2

Wael Shawky at Venice Biennale 2024

Wael Shawky at Venice Biennale 2024

Wael Shawky at Venice Biennale 2024

River Claure at Venice Biennale 2024

River Claure at Venice Biennale 2024

Santiago Yahuarcani at Venice Biennale 2024

Santiago Yahuarcani at Venice Biennale 2024

Rember Yahuarcani at Venice Biennale 2024

Rember Yahuarcani at Venice Biennale 2024

Yinka Shonibare at Venice Biennale 2024

Yinka Shonibare at Venice Biennale 2024

Venice Biennale 2024

Venice Biennale 2024

WangShui at Venice Biennale 2024

WangShui at Venice Biennale 2024

Marlene Gilson at Venice Biennale 2024

Marlene Gilson at Venice Biennale 2024

Louis Fratino at Venice Biennale 2024

Louis Fratino at Venice Biennale 2024

Kay WalkingStick at Venice Biennale 2024

Kay WalkingStick at Venice Biennale 2024

Kang Seung Lee at Venice Biennale 2024

Kang Seung Lee at Venice Biennale 2024

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024 5

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024 4

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024 3

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024 2

Jeffrey Gibson at Venice Biennale 2024

Evelyn Taocheng Wangat Venice Biennale 2024

Evelyn Taocheng Wang at Venice Biennale 2024

Erica Rutherford at Venice Biennale 2024

Erica Rutherford at Venice Biennale 2024

Emmi Whitehorse at Venice Biennale 2024

Emmi Whitehorse at Venice Biennale 2024

Dana Awartani at Venice Biennale 2024

Dana Awartani at Venice Biennale 2024

Dalton Paula at Venice Biennale 2024

Dalton Paula at Venice Biennale 2024

Claudia Alacron Puntana & Silat at Venice Biennale 2024

Claudia Alacron Puntana & Silat at Venice Biennale 2024

Chang Woosoung at Venice Biennale 2024

Chang Woosoung at Venice Biennale 2024

Brett Graham at Venice Biennale 2024

Brett Graham at Venice Biennale 2024

Barbara Sanchez Kane at Venice Biennale 2024

Barbara Sanchez Kane at Venice Biennale 2024

Alioune Diagne at Venice Biennale 2024

Alioune Diagne at Venice Biennale 2024

Photos by Art Observed

For more information visit the Venice Biennale website