D'SIGN's Weekly Dose: Venice Biennale 2011

Visiting the Venice Biennale

Established in 1895 the Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is the oldest, and remains the most important and prestigious event on the international contemporary visual arts calendar visual arts event. History Venice Biennale Every two years Venice becomes the world stage with the attention of the world’s visual arts community and media focused on Venice over a six-month period. The 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale is directed in 2011 by the art historian and critic Bice Curiger. The exhibition is open from 4th June to 27th November 2011.

Bice Curiger is an art historian, critic and curator of international exhibitions. Her curatorial activity at Kunsthaus Zurich parallels her important work in the publishing sector. In 1984, she co founded the prestigious art magazine “Parkett”, of which she is editor-in-chief. She has been publishing director of London Tate Gallery’s magazine “Tate etc” since 2004.

Song Dong (Born and works in China)

But what about the artists? There are 82 included in "ILLUMInations" in all, of which an unimpressive 32 are female, for those who keep score. The list contains a fair number of figures who are already favorites of other international art spectacles — Omer Fast, Urs Fischer, Katharina Fritsch, Cyprien Gaillard, Klara Lidén, Christian Marclay, Philippe Parreno, Seth Price, Pipilotti Rist, and Josh Smith, to name a few.

Andro Wekua (Born in Georgia; works in Switzerland and Germany)

Curiger have said; that her show will focus on "the intuitive insight and the illumination of thought that is fostered by an encounter with art and its ability to sharpen the tools of perception." Though her selection gravitates towards young artists, she declares that contemporary art "no longer cultivates the pathos of anti-art," and that she will somehow incorporate the works of Venetian Old Master Tintoretto into the show to ground it. She also declares that the "Age of Enlightenment also resonates in 'ILLUMInations,' testifying to the enduring vibrancy of its legacy" — a pronouncement that is sure to rankle the more unreconstructed deconstructionists among the art critics.

Rashid Johnson (Born and works in USA)

Franz West (Born and works in Austria)

Nicholas Hlobo (Born and works in South Africa)

Navid Nuur (Born in Iran; works in Holland)

Luca Francesconi (Born in Italy; works in Italy and France)

Klara Liden (Born in Sweden; works in Germany)

Jean-Luc Mylayne (Born in France; works globally)

Corinne Wasmuht (Born and works in Germany)

Ida Ekblad (Born and works in Norway)

Ida Ekblad (Born and works in Norway)

Ida Ekblad (Born and works in Norway)

Guilia Piscitelli (Born and works in Italy)

Fabian Marti (Born and works in Switzerland)

Elad Lassry (Born in Israel; works in USA)

Birdhead (Born and work in China)

Anya Titova (Born and works in Russia)

Annette Kelm (Born and works in Germany)

Urs Fischer (Born in Switzerland; works in USA)

Monica Bonvicini (Born in Italy; works in Germany)

Story by: Gabriëlle Voogt

Photos: Courtesy of Design Milk
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