Liz Collins | The Giardini
James Lee Byars and Seung Taek Lee – Invisible Questions that Fill the Air
The Arsenale
Mataaho Collective | The Arsenale
Art Treks goes to the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s premier art events! Take a dive with Art Business News into the world’s most prestigious art festival — we’ll explore stunning pavilions and cutting-edge exhibitions. For all you art enthusiasts planning your 2024 adventures, the Venice Biennale should definitely be on your list. It’s on until November 24th so there’s still plenty of time to prepare and ensure you experience everything this prestigious biennale has to offer!
BIENNALE PRO TIPS
- First things first: don’t get overwhelmed—there’s a lot to see!
- Plan your visit to cover the highlights, but leave room for spontaneous discoveries; you’ll find delightful surprise exhibits and collateral events throughout the city.
- To make the most of your time, purchase your tickets online and skip the lines.
IF YOU'RE VISITING FOR 2 DAYS
Be sure to prioritize your time: Use your Biennale tickets to visit both main venues. On the first day, explore the Giardini exhibit, and on the second day, head to the Arsenale. This way, you’ll experience the best of both major sites.
The Giardini – The 60th International Art Exhibition
It’s a pleasant stroll or a quick Vaporetto ride to reach this charming garden, which has been transformed into an immersive international art exhibit. Whether you choose to walk or ride, be sure to experience this unique and captivating space.
With 30 international pavilions plus the Central Pavilion to explore, be sure to allow plenty of time for your visit. Many exhibitions are experiential, inviting you to fully immerse yourself in the artists’ creations. As you wander, keep the theme Foreigners Everywhere in mind, and observe the diverse interpretations and expressions of this concept throughout the exhibits.
Some Favorite Pavilions
US Pavilion – Jeffrey Gibson: The Space in Which to Place Me
Curators: Kathleen Ash-Milby, Abigail Winograd
Exhibitor: Jeffrey Gibson
German Pavilion – Thresholds
Curator: Çağla Ilk
Exhibitors: Yael Bartana, Ersan Mondtag, Michael Akstaller, Nicole L’Huillier, Robert Lippok, Jan St. Werner
Hungary Pavilion – Techno Zen
Curator: Róna Kopeczky
Exhibitor: Márton Nemes
Polish Pavilion – Repeat After Me II
Curator: Marta Czyż
Exhibitors: Open Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, Anton Varga)
Repeat after Me II is a collective portrait of witnesses of the war in Ukraine.
The Arsenale
April 20 – November 24
Theme: Foreigners Everywhere
This incredible venue is a labyrinth of art, featuring exhibitions from 24 different countries. Once again, the theme Foreigners Everywhere is explored through a myriad of unique interpretations and creative expressions.
Must Sees
South African Pavilion – Quiet Ground
Curator: Portia Malatjie
Exhibitors: MADEYOULOOK (Molemo Moiloa & Nare Mokgotho)
Saudi Arabia Pavilion – Shifting Sands: A Battle Song
Curators: Jessica Cerasi, Maya El Khalil
Exhibitor: Manal AlDowayan
IF YOU HAVE 3 DAYS OR MORE
Lucky you! More time in Venice is always wonderful. Make sure to explore these additional captivating shows:
Punta Della Dogana
Pierre Huyghe – liminal
Pierre Huyghe has since long questioned the relation between the human and the non-human, and conceives his works as speculative fictions from which emerge other modalities of world. Wander through this dynamic, sensitive milieu that is perpetually evolving. The exhibition is a transitory state inhabited by human and non-human creatures and becomes the site of formation of subjectivities that are constantly learning, changing, and hybridizing. You’ll be confronted by completely original video installations that will make you ponder long after you’ve left.
Museo Fortuny
Eva Jospin – Selva
This exhibit begins quietly and builds to a stunning conclusion. The humble materials and consummate craftsmanship are a wonder. The artworks engage deeply with both the historical and environmental context of their setting—the ancient Palazzo Pesaro. They also interact with the museum’s collections, particularly the diverse and rich artistic works of Mariano Fortuny, uncovering unexpected and sometimes surprising aesthetic and methodological connections.
Truly a must-see.
Museo Correr
Francesco Vezzoli – Museum of Tears
Vezzoli juxtaposes his works—both historical and contemporary, including new pieces created specifically for this exhibition—with the masterpieces of the Museo Correr collection. His goal is to foster a dialogue and create a new narrative where art history is reimagined as a living, dynamic entity. By blending themes and iconographies, especially religious ones, from different eras, he explores concepts such as identity, authorship, emotion, and the relationship with the past without denying or erasing it. While the exhibit is quite site specific, the contrast between Vezzoli’s modern conceptual works and traditional Venetian art offers intriguing visual comparisons and prompts thoughtful questions.
Gallerie dell’Accademia
Willem De Kooning L’Italia
This exhibit begins quietly and builds to a stunning conclusion. The humble materials and consummate craftsmanship are a wonder. The artworks engage deeply with both the historical and environmental context of their setting—the ancient Palazzo Pesaro. They also interact with the museum’s collections, particularly the diverse and rich artistic works of Mariano Fortuny, uncovering unexpected and sometimes surprising aesthetic and methodological connections.
Truly a must-see.
Palazzo Loredan
James Lee Byars and Seung Taek Lee – Invisible Questions that Fill the Air
The exhibition spans over six decades of work, solidifying both Byars’ and Lee’s roles as pivotal figures in 20th and 21st-century avant-garde art. The display features stunning compositions that highlight the interplay between the art and the architecture, with intriguing juxtapositions arising from the coexistence of both artists’ works in the same space.
Palazzo Franchetti
Your Ghosts Are Mine
The palazzo is filled with stunning and haunting videos in this original exhibition produced by Qatar Museums. The moving images delve into contemporary themes of community life, memory, transnational crossings, and exile. These films stand apart from mainstream media and cultural industry norms, carving their own unique paths. They are deeply aware of their role as historical artifacts, particularly when they emerge from countries ravaged by conflict or lacking in preserved memorabilia.
About Venice Biennale
The 60th International Art Exhibition, titled Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere, is open to the public from Saturday April 20 to Sunday November 24, 2024, at the Giardini and the Arsenale.
Since 2021, La Biennale di Venezia launched a plan to reconsider all of its activities in light of recognized and consolidated principles of environmental sustainability. For the year 2024, the goal is to extend the achievement of “carbon neutrality” certification, which was obtained in 2023 for La Biennale’s scheduled activities: the 80th Venice International Film Festival, the Theatre, Music and Dance Festivals and, in particular, the 18th International Architecture Exhibition which was the first major Exhibition in this discipline to test in the field a tangible process for achieving carbon neutrality – while furthermore itself reflecting upon the themes of decolonisation and decarbonisation.
