Under the helm of curator Adriano Pedrosa, the 2024 Venice Biennale takes a profound focus on foreign artists, amplifying diverse narratives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Curator Adriano Pedrosa unveils a groundbreaking concept for the 60th Venice Biennale, focusing on foreign artists.
The exhibition "Foreigners Everywhere" will spotlight issues around migration, identity, and social politics.
The "Nucleo Storico" section to highlight works from globally dispersed Italian artists and artists from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Arab world.
The 2024 Venice Biennale: A Platform for the Outsiders, Émigrés, and Diaspora
Greetings to the art enthusiasts across the globe. This time, the Venice Biennale, the world-renowned art exhibition, prepares to step into a new light. Under the vision of Adriano Pedrosa, the 2024 Venice Biennale is set to amplify voices from different parts of the world, shedding light on experiences that are often pushed to the periphery of our global narrative.
Pedrosa’s groundbreaking vision for the 60th International Art Exhibition, taking place from 20th April to 24th November 2024, manifests in an exhibition entitled “Foreigners Everywhere.” The focus here is on those artists who have grappled with the experience of being an outsider – the immigrant, the diasporic, the refugee, the émigré, and more. This bold theme aims to resonate with the lived experiences of many, underlining the journey of artists as they move, settle, and interact with different cultures and societies.
Under the helm of curator Adriano Pedrosa, the 2024 Venice Biennale takes a profound focus on foreign artists, amplifying diverse narratives.
“Foreigners Everywhere”: The Artistic Lens on Sociopolitical Issues and Migration
As Pedrosa elucidates, the essence of the “straniero” or the foreigner is at the core of his curatorial concept. The “straniero” artist could be the queer artist, navigating varied sexualities and genders, often subjected to persecution or legal sanction. Or the outsider artist, someone positioned on the fringes of the art world, akin to the autodidact and the folk artist. Or the indigenous artist, ironically treated as a foreigner in their homeland.
The curator, announced for the role in late 2023, underscores that his showcase will mirror the socio-economic and political issues of the contemporary world. These artworks bear witness to a world embroiled in crises related to human mobility, existence, and survival across nations and borders. They reflect the challenges of language, translation, ethnicity, expressing disparities and differences based on nationality, race, gender, sexuality, wealth, and freedom.
The “Nucleo Storico”: A Historic Homage to Global Artistry
During a livestreamed briefing, Pedrosa shed light on a special section of the Biennale called the “Nucleo Storico.” This will feature works by artists from the 20th century hailing from Latin America, Africa, the Arab world, and Asia. It will also pay homage to Italian artists who ventured abroad in the 20th century and immersed themselves in local cultures, playing significant roles in the narratives of modernism outside Italy.
Roberto Cicutto, the president of the Venice Biennale, noted the significance of having a curator from a Latin American country – Pedrosa is the director of MASP, the São Paulo Museum of Art. He said, “This is not just an aesthetic point of view, but a geographical one as well, just like in film when you shoot a reverse shot of the same scene.”
With this bold and inclusive vision, the 2024 Venice Biennale promises to present a refreshing perspective in the global art scene, making the 60th International Art Exhibition a rendezvous to look forward to.
Marilyn Walters
Marilyn Walters is a seasoned news journalist with over two years of experience in the field. Known for her investigative reporting and insightful analysis, Marilyn has covered significant global events with an objective lens. Her relentless pursuit of truth and dedication to journalistic integrity have established her as a respected voice in today's dynamic news landscape.
