Venezuelan Pavilion
55th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
El arte urbano. Una estética de la Subversión
The Venezuelan Urban Artists Collective takes over Venezuela's National Pavilion, contrasting the surrounding greens with bold urban art statements. El Arte Urbano. Una estetica de la Subversion (Urban Art. The Aesthetics of Subversion) is the main theme of this year Venezuela partecipation at Venice Biennale and, it aims to imbue the 55th biennial with rebellious spirit.
In the wake of Hugo Chávez’s Bolivarian and ‘Socialism of the 21st Century’ politics, art collectives in Venezuela, in all their varied expressions and forms, have found fertile ground to multiply and evolve. Under his presidency, museums and public spaces have started to favour group exhibitions and performances over the showcasing of individual artists. The collective spirit itself, instead of one of several themes, often becomes an exhibition’s focal point. Collectives with a shorter or longer life-span have seen an unprecedented rise in recent years, potentially overshadowing individual artists in the process, but also triggering social participation and imagination.
Apart from the Pavilion curator Juan Calzadilla, no individual names of participating artists have yet been released leading up to the opening of the Venice Biennale. The history of Venezuelan art collectives can be traced back to the 1950s (Calzadilla's El Techo de la Ballena, for example). Given the history of collective art collaboration in Venezuela this year's choice is adequately telling of the country's spirit and recent history, revealing the ways in which Venezuelan artists have adapted to the historical and political climate by amalgamating both cherished traditions and new ideas.
Curator: Juan Calzadilla
Commissioner: Edgar Ernesto González
Special Event:
Fri, May 31 | 2:30pm, Opening reception
Artists:
Venezuelan Urban Artists Collective
Open: Saturday, 01 June 2013
Close: Sunday, 24 November 2013
Address: Giardini della Biennale
Opening hour: 10am - 6pm
Closing day: Mon (except for June 3 and November 18)
Transport: Lines 1, 2, Giardini
