La Biennale di Venezia

57. LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA
13 May - 26 November 2017

VIVA ARTE VIVA

Curator: Christine Macel

The Exhibition: Focus on Art and Artists

Today, in a world full of conflicts and shocks, art bears witness to the most precious part of what makes us human. Art is the ultimate ground for reflection, individual expression, freedom, and for fundamental questions. Art is the favourite realm for dreams and utopias, a catalyst for human connections that roots us both to nature and the cosmos, that elevates us to a spiritual dimension. Art is the last bastion, a garden to cultivate above and beyond trends and personal interests. It stands as an unequivocal alternative to individualism and indifference. It builds us up and edifies us. At a time of global disorder, art embraces life, even if doubt ensues inevitably. The role, the voice and the responsibility of the artist are more crucial than ever before within the framework of contemporary debates. It is in and through these individual initiatives that the world of tomorrow takes shape, which though surely uncertain, is often best intuited by artists than others.

VIVA ARTE VIVA is an exclamation, a passionate outcry for art and the state of the artist. VIVA ARTE VIVA is a Biennale designed with artists, by artists and for artists, about the forms they propose, the questions they ask, the practices they develop and the ways of life they choose.

Rather than broaching a single theme, VIVA ARTE VIVA offers a route that moulds the artists’ works and a context that favours access and understanding, generating connections, resonances and thoughts. The journey unfolds over the course of nine chapters, or families of artists, beginning with two introductory realms in the Central Pavilion, followed by another seven across the Arsenale through the Giardino delle Vergini. Each chapter represents a Pavilion in itself, or rather a Trans-Pavilion as it is trans-national by nature but echoesthe Biennale’s historical organisation into pavilions, the number of which has never ceased to grow since the end of the 1990s. This semantic nod addresses the often debated relevance of the national pavilions, whilst going beyond it, as each chapter mixes artists of all generations and origins. There is however, no physical separation between the various pavilions, which flow together like the chapters of a book. From the Pavilion of Artists and Books to the Pavilion of Time and Infinity, these nine episodes tell a story that is often discursive and at times paradoxical, with detours that mirror the world’s complexities, a multiplicity of approaches and a wide variety of practices. The exhibition is intended as an experience, an extrovert movement from the self to the other, towards a common space beyond the defined dimensions, and onwards to the idea of a potential neo-humanism. This movement of the self towards the unknown, where experience and speculation are at the forefront is in and of itself a response to a conservative environment, defying bias, distrust and indifference.

VIVA ARTE VIVA also seeks to convey a positive and prospective energy, which whilst focusing on young artists, rediscovers those passed away too soon or those who are still largely unknown despite the importance of their work. These discoveries and recoveries give way, in each pavilion, to a communion of artists from several generations, offering perspectives on questions that were often broached as early as the 1960s and specially the 1970s. These issues are revisited by artists in today’s world of constant anthropological and societal change. The artists’ interpretations hinge on forms that reflect the concerns of the civil society. After all, art may not have changed the world, but it remains the field where it can be reinvented.

Starting with the Pavilion of Artists and Books, the exhibition reveals its premise, a dialectic that involves the whole of contemporary society, beyond the artist himself, and addresses the organisation of society and its values. Art and artists are at the heart of the exhibition, which begins by examining their practices, the way they create art, halfway between idleness and action, otium and negotium. The Roman otium, and its Greek predecessor scholè, originally understood as a privileged moment, is nowadays improperly translated as idleness of pejorative connotation, or leisure, which is not far removed from entertainment. The word otium, in contrast with the business world or negotium, from which the artist can never really escape, implies a space for free time, for inactivity and availability, a space of productive idleness and mind work, of quietness and action, a space where the work of art comes to be.

The decision to become an artist, in and of itself, requires taking a stance in society, one that is today broadly popular and widely acknowledged, but is perceived nevertheless as an act of calling into question work -and its by-product: money- as the absolute value in the modern world. Being an artist means differentiating between the private individual and the public individual, not as a person of media but as someone who is confronted with the res publica. Indeed, while the artist produces artworks that are meant to be commercialized, the modes of production of his or her disposal include an alternative within which the need for inactivity or rather non-productive action, for mind wandering and research, remain paramount. This position inevitably has consequences on the way in which free time is perceived by society: it is no longer a time to be spent or even consumed, but a time for oneself.

The Nine Trans-Pavilions:

The Pavilion of Artists and Books opens on a tension between action and inaction, between laziness and active engagement. This section of the exhibition looks at ways of being an artist, the reasons, both good and bad for “making art” today, looking also – with a hint of sarcasm – at the art milieu itself. This pavilion gives us a glimpse of the artists’ studios; some of which increasingly resemble offices, warehouses or collective workplaces. Studios are no longer only places for introspective and solitary research. Some have become full-scale laboratories that congregate multiple skills and a particular hierarchy. No longer “factories” but rather workshops built around a communal life with shared qualifications and a horizontal, interconnected organisation, the doors of the studios are in fact wide open onto the public sphere.
The material and spiritual worlds of artists are unfolded in this pavilion, in particular through their relationship with books, texts and knowledge in its broadest sense, which is a recurrent theme in several artists’ works. In an era described as post-internet the relationship between artists and the written word does not appear to have relaxed but rather it has been enriched with new meanings. The ambivalence of the artist in regards to the written word and especially to meaning, forecasts a deep transformation in terms of language, knowledge, the means to access knowledge and its place in society. Meanwhile the artist continues to define himself in relation to the history of art, just as he has always done.

After this Pavilion, the exhibition develops organically in a series of pavilions, rooms or stanze, inviting visitors into an experiential journey from interiority to infinity.

The Pavilion of Joys and Fears explores the relationship between the individual and his own existence, his emotions and feelings or the ones he tries to generate. In a world shaken by conflicts, wars, and increasing inequality that lead to populism and anti-elitism, subjective emotions resurface, now more than ever. This forces us to reconsider the human being, not only as a reasonable being capable of building a new, free and fraternal world, but also how he grapples with his impulses and emotions, including the less noble ones of fear, anxiety or aggression. A vulnerable and fragile self comes to light. New feelings of alienation due to forced migrations or mass surveillance, feelings of oblivion, distortion, and suspension gain momentum. At the same time, several artists think of the individual in its most private dimension, delving into their own relationships with their close ones or their ties to their country of origin. Some artists resort for instance to science fiction and cartoon-like imagery to address such feelings of melancholy and alienation. They reappropriate the self, its body and emotions, as the too-often forgotten source and the home for our thoughts. The reinvention of humanism is thus grounded on reason and, far from being isolated, it is connected to the reality of emotions.

Next on our journey, The Pavilion of the Common greets us in the Arsenale around the work of artists exploring the notion of the common world and the way to build a community, as a way to counter individualism and self-interests, which represent a worrisome threat in today’s troubling climate. This topic was particularly vibrant in the history of contemporary art from the late 1960’s through the 1970’s, and remains just as relevant to this day, although tarnished by the failings and disillusions of such utopian dreams. The anthropological aspect is particularly important here, with a number of historical works addressing the issue of the common world where conceptions of the world appear the most different, or rooted to the earth and community as common denominators, regardless of ideology. Several artists have even embraced the participatory approach as a recurrent modus operandi that they implement with varying scales.
Other more ambivalent works regret the loss of the common and express their longing, although sometimes with the feeling of having reached a dead end. How do you build something in common in a world that has failed to realize all its projects of equality and fraternity, other than by attempting to recreate, here and there, at the micropolitical level, conditions for new possibilities?

Likewise, The Pavilion of the Earth is centred onenvironmental, animal and planetary utopias, observations and dreams. From communitarian utopias reminiscent of the ecological or esoteric ideas typical of the 1970s, to current theories about the ties between climate and capitalist strategies, as well as individual fictions; all conjure both a sense of melancholy and a profound joy. Some utopias go back to the beginnings of ecology, and interpret the work of art within an extended scope that reaches through the environment and life itself. With a systematic rejection of the world of individualist and sedentary progress, some artists continue to act on the fringes of the art system, while others narrate the turmoil of their environment. Issues of energy conversion and industrial transformation, and the exploitation of our planet’s resources, are analysed through a historical prism, particularly as it relates to colonial history, and pervade the works of many artists, combining nostalgia and a sense of a future unknown.

The Pavilion of Traditions

Traditions that were once rejected in the 18th century by the Enlightenment and later by secular modernity, have re-emerged in the worst sense, , namely fundamentalism and conservatism, sparking rejection and nostalgia for the past believed to be better. However and in spite of the many hesitations experienced as part of modernity and its faith in the project of a new man, the past thirty years have provided the opportunity, in the field of art, to question tradition no longer from the point of view of customs and behaviours, often associated with religion or morality, but through the lens of dialogue between the old and the recent. The last few years have seen a plethora of artists explore not only contemporary or recent history, but also a more distant past, as if fired by the fever of archaeology, excavation, re-interpretation and reinvention. A sign of unstable times, tainted by a feeling of a by-gone era that must open up to new values, art delves into long past historical references in an urge for legitimacy, rebirth and reinvention.

In The Pavilion of the Shamans, many artists subscribe to the definition of the artist as a “shaman”, and there are also those who become “missionaries”, as per Duchamps’s definition, stirred by an internal vision. This figure, which Joseph Beuys made his own, from which few managed to recover, and was mostly -in retrospect- underestimated, takes on today a new dimension, at a time where the need for care and spirituality is greater than ever. This spiritual turning point, characterized by the concern for others and meditation, appeals sometimes to various philosophies, in particular Buddhism or Sufism. Other artists seek to exorcise and purify in a post-colonial context, banishing exploitation and slavery a posteriori. The invention of stories or performances reminiscent of therapeutic rituals illustrates the aspiration towards the sacred, admittedly a key feature of the beginning of the 21st century, although without any religious digression. The artistic and political contribution attempts to transcend the ruins of the past and the wounds of the present, in a tone that is not exempt of playfulness, sometimes material, at others ironic.

The Dionysian Pavilion celebrates the female body and its sexuality, life and pleasure, all with joy and a sense of humour, and features numerous works created by female artists. Drawings, costumes, geometrical paintings with erotic lines, organic sculptures and photographs reinvent the image of the female body, no longer seen through the gaze of desire but from within or from its edges. The Pavilion is a hymn to sensuality and inebriation, combined with music, dance, singing, and trance as ways to access this dimension, where new states of consciousness seem possible.

The Pavilion of Colours

According to well-known neuroscientific studies, colours do not exist in themselves but are the result of a cognitive function performed by the human brain and eyes as they decipher reality. Colours thus appear to be a particularly subjective source of emotion, which calls to reconsider the relevance of the phenomenological approaches of art. With a fine balance between finesse and transparency, light and spirituality, haptic experience and visual explosion, loaded sometimes with anthropological, even political, connotations, The Pavilion of Colours can be described as the “fireworks” at the end of the journey through the Arsenale, where all the questions presented in the preceding pavilions come together to provide what might be described almost as an “out-of-self” experience prior to the final chapter.

The Pavilion of Time and Infinity

What form would a metaphysical approach to art take? Time as a flow of continuous mutations and impermanence that eventually lead to death, has inhabited the work of artists since the 1970s, when conceptual performance combined thoughts on the length of time and the inevitable fall. Reformulated by artists since the 1990s at the time of “presentism”, or suspended time and “hyper-instantaneousness”, the notion of time re-emerges today with a new metaphysical quality, within borgesian mazes and speculations of a future that is already embedded in the present, or in an ideal infinity. In face of the lagoon, the artist disappears or reinvents himself as “improved”, through the power of hypnosis.

Parallel events

Parallel projects and events follow the same curatorial premise, which is to place artists at the heart of the exhibition VIVA ARTE VIVA. The catalogue is exclusively dedicated to the artists who are invited to present visual and textual documentation about their practice and their environment.

Artists will be the guiding force behind VIVA ARTE VIVA in more ways than one. In addition to their participation in the exhibition, they will begiven the opportunity to be heard. Every Friday and Saturday during the six months of the exhibition, artists will host an Open Table (Tavola Aperta) and meet visitors over a casual lunch to hold a lively conversation about their practice. These biweekly events will be organized in two dedicated spaces refurbished for this purpose in front of the Central Pavilion of the Giardini and in the Sala d’Armi in the Arsenale.
The Open Table (Tavola Aperta) events will be filmed and streamed live on La Biennale’s website.

A permanent space will also be created in both exhibition venues for the Artists Practices Project, a series of short videos made by the artists about themselves and their way of working. In the weeks preceding the vernissage of VIVA ARTE VIVA, a new video will premiere every day on La Biennale’s website, giving the public the opportunity to become familiar with the participating artists even before the exhibition opens.

These two parallel projects are open to all artists in the Biennale. The artists representing the National Pavilions are welcome to host their own Open Table (Tavola Aperta) event on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They are also invited to join the Artists Practices Project with their videos. VIVA ARTE VIVAthus hopes to reinforce and build on the unity of the Biennale around the artists themselves.

Finally, the project titled Unpacking My Library, inspired by Walter Benjamin’s essay published in 1931, allows the artists of VIVA ARTE VIVA to compile a list of their favourite books. This is both a way to get to know the artists better and a source of inspiration for the public (Walter Benjamin - Unpacking My Library: a Talk about Book Collecting, followed by a list of the texts read and collected by the author). The list of books will be published in the exhibition at the Central Pavilion and in the catalogue. The books listed by all the participating artists will be available to visitors at the Stirling Pavilion in the Giardini.

Special projects and performances

Several special, site specific and performance projects have been commissioned especially for the Giardini, the Giardino delle Vergini and other venues around the city of Venice. A dense programme of approximately twenty performances will be held during the opening week. The performances will all be filmed and streamed live on La Biennale’s website. The videos will remain on view in a dedicated room of the Arsenale.

Christine Macel, curator of Biennale Arte 2017

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ARTISTS

Bas Jan ADER
b. 1942 The Netherlands, missing since 1975

Abdullah AL SAADI
b. 1967 United Arab Emirates, lives and works in Khorfakkan

Nevin ALADAG
b. 1972 Turkey, lives and works in Berlin

Leonor ANTUNES
b. 1972 Portugal, lives and works in Berlin

Rasheed ARAEEN
b. 1935 Pakistan, lives and works in London

Salvatore ARANCIO
b. 1974 Italy, lives and works in London

Jelili ATIKU
b. 1968 Nigeria, lives and works in Lagos

Charles ATLAS
b. 1949 United States, lives and works in New York

Kader ATTIA
b. 1970 France, lives and works in Berlin and Paris

Marcos ÁVILA FORERO
b. 1983 France, lives and works in Paris and Bogota

Rina BANERJEE
b. 1963 India, lives and works in New York

Michael BEUTLER
b. 1976 Germany, lives and works in Berlin

McArthur BINION
b. 1946 United States, lives and works in Chicago

Karla BLACK
b. 1972 United Kingdom, lives and works in Glasgow

Irma BLANK
b. 1934 Germany, lives and works in Milan

Michel BLAZY
b. 1966 Monaco, lives and works in Paris

Paulo BRUSCKY
b. 1949 Brazil, lives and works in Recife

Heidi BUCHER
b. 1926 – d. 1993 Switzerland

Huguette CALAND
b. 1931 Lebanon, lives and works in Los Angeles

Julian CHARRIÈRE
b. 1987 Switzerland, lives and works in Berlin

Michele CIACCIOFERA
b. 1969 Italy, lives and works in Paris

Martin CORDIANO
b. 1975 Argentina, lives and works in London

Attila CSÖRGO
b. 1965 Hungary, lives and works in Bialystok

Pauline CURNIER JARDIN
b. 1980 France, lives and works in Amsterdam and Berlin

Mariechen DANZ
b. 1980 Ireland, lives and works in Berlin

Edith DEKYNDT
b. 1960 Belgium, lives and works in Berlin

Sebastián DÍAZ MORALES
b. 1975 Argentina, lives and works in Amsterdam

Juan DOWNEY
b. 1940 Chile - d. 1993 United States

Olafur ELIASSON
b. 1967 Denmark, lives and works in Copenhagen and Berlin

Søren ENGSTED
b. 1974 Denmark, lives and works in Copenhagen

Vadim FIŠKIN
b. 1965 Russia, lives and works in Ljubljana

Nicolás GARCÍA URIBURU
b. 1937 – d. 2016 Argentina

Jianyi GENG
b. 1962 China, lives and works in Hangzhou

Sam GILLIAM
b. 1933 United States, lives and works in Washington

Giorgio GRIFFA
b. 1936 Italy, lives and works in Turin

Xiao GUAN
b. 1983 China, lives and works in Beijing

Riccardo GUARNERI
b. 1933 Italy, lives and works in Florence

Cynthia GUTIÉRREZ
b. 1978 Mexico, lives and works in Guadalajara

Raymond HAINS
b. 1926 – d. 2005 France

Tibor HAJAS
b. 1946 – d. 1980 Hungary

Petrit HALILAJ
b. 1986 Kosovo, lives and works in Bozzolo, Berlin, and Pristina

Anna HALPRIN
b. 1920 United States, lives and works in Kentfield

Liang HAO
b. 1983 China, lives and works in Beijing

Ayrson HERÁCLITO
b. 1968 Brazil, lives and works in Salvador

Sheila HICKS
b. 1934 United States, lives and works in Paris

ANDY HOPE 1930
b. in Germany, lives and works in Berlin

Dawn KASPER
b. 1977 United States, lives and works in New York

Hassan KHAN
b. 1975 United Kingdom, lives and works in Cairo

Sung Hwan KIM
b. 1975 Korea, lives and works in New York

Abdoulaye KONATÉ
b. 1953 Mali, lives and works in Bamako

Irina KORINA
b. 1977 Russia, lives and works in Moscow

Alicja KWADE
b. 1979 Poland, lives and works in Berlin

Firenze LAI
b. 1984 Hong Kong, lives and works in Hong Kong

Maria LAI
b. 1919 – d. 2013 Italy

Teresa LANCETA
b. 1951 Spain, lives and works in Alicante and Barcelona

John LATHAM
b. 1921 Zambia – d. 2006 United Kingdom

Mingwei LEE
b. 1964 Taiwan, lives and works in Paris

Franck LEIBOVICI
b. 1975 France, lives and works in Paris

Sam LEWITT
b. 1981 United States, lives and works in New York

Jianhua LIU
b. 1962 China, lives and works in Shanghai

Ye LIU
b. 1964 China, lives and works in Beijing

Taus MAKHACHEVA
b. 1983 Russia, lives and works in Makhachkala and Moscow

Maha MALLUH
b. 1959 Saudi Arabia, lives and works in Riyadh

MARWAN
b. 1934 Syria – d. 2016 Germany

Takesada MATSUTANI
b. 1937 Japan, lives and works in Paris

David MEDALLA
b. 1938 Philippines, lives and works in London

Dan MILLER
b. 1961 United States, lives and works in Oakland

Peter MILLER
b. 1978 United States, lives and works in Cologne and Düsseldorf

Antoni MIRALDA, Joan RABASCALL, Dorothée SELZ, Jaume XIFRA
b. 1942 Spain, lives and works in Barcelona; b. 1935 Spain, lives and works in Paris
b. 1946 France, lives and works in Paris; b. 1934 Spain – d. 2014 France

MONDRIAN FAN CLUB (David Medalla & Adam Nankervis)
b. 1938 Philippines, lives and works in London
b. 1965 Australia, lives and works in London and Berlin

Ciprian MURESAN
b. 1977 Romania, lives and works in Cluj

Senga NENGUDI
b. 1943 United States, lives and works in Colorado Springs

Ernesto NETO
b. 1964 Brazil, lives and works in Rio de Janeiro

Katherine NUÑEZ & Issay RODRIGUEZ
b. 1992 Philippines / b. 1991 Philippines, live and work in Marikina City

OHO
Founded in 1966, based in Kranj and Ljubjana until 1971

Gabriel OROZCO
b. 1962 Mexico, lives and works in Tokyo

Philippe PARRENO
b. 1964 Algeria, lives and works in Paris

Sopheap PICH
b. 1971 Cambodia, lives and works in Phnom Penh

Luboš PLNÝ
b. 1961 Czech Republic, lives and works in Prague

Marko POGACNIK
b. 1944 Slovenia, lives and works in Sempas

Agnieszka POLSKA
b. 1985 Poland, lives and works in Berlin

Kananginak POOTOOGOOK
b. 1951 – d. 2010 Canada

Liliana PORTER
b. 1941 Argentina, lives and works in New York

Eileen QUINLAN
b. 1972 United States, lives and works in New York

Younès RAHMOUN
b. 1975 Morocco, lives and works in Tetouan

Edi RAMA
b. 1964 Albania, lives and works in Tirana

Enrique RAMÍREZ
b. 1979 Chile, lives and works in Paris and Santiago

Naufus RAMÍREZ-FIGUEROA
b. 1978 Guatemala, lives and works in Berlin

Rachel ROSE
b. 1986 United States, lives and works in New York

Anri SALA
b. 1974 Albania, lives and works in Berlin

Zilia SÁNCHEZ
b. 1926 Cuba, lives and works in San Juan

Yorgos SAPOUNTZIS
b. 1976 Greece, lives and works in Berlin

Judith SCOTT
b. 1943 – d. 2005 United States

Hassan SHARIF
b. 1951 – d. 2016 United Arab Emirates

Nancy SHAVER
b. 1946 United States, lives and works in Jefferson and Hudson

Jeremy SHAW
b. 1977 Canada, lives and works in Berlin

Bonnie Ora SHERK
b. United States, lives and works in New York and San Francisco

SHIMABUKU
b. 1969 Japan, lives and works in Naha

Kiki SMITH
b. 1954 Germany, lives and works in New York and Catskill

Frances STARK
b. 1967 United States, lives and works in Los Angeles

Mladen STILINOVIC
b. 1947 Serbia – d. 2016 Croatia

Fiete STOLTE
b. 1979 Germany, lives and works in Berlin

Michelle STUART
b. 1933 United States, lives and works in New York

Kishio SUGA
b. 1944 Japan, lives and works in Ito

Koki TANAKA
b. 1975 Japan, lives and works in Kyoto

Hale TENGER
b. 1960 Turkey, lives and works in Istanbul

THE PLAY
Founded in 1967 in Japan, based in Kansai region

Achraf TOULOUB
b. 1986 Morocco, lives and works in Paris

Thu Van TRAN
b. 1979 Vietnam, lives and works in Paris

Francis UPRITCHARD
b. 1976 New Zealand, lives and works in London

Erika VERZUTTI
b. 1971 Brazil, lives and works in São Paulo

Marie VOIGNIER
b. 1974 France, lives and works in Paris

Yelena VOROBYEVA & Viktor VOROBYEV
b. 1959 Turkmenistan / b. 1959 Kazakhstan, live and work in Almaty

Hajra WAHEED
b. 1980 Canada, lives and works in Montreal

Franz Erhard WALTHER
b. 1939 Germany, lives and works in Fulda

John WATERS
b. 1946 United States, lives and works in Baltimore

Franz WEST
b. 1947 – d. 2012 Austria

Cerith WYN EVANS
b. 1958 United Kingdom, lives and works in London

YEESOOKYUNG
b. 1963 Korea, lives and works in Seoul

Tao ZHOU
b. 1976 China, lives and works in Guangzhou

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NATIONAL PARTICIPANTS

ALBANIA
Occurrence in present tense
Commissioner: Minister of Culture, Mrs. Mirela Kumbaro. Curator: Vanessa Joan Müller. Exhibitor: Leonard Qylafi. Venue: Arsenale

ANDORRA
MURMURI
Commissioner: Miriam Ambatlle. Curators: Ivan Sansa, Javier Balmaseda, Paolo De Grandis. Exhibitor: Eve Ariza.
Venue: Istituto Provinciale Santa Maria della Pietà, Castello 3701

ANGOLA
Magnetic Memory / Historical Resonance
Commissioner: Minister of Culture of Angola, Dr. Carolina Cerqueira. Curators: José António Oliveira, Maria da Silva de Oliveira e Silva, Paulo Kussy Correia Fernandes. Exhibitor: José António Oliveira "António Ole". Venue: Venice Art Space, Fondamenta degli Incurabili, Dorsoduro 557

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA ***
FRANK WALTER, The Last Universal Man
Commissioner: Melville Richardson. Curator: Barbara Paca. Exhibitor: Frank Walter.
Venue: Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli, Fondamenta Nani, Dorsoduro 947

ARGENTINA
The horse problem
Commissioner: Mauricio Wainrot. Curator: Andrés Duprat. Exhibitor: Claudia Fontes.
Venue: Arsenale

ARMENIA (Republic of)
«Fiamma inextinguible», «The panters in my blossom garden», «Border no Border»
Commissioner: Svetlana Sahakyan. Curators: Bruno Corà, Demetrio Paparoni, Giorgio Grasso. Exhibitors: Jean Boghossian, Rafael Megall, Miro Persolja.
Venue: Collegio Armeno Moorat-Raphael (Palazzo Zenobio, Dorso­duro 2596), Chiesa di Santa Croce degli Armeni (Calle dei Armeni, San Marco 965/A)

AUSTRALIA
My Horizon
Commissioner: Naomi Milgrom AO. Curator: Natalie King. Exhibitor: Tracey Moffatt. Venue: Giardini
www.australiacouncil.gov.au

AUSTRIA
Brigitte Kowanz, Erwin Wurm
Commissioner/Curator: Christa Steinle. Exhibitors: Brigitte Kowanz and Erwin Wurm. Venue: Giardini
www.labiennale.at

AZERBAIJAN (Republic of)
UNDER ONE SUN The Art of Living Together
Commissioner: Ambassador Mammad Ahmadzada. Curators: Martin Roth, Emin Mammadov. Exhibitors: HYPNOTICA Visual Performance Group, Elvin Nabizade. Venue: Palazzo Lezze, Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco 2949
www.azerbaijanvenicebiennale.com

BELARUS (Republic of)
Commissioner: Sharangovich Natalya, National Center of Contemporary Arts.Curator: Roman Zaslonov. Exhibitor: Roman Zaslonov, Viktar Labkovich, Sergey Talybov. Venue: Venezia, Fondamenta San Giuseppe, Castello 925

BELGIUM
Dirk Braeckman
Commissioner: Sven Gatz, Flemish Minister for Culture, Media, Youth & Brussels. Curator: Eva Wittocx. Exhibitor: Dirk Braeckman. Venue: Giardini
www.belgianpavilion.be

BOLIVIA
Essence
Commissioner/Curator: José Bedoya Sáenz. Curators: José Bedoya Sáenz, Juan Fabbri, Gabriele Romeo. Exhibitors: Sol Mateo, Jannis Markopoulos and José Ballivián. Venue: Scuola dei Laneri, Santa Croce 113/A
www.labiennale-bolivia.org

BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA
University of Disaster
Commissioner: Sarita Vujkovic, Museum of Contemporary Art of Republika Srpska. Curators: Christopher Yggdre, Fredrik Svensk, Sinziana Ravini, Ana van der Vliet in collaboration with Hans-Ulrich Obrist. Exhibitors: Radenko Milak in collaboration with Roman Uranjek and international guests (Lamin Fofana, Sidsel Meineche-Hansen, Juan-Pedro Fabra Guemberena, Loulou Cherinet, Geraldine Juárez with Joel Danielsson, Nils Bech with Ida Ekblad). Venue: Palazzo Malipiero, San Marco 3198

BRAZIL
Commissioner: Fundação Bienal de São Paulo. President: João Carlos de Figueiredo Ferraz.
Curator: Jochen Volz. Exhibitor: Cinthia Marcelle. Venue: Giardini

CANADA
Commissioner: National Gallery of Canada. Curators: Kitty Scott; Carol and Morton Rapp Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Ontario. Exhibitor: Geoffrey Farmer. Venue: Giardini
www.gallery.ca/venice/

CHILE
Werken
Commissioner: Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes, Chile. Curator: Ticio Escobar. Exhibitor: Bernardo Oyarzun. Venue: Arsenale
http://bienalvenecia.cultura.gob.cl

CHINA (People’s Republic of)
Continuum-Generation by Generation
Commissioner: China Arts and Entertainment Group. Curator: Qiu Zhijie, Exhibitors: Tang Nannan, Wu Jian’an, Wang Tianwen, Yao Huifen. Venue: Arsenale

CROATIA
Horizon of Expectations
Commissioner: Ministry of Culture. Curator: Branka Bencic. Exhibitors: Tina Gverovic, Marko Tadic. Venue: Arsenale

CUBA
Tiempos de la intuición....
Commissioner: Jorge Fernández Torres. Curator: José Manuel Noceda. Exhibitors: Abel Barroso, Iván Capote, Roberto Diago, Roberto Fabelo, José Manuel Fors, Aimée García, Reynier Leyva Novo, Meira Marrero & José Ángel Toirac, Carlos Martiel, René Peña, Mabel Poblet, Wilfredo Prieto, Esterio Segura, José Eduardo Yaque. Venue: Palazzo Loredan

CYPRUS (Republic of)
THE FUTURE OF COLOUR
Commissioner: Louli Michaelidou. Curator: Jan Verwoert. Exhibitor: Polys Peslikas. Venue: Associazione Culturale Spiazzi, Castello 3865

CZECH and SLOVAK (Republic)
Swan Song: Now
Commissioner: Monika Palcova. Curator: Lucia Gregorova Stach. Exhibitor: Jana Zelibska. Venue: Giardini

DENMARK
Influenza: Theatre of Glowing Darkness
Commissioner: The Danish Arts Foundation, Committee for Visual Arts Project Funding: Gitte Ørskou (Chair), Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Bodil Nielsen and Jacob Tækker. Exhibitor: Kirstine Roepstorff. Venue: Giardini
www.danishpavilion.org

EGYPT
The Mountain
Commissioner/Exhibitor: Moataz Mohamed Nasr Eldin. Curator: Ministry of Culture. Venue: Giardini

ESTONIA
If Only You Could See What I've Seen with Your Eyes
Commissioner: Maria Arusoo. Curator: Kati Ilves. Exhibitor: Katja Novitskova. Venue: Palazzo Malipiero (2nd floor), San Samuele, San Marco 3199

FINLAND (Pavilion Alvar Aalto)
The Aalto Natives
Commissioner: Raija Koli, Frame Contemporary Art Finland. Curator: Xander Karskens. Exhibitors: Erkka Nissinen and Nathaniel Mellors. Venue: Giardini
http://frame-finland.fi

FRANCE
Studio Venezia
Commissioner: Institut français, with Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication. Curators: Lionel Bovier and Christian Marclay. Exhibitor: Xavier Veilhan. Venue: Giardini
www.institutfrancais.com

GEORGIA
Living Dog Among Dead Lions
Commissioner: Ana Riaboshenko, on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia. Curator: Julian Heynen. Exhibitor: Vajiko Chachkhiani. Venue: Arsenale

GERMANY
Anne Imhof / New production for the German Pavilion
Commissioner: ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office. Curator: Susanne Pfeffer. Exhibitor: Anne Imhof. Venue: Giardini
www.deutscher-pavillon.org

GREAT BRITAIN
Commissioner: Emma Dexter. Curators: Harriet Cooper, Delphine Allier. Exhibitor: Phyllida Barlow. Venue: Giardini
http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org

GREECE
Laboratory of Dilemmas
Commissioner: National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens (EMST), Katerina Koskina. Curator: Orestis Andreadakis. Exhibitor: George Drivas. Venue: Giardini
http://greeceatvenice.culture.gr

GRENADA
The Bridge
Commissioner: Ministry of Culture, Susan Mains. Curator: Omar Donia.
Exhibitors: Jason de Caires Taylor, Asher Mains, Milton Williams, Alexandre Murucci, Khaled Hafez, Rashid Al Kahlifa and Mahmoud Obaidi. Venue: 417 Fondamenta Zattere, Dorsoduro

GUATEMALA
La Marge
Commissioner: José Luis Chea Urruela, Ministro della Cultura del Guatemala.
Curator: Daniele Radini Tedeschi. Exhibitors: Cesar Barrios, Lourdes de la Riva (Maria De Lourdes De La Riva Gutierrez), Arturo Monroy, Andrea Prandi, Erminio Tansini, Elsie Wunderlich, El círculo mágico. Venue: Palazzo Albrizzi -Capello, Cannaregio 4118
www.biennaleguatemala.com

HUNGARY
Peace on Earth
Commissioner: Julia Fabényi. Curator: Zsolt Petrányi. Exhibitor: Gyula Várnai. Venue: Giardini

ICELAND
Out of Control in Venice
Commissioner: Eiríkur Thorláksson. Curator: Stefanie Böttcher. Exhibitor: Egill Sæbjörnsson.
Venue: Spazio Punch, Giudecca 800/o

INDONESIA
1001 Martian Homes
Commissioner: Agency for Creative Economy/Badan Ekonomi Kreatif (BEKRAF): Ricky Joseph Pesik, Melani W. Setiawan, Amalia P. Wirjono, Diaz Parzada, Enin Supriyanto.
Curator: Agung Hujatnikajennong. Exhibitor: Tintin Wulia. Venue: Arsenale

IRAN
Tapesh: The Golden Reserve of Magmatic Thought
Commissioner/Curator: Majid Mollanoroozi. Exhibitor: Bizhan Bassiri.
Venue: Palazzo Donà delle Rose, Cannaregio 5101

IRAQ
Archaic
Commissioner: Ruya Foundation. Curators: Tamara Chalabi and Paolo Colombo.
Exhibitors: Antiquities for the Iraq Museum, Francis Alys, Jewad Selim, Shakir Hassan al-Said, Sadik alFraiji, Sherko Abbas, Sakar Sleiman, Nadine Hattom, Luay Fadhil, Ali Arkady.
Venue: Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti, 3rd floor, San Marco 2847
https://ruyafoundation.org/en/project/venice-biennale-2017/

IRELAND
Tremble Tremble
Commissioner/Curator: Tessa Giblin, Director Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh. Exhibitor: Jesse Jones. Venue: Arsenale

ISRAEL
Sun Stand Still
Commissioners: Michael (Miki) Gov, Arad Turgeman. Curator: Tami Katz-Freiman.
Exhibitor: Gal Weinstein. Venue: Giardini

ITALY
Commissioner: Federica Galloni, Direttore Generale Arte e Architettura Contemporanee e Periferie Urbane, Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo. Curator: Cecilia Alemani. Exhibitors: Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Roberto Cuoghi and Adelita Husni-Bey.
Venue: Tese delle Vergini, Arsenale

IVORY COAST
Commissioner: Yacouba Konate. Curator: Massimo Scaringella. Exhibitors: Ouattara Aboudramane dit Wats, Jem’s Kokobi, Joana Choumali, Silue Kagnedjatou Joachim, Raimondo Galeano. Venue: Palazzo Dolfin-Gabrielli, Dorsoduro 3593

JAPAN
Turned Upside Down, It's a Forest
Commissioner: The Japan Foundation. Curator: Meruro Washida. Exhibitor: Takahiro Iwasaki.
Venue: Giardini
http://2017.veneziabiennale-japanpavilion.jp/en/

KIRIBATI ***
ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS! / SINKING ISLANDS, UNSINKABLE ART
Commissioner: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Eera Teakai Baraniko. Curators: Pelea Tehumu, Nina Tepes. Exhibitors: Performance Group Kairaken Betio, Teroloang Borouea, Neneia Takoikoi, Tineta Timirau, TeetiAaloa, Kenneth Ioane, Kaumai Kaoma, Runita Rabwaa, Obeta Taia, Tiribo Kobaua, Tamuera Tebebe, Rairauea Rue, Teuea Kabunare, Tokintekai Ekentetake, Katanuti Francis, Mikaere Tebwebwe, Terita Itinikarawa Kaeua Kobaua, Raatu Tiuteke, Kaeriti Baanga, Ioanna Francis, Temarewe Banaan Aanamaria Toom, Einako Temewi, Nimei Itinikarawa, Teniteiti Mikaere, Aanibo Bwatanita, Arin Tikiraua. Visual Artist; Daniela Danica Tepes. Performance Group Ngaon Nareau; Teata Tetoki, Raakai Ianibata, Taorobwa Bakatokia, Tekaei Kaairo, Nabiri Kaaraiti, Abetena Itaaka, Bwobwaka Bwebwere.
Venue: Palazzo Mora, Strada Nuova, Cannaregio 3659

KOREA (Republic of)
Counterbalance: The Stone and the Mountain
Commissioner: Arts Council Korea. Curator: Daehyung Lee. Exhibitors: Cody Choi, Lee Wan.
Venue: Giardini

KOSOVO (Republic of)
LOST AND FOUND
Commissioner: Valon Ibraj. Curator: Arta Agani. Exhibitor: Sislej Xhafa. Venue: Arsenale

LATVIA
What Can Go Wrong
Commissioner: Daiga Rudzate. Curator: Inga Šteimane. Exhibitor: Mikelis Fišers. Venue: Arsenale

LEBANON
ŠamaŠ
Commissioner: Nouhad Younes. Curator: Emmanuel Daydé. Exhibitor: Zad Moultaka.
Venue: Arsenale Nord

LITHUANIA
R
Commissioner: Kestutis Kuizinas, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius. Curators: Ula Tornau, Asta Vaiciulyte, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius. Exhibitor: Žilvinas Landzbergas.
Venue: Scuola San Pasquale at San Francesco della Vigna, Castello 2786

LUXEMBOURG (Grand Duchy of)
Thank you so much for the flowers
Commissioner: Ministère de la Culture. Curator: Kevin Muhlen - director of Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain. Exhibitor: Mike Bourscheid.
Venue: Ca’ del Duca 3052 Corte del Duca Sforza, San Marco

MACEDONIA (Former Yugoslav Republic of)
Red Carnival
Commissioner: Nata Keckarovska. Curator: Branislav Sarkanjac. Exhibitor: Tome Adzievski.

MALTA
HOMO MELITENSIS - An Incomplete Inventory in 19 Chapters
Commissioner: Arts Council Malta. Curators: Raphael Vella and Bettina Hutschek.
Exhibitors: Adrian Abela, John Paul Azzopardi, Aaron Bezzina, Pia Borg, Gilbert Calleja, Austin Camilleri, Roxman Gatt, David Pisani, Karine Rougier, Joe Sacco, Teresa Sciberras, Darren Tanti and Maurice Tanti Burlo’ and artefacts from Heritage Malta’s National collection, Ghaqda tal-Pawlini, private collections and various archives. Venue: Arsenale

MAURITIUS
Speeded Up Nature
Commissioner: Thivynaidoo Perumal Naiken, National Art Gallery. Curator: Olga Jürgenson. Exhibitors: Michael Lalljee, Robert Rauschenberg, SEO, Jacques Désiré Wong So. Executor: Krishna Luchoomun. Venue: Istituto Santa Maria della Pietà, Castello 3701

MEXICO
The Life in the Folds
Commissioner: Gabriela Gil Verenzuela. Curator: Pablo Leon de la Barra. Exhibitor: Carlos Amorales.
Venue: Arsenale

MONGOLIA
Lost in Tngri (Lost in Heaven)
Commissioner: Munkh-Orgil Tsend, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Curator: Dalkh-Ochir Yondonjunai. Exhibitors: Chimeddorj Shagdarjav, Enkhtaivan Ochirbat, Munkhbolor Ganbold, Bolortuvshin Jargalsaikhan, Davaajargal Tsaschikher. Venue: Osservatorio, Riva Sette Martiri

MONTENEGRO
COVJEK UOMO HUMAN
Commissioner: Nenad Šoškic, Contemporary Art Center of Montengro. Curator: Žana Filipovic.
Exhibitors: Ivana Radovanovic and Adin Rastoder. Venue: Palazzo Malipiero (1st floor), San Marco 3078-3079/A, Ramo Malipiero
http://artbiennale.me/index.php/me/

NETHERLANDS (The)
Cinema Olanda
Commissioner: Mondriaan Fund. Curator: Lucy Cotter. Exhibitor: Wendelien Van Oldenborgh. Venue: Giardini
www.mondriaanfonds.nl/en/activity/venice-biennale/

NIGERIA ***
Commissioner: Godwin Obaseki. Curator: Adenrele Sonariwo. Exhibitors: Peju Alatise, Victor Ehikhamenor, Quddus Onikeku. Venue: Scoletta dei Tiraoro e Battioro, San Stae, Santa Croce 2059

NEW ZEALAND
Lisa Reihana: Emissaries
Commissioner: Alastair Carruthers. Curator: Rhana Devenport. Exhibitor: Lisa Reihana. Venue: Arsenale
www.nzatvenice.com

NORDIC COUNTRIES (FINLAND - NORWAY - SWEDEN)
Mirrored
Commissioners: Ann-Sofi Noring, Moderna Museet (Sweden) with Katya Garcia-Antón, Office for Contemporary Art Norway OCA (Norway), and Raija Koli, Frame Contemporary Art Finland (Finland). Curator: Mats Stjernstedt. Exhibitors: Siri Aurdal, Nina Canell, Charlotte Johannesson, Jumana Manna, Pasi “Sleeping” Myllymäki and Mika Taanila. Venue: Giardini

PERU
Land of Tomorrow
Commissioner: Armando Andrade de Lucio. Curator: Rodrigo Quijano. Exhibitor: Juan Javier Salazar. Venue: Arsenale

PHILIPPINES
The Spectre of Comparison
Commissioner: Virgilio S. Almario Chairman, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Curator: Joselina Cruz. Exhibitors: Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo. Venue: Arsenale

POLAND
Little Review
Commissioner: Hanna Wroblewska. Curator: Barbara Piwowarska. Exhibitor: Sharon Lockhart. Venue: Giardini
http://labiennale.art.pl

PORTUGAL
Medida Incerta | Uncertain Mesure
Commissioner: Paula Varanda, Direzione Generale delle Arti. Curator: João Pinharanda.
Exhibitor: José Pedro Croft. Venue: Giudecca

ROMANIA
GETA BRATESCU - APPARITIONS
Commissioner: Attila Kim. Curator: Magda Radu. Exhibitor: Geta Bratescu. Venue: Giardini and New Gallery of the Romanian Institute for Culture and Humanistic Research (Campo Santa Fosca, Palazzo Correr, Cannaregio 2214)

RUSSIA
Theatrum Orbis
Commissioner/Curator: Semyon Mikhailovsky. Exhibitors: Grisha Bruskin, Recycle Group, Sasha Pirogova. Venue: Giardini

SAN MARINO (Republic of)
Repubblica di San Marino “Friendship project”
Commissioner: Paolo Rondelli, Direttore Istituti Culturali della Repubblica di San Marino. Curator: Vincenzo Sanfo. Exhibitors: Priscilla Beccari, Giancarlo Frisoni, Giovanni Giulianelli, Sisto Righi, Patrizia Taddei, Marco Tentoni, Xing Gang, Lee Kuang Yu, Zhang Wang, Zhao Wumian, Yishan, Fu Yuxiang. Venues: Ateneo Veneto, Campo San Fantin 1897; Palazzo Rota Ivancich, Castello 4421; Liceo Artistico Statale, Palazzo Giustinian Recanati, Dorsoduro 1012; Centro artigianale Don Orione Artigianelli, Dorsoduro 947

SERBIA
ENCLAVIA - Painting, consequence of this kind of life
Commissioner: Slobodan Nakarada. Curator: Nikola Šuica. Exhibitors: Vladislav Šcepanovic,
Milena Dragicevic, Dragan Zdravkovic. Venue: Giardini

SEYCHELLES (Republic of)
Commissioner: Benjamin Rose, Principal Secretary for Culture. Curator: Martin Kennedy.

SINGAPORE
Dapunta Hyang: Transmission of Knowledge
Commissioner: Paul Tan, Covering CEO, National Arts Council Singapore. Exhibitor: Zai Kuning. Venue: Arsenale

SLOVENIA (Republic of)
Newsreel 63
Commissioner: Zdenka Badovinac, Modern Gallery. Curator: Andreja Hribernik. Exhibitor: Nika Autor. Venue: Arsenale

SOUTH AFRICA (Republic of)
Candice Breitz and Mohau Modisakeng
Commissioner: Titi Nxumalo, Console Generale. Curators: Lucy MacGarry and Musha Neluheni. Exhibitors: Candice Breitz and Mohau Modisakeng. Venue: Arsenale
http://thesouthafricanpavilion.co.za

SPAIN
“¡Únete! Join us!”
Commissioner: AECID, Ministero Affari Esteri. Curator: Manuel Segade. Exhibitor: Jordi Colomer.
Venue: Giardini

SWITZERLAND
Women of Venice
Commissioners: Sandi Paucic and Marianne Burki, Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia. Curator: Philipp Kaiser. Exhibitors: Teresa Hubbard / Alexander Birchler and Carol Bove. Venue: Giardini
http://biennials.ch

SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
Everybody Admires Palmyra’s Greatness
Commissioner/Curator: Emad Kashout. Exhibitors: Asma Alfyoumi, Giuseppe Biasio, Lina Dib, Angelo Dozio, Franca Pisani, Anas Al Raddawi, Abdullah Reda, Patrizia Dalla Valle. Venue: Ex Cinema Chiesa del Redentore, Giudecca

THAILAND
Krung Thep Bangkok
Commissioner: Vimolluck Chuchat, Director - General of Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture. Curator: Numthong Sae Tang. Exhibitor: Somboon Hormtientong. Venue: InParadiso Gallery, Castello 1260
www.thaipavilion2017.com

TUNISIA
The Absence of Paths
Commissioner: The Presidency of the Republic and the Tunisian Ministry of Culture. Curator: Lina Lazaar. Exhibitor: Anonymous.

TURKEY
ÇIN
Commissioner: Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV). Exhibitor: Cevdet Erek. Venue: Arsenale
www.iksv.org/en/biennialofvenice

TUVALU
Climate Canary
Commissioner: Taukelina Finikaso, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour. Curator: Aida Yuen Wong. Exhibitor: Vincent J.F. Huang. Venue: Arsenale

UKRAINE
Parliament
Commissioner: Svitlana Fomenko, First Deputy Minister of Culture. Curators: Peter Doroshenko, Lilia Kudelia. Exhibitor: Boris Mikhailov. Venue: Studio Cannaregio, Cannaregio 1345/D
http://ukrainianpavilion2017.org

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play
Commissioner: The Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. Curator: Hammad Nasar. Exhibitors: Nujoom Alghanem, Sara Al Haddad, Vikram Divecha, Lantian Xie, Mohamed Yousif. Venue: Arsenale
http://nationalpavilionuae.org

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Tomorrow is Another Day
Commissioners: Christopher Bedford, Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director, The Baltimore Museum of Art, and Adjunct Professor of the Practice in Fine Arts, Brandeis University. Curators: Christopher Bedford and Katy Siegel, Senior Programming and Research Curator, The Baltimore Museum of Art. Exhibitor: Mark Bradford. Venue: Giardini and San Polo 2559/A (Fondamenta dei Frari)
www.markbradfordvenice2017.org

URUGUAY
The law of the funnel
Commissioner: Alejandro Denes. Curator: Gabriel Peluffo Linari. Exhibitor: Mario Sagradini.
Venue: Giardini

VENEZUELA (Bolivarian Republic of)
Formas escapándose del marco
Commissioner: Luis Carlos Calzadilla Pérez, Curator: Morella Jurado Capecchi.
Exhibitor: Juan Alberto Calzadilla Álvarez. Venue: Giardini

ZIMBABWE (Republic of)
Deconstructing Boundaries: Exploring Ideas of Belonging
Commissioner: Doreen Sibanda. Curator: Raphael Chikukwa. Exhibitors: Sylvester Mubayi, Charles Bhebe, Dana Whabira and Admire Kamudzengerere. Venue: Santa Maria della Pietà