The Venice Biennale – the biggest art event in the world – is finally here. Let’s take a look at some of the top highlights of the event on its opening day.
French Pavillion Surprises Viewers
The French Pavillion is already a favourite to win the prestigious Golden Lion award at the biennale, thanks to the installations by Zineb Sedira. The pavilion features various installations and a film by Sedira, an artist of Algerian descent, based on the Algerian independence movement and modern history. Specifically, Sedira looks at Algerian depiction and representation in French cinema. Another installation by Sidera features a vintage bar that resembles a movie set, accompanied by ball music of that era.
The French Pavillion attracted eyeballs in the first few hours since the biennale’s opening and could well become the favourite at the event.
Kazakhstan Pavillion Delayed Due To War
Kazakhstan’s debut at the Venice Biennale has unfortunately been delayed, due to war in Ukraine. The logistic issues created by the war have forced the organizers to take alternate routes, which have delayed the supplies from reaching the destination at Venice. Despite this, the country’s Pavillion will remain open for visitors. It is expected that the Pavillion will be completely ready by May 17.
Kazakhstan’s debut was the first time a Central Asian country was participating in the Venice Biennale. Despite political unrest and protests at home, the Kazakh government was hailing the debut as a milestone.
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Simone Leigh Unveils US Pavillion
The much-anticipated US Pavillion by Simon Leigh is finally ready and lives up to its hype. The entire theme of the pavilion centres around Black Women, ideas of honouring them, and re-interpreting racist tropes in a new light. For two years, Leigh has been working on the Pavillion without revealing many details about it. While the works displayed there are limited, all of them are original works by Leigh made exclusively for the Pavillion.
Simon Leigh has also made other news these past few months. In October last year, she left Hauser & Wirth in a surprise move. In January this year, her sculpture was selected to replace the former statue of Robert E. Lee in New Orleans.
