The Biennale of Contemporary Art, or Biennale Arte in Venice, is one of those events that should be experienced by everyone regardless of whether or not they are a fan of art. When I was in Venice a year ago I regretted that the Biennale was not happening. I’ve heard so much about this event and I always wanted to see it. When this year was the occasion to finally see the exhibition I did not think a moment.
Morning train from Milan (2h 20 min), intensive tour of the exhibition, dinner and return by evening train. It was a super-intense day. I burned a thousand calories, 22 thousand steps, I took off my shoes but it was worth it. It was great. Somewhere in the press I read later that the 57th Biennial of Art in Venice is disappointing. For me it’s not just a show. It is a sort of escape into the world of fantasy at the touch of science and fantasy. It’s an escape into the world of dreams and at the same time a strong clash with reality and seeing places that seemed distant or unreal. It is a journey of a few hours in the world full of reflection and reverie. It’s an attempt to look at the world from different perspectives and understand other cultures. In the end it is an unusual encounter with modern art of the highest format from all over the world. So I recommend it to anyone joining it best with a tour of Venice itself.
The official part is held in Giardini Park, where there are thirty permanent national pavilions. Most of them were built in the 20th century and each state manages its own pavilion. The period of the Cold War has largely affected the large span in appearance and the size of the individual pavilions. However, they are less related to the artistic traditions of a given country. The main exhibition “Viva Arte Viva”, which features expositions and installations of more than 120 artists from around the world from different countries, is presented in a vast area of the Arsenal, which is approximately 15-20 minutes walk from Giardini. It was from this part of the exhibition that I started to explore because of its size. It is much bigger than this in Giardini.
The exhibition is divided into four thematic pavilions: Central, Tradition, Dionysian, Color, Time and Infinity. The entire exhibition is composed of almost 90 national pavilions scattered throughout Giardini, as I mentioned earlier, in the Arsenale and in all of Venice. They are prepared by individual countries to create an intercultural debate. This year’s pavilions discuss the modern world, although it is difficult to find concrete references to politics.
The exhibition runs from 1895 every two years and this year lasts until November 26 so you can still make it. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office or online here. And now I am discovering a piece of what awaits you.
Have a nice journey!
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