The Venice Biennale

I went to a symposium last night at VCU and listened to a panel of artists, critics, and educators discuss their recent trip to Europe to view the international displays of artistic concepts at the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and the Munster Sculpture exhibits. These were the distinguished presenters at the symposium:

Amy Hauft, Chair, Department of Sculpture + Extended Media
Richard Roth, Chair, Department of Painting and Printmaking
Gregory Volk, Critic and Joint Professor of Painting and Printmaking & Sculpture + Extended Media

The discussion and presentation left me with an undefined understanding of art in our current time. One certain is that the curators of these major exhibitions were concerned with the social condition of our world, and used the participating artists as a voice for their concern. Many of the works were politically charged, and full of commentary about global conflict, oppression, and devastation.

When I look at the work of these exhibitions from the an art historical perspective, I see the high art of our time as reactionary, and in some cases, "regressive", as voiced by Gregory Volk in his presentation. To me, many of the works in the Biennale seemed rooted in things that truly matter to the people of today, but at times, the art seemed aimed at confusion, disconnection, and random association. The range of art seen in these exhibits was so broad, that it makes me wonder how the art of today will be categorized and defined in fifty years. Most likely, there will be no simple way to categorize the current direction of art.

There were many artists discussed at the symposium who inspired me and made me think in a way that I had not before. It's always refreshing to be met with an image or concept that shakes me up, making me use a new perspective, and there were certainly a number of artworks discussed that did just that. Below, I have provided a list of some of the artists whose work I found to be very interesting.

Interesting Information About the Exhibition
Italian Pavillion (video)
New York Times :: The Venice Biennale
New York Times :: "Serious Art" video report
Interactive Map of the Venice Biennale

Some Artists from the Exhibition

El Anatsui

Born in Anyako, Ghana, 1944

Lives and works in Nsukka, Nigeria

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Guaimaro, Cuba, 1957 - Miami, FL, 1996 (see video)

Sol LeWitt

Hartford, CT, USA,1928 – New York, NY, USA, 2007

Morrinho group

Live and work in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Joshua Mosley

Born in Dallas, TX, USA,1974

Lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Iran Do Espirito Santo

Born in Macoca, Sao Paulo, Brasil, 1963

Lives and works in Sao Paolo, Brasil

Izumi Kato

Born in Shimane, Tokyo, Japan, 1969

Lives and works in Shizuoka, Japan (see video)

Sigmar Polke

Born in Oels Schlesien, Germany, 1941

Lives and works in Köln, Germany (see video)

Emily Prince

Born in Gold Run, CA, USA, 1981

Lives and works in San Francisco, CA, USA

Gerhard Richter

Born in Dresden, Germany, 1932

Lives and works in, Köln, Germany

Susan Rothenberg

Born in Buffalo, NY, USA, 1945

Lives and works in Galisteo, NM, USA

Cheri Samba

Born in Kinto-Mvuila, Congo, 1956

Lives and works in Kinshasa, Congo

Lawrence Weiner

Born in New York, NY, USA, 1940

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA and Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Franz West

Born in Vienna, Austria, 1947

Lives and works Vienna, Austria

Jenny Holzer

Born in Gallipolis, OH, USA, 1950

Lives and works in Hoosick, NY, USA

Yang Zhenzhong

Born in Hangzhou, China, 1968

Lives and works Shanghai, China

Sam Taylor Wood

Born in London, England, 1967

Lives and works London, England (video and interview)


This list is just a few of the artists whose work was entertaining to me.