The Venice Biennale was founded by the City Council in order to commemorate King Umberto and Marghertia of Savoy’s silver anniversary. The first artists’ evening was held in April 1895 and due to the success of the event, the then Mayor of Venice resolved to transform it into a prestigious, international exhibition.
This year’s exhibition marks the 120th anniversary of the Biennale. Led by chairman Paolo Baratta and curator Okwui Enwezor, the exhibition will focus on the idea that we are living in an “age of anxiety”; despite technological advances, we all face inequality and uncertainties regarding the future on a day-to-day basis. According to Baratta, Okwui Enwezor was chosen as curator this year due to his outstanding sensitivity towards this issue. “Tensions of the outside world act on the sensitivities and the vital and expressive energies of artists,” Baratta states.
The 56th International Art Exhibition will introduce the ARENA, an interactive space that this year will be host to a live reading of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital, which will be read aloud continuously for the duration of the exhibition.
The artists featured in this year’s exhibition focus on political, social and cultural issues from around the world.
cultura e società
by Cara van Rhyn
Photography: Jean-Pierre Dalbera - Flickr // Livincool.com