54th Venice Biennale 2011

Nicholas Hlobo, Iimpundulu Zonke Ziyandilandela, 2011. Sculpture, rubber, ribbon, mixed media.

54th Venice Biennale 2011: ILLUMInations

4th June > 27th November 2011

The 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale was directed in 2011 by Bice Curiger.

Bice Curiger is an art historian, critic and curator of international exhibitions. Her curatorial activity at Kunsthaus Zurich parallels her important work in the publishing sector. In 1984, she cofounded the prestigious art magazine “Parkett”, of which she is editor-in-chief. She has been publishing director of London Tate Gallery’s magazine “Tate etc” since 2004.

Curator’s statement:

“What is a Biennale? What kind of audience can be counted on? What is the role of the curator? By adopting the title ILLUMInations the 54th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale also aspires literally to shed light on the institution itself, drawing attention to dormant and unrecognized opportunities, as well as to conventions that need to be challenged. ILLUMInations points to light, a classical theme in art that closely relates to Venice. Equally, by accentuating its spurious suffix “nations”, its semantic scope is not only broadened to embrace the real world and socio-political dimensions, but it also highlights the distinctive character of the Venice Biennale with its national pavilions. Far removed from culturally conservative constructs of “nation”, art offers the potential to explore new forms of “community” and negotiate differences and affinities that might serve as models for the future. […]

Read the full text on the Venice Biennale website.

Click on the images to view the photo gallery. All images: eye.on.art.

Entrance of the Arsenale with Song Dong, Para-Pavilion

Song Dong, Para-Pavilion

Yto, BarradaThe Telephone Books (or the Recipe Books), 2010

Andro Wekua, Pink Wave Hunter. 2010-2011 Installation, 15 sculptures on a pedestal

Pink Wave Hunter (detail).

Work by Rashid Johnson

Dayanita Singh, Dream Villa Slideshow, 2010. Digital slideshow of 38 images, inside the Para-Pavilion by Franz West.

Dayanita Singh, Dream Villa Slideshow

Nicholas Hlobo, Iimpundulu Zonke Ziyandilandela, 2011. Sculpture, rubber, ribbon, mixed media.

Nicholas Hlobo, Iimpundulu Zonke Ziyandilandela.

Mohamed Bourrouissa, Boloss, 2011. Video

Mohamed Bourrouissa, Boloss.

Haroon Mirza, The national apavilion of then and now, 2011. Installation, 3 sided triangle structure, each side length 809) – Anechoic chamber, LED’s amp, speakers, electronic circuit.

Haroon Mirza, The national apavilion of then and now, 2011

Navid Nuur, HIVEWISE (detail), 2007-2011. Installation with neons

Shahryar Nashat, Factor Green, 2011, HD video, 5:37 min; Benches, 2011.

Urs Fischer, Untitled, 2011. Three wax candle sculptures, melting down slowly (detail).

Work by Lateefa bint Maktoum, United Arab Emirates exhibition.

Work by Lateefa bint Maktoum

The Future of a Promise exhibition, Mounir Fatmi, The Lost Springs, 2011, installation.

Taysir Batniji, GH0809, 2010.

Taysir Batniji, GH0809 (detail).

Kader Attia, La Colonne Sans Fin (detail), 2010, megaphones, 34 × 24 × 24 cm each.

Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Flying Carpets, 2011. Chrome plated aluminium, stainless steel and threads.

One of the two Haiti Pavilions, three sculptures installed in a container.

French Pavilion: Christian Boltanski, Chance. Curated by Jean-Hubert Martin.

Christian Boltanski, Chance (detail)

Remdoogo sign

Conversation around the collaboration between Francis Kéré and the late Christoph Schlingensief on the Opera Village – Remdoogo, at the German Pavilion. With Francis Kéré, Aino Laberenz, Chris Dercon, Simon Njami and Susanne Gaensheimer.