There is a total of 23 national participants represented in the Arsenale exhibition grounds. I wrote only about 10 of them in my journal. It does not necessarily mean that they are the best but that they were the most interesting ones to me. I wouldn't say that there is any rhyme or reason to how I picked them. When I look back I can safely say that there are some that are in line with my own interests, others are just technically stunning and then there are one that I had to include - Latvia. But first, Philippines.
The Pavilion of Philippines
Artist(s): Lani Maestro and Manuel Ocampo
Curator(s): Joselina Cruz
Title: The secret of Comparison
These artists sure knew what they were doing. The room was open and provided a lot of seating. There was no direction to face, the paintings were mounted to two walls, the third had the artists statement on it and the last one house art by the other artist. An installation with very simple two sentences: No pain like this body; No body like this pain. This exhibition was a lot about masking intentions and revealing them. As the curator said in the artist statement, two worlds are linked permanently due to actions of the Empire. These representations of two worlds is the act of taking back the Philippine's identity, independence, and power. What better way to do it than to use the colonizer's imagery and turn it back on them?
The Pavilion of Chile
Artist(s): Bernardo Oyarzun
Curator(s): Ticio Escobar
Title: Werken
This artist speaks about the indigenous people and need to recognize them as equals and part of the Chile nation. Sadly, the situation of the marginalization is still existent in all parts of the world as the legacy of colonialism. Thankfully, we still have artists and activists that work hard at making the presence of these people known. This work reminds me of grassroots movements, where a large group of people come together to achieve a certain goal. The intention here is to tell the whole world about the beautiful culture of Mapuche people and their current situation. The hope is that once people outside of Chile will know about them, it will be harder to ignore them due to the global pressure. The masks were chosen not only because they are a big part of Mapuche culture but also because they visually represent a large number of people (referring to the way they were set up in the exhibition) with all their differences. This work is minimal in number of elements placed in the room but definitely memorable.
The Pavilion of Kosovo
Artist(s): Sislej Xhafa
Curator(s): Arta Agani
Title: Lost and Found
If I thought that previous exhibitions were minimal, I was wrong. This was the most bare exhibition I saw...I believe in the entire Venice Biennale this year. That being said, it was also one of my favourite one. I am a minimalist and enjoy a good challenge of making the very least amount of anything work. From the artist statement to the only object in the room - nothing else needed to be said. This exhibition perfectly represents the unresolved past and testimonies that come with it. Kosovo went through a war and lost many of its citizens, the ones not found yet are still at the back of everyone's mind but life goes on at the same time. This pathetic little shack is the embodiment of that movement forward but inability to truly let go of the past. For the families of the missing, it is like standing with one leg in the past while the other one moves forward. A truly uncomfortable situation.
The Pavilion of Georgia
Artist(s): Vajiko Chachkhiani
Curator(s): Julian Heynen
Title: Living Dog Among Dead Lions
This artists uses metaphor as his choice of artistic expression. This abandoned house is like a human being, it obviously has a history, a story to tell and there is a lot more going on inside than it might seem at the beginning. It rained inside the house, which expressed melancholy. This mood also went well with the run-down gray look of the outside of the building. Artists aim was to address people who have gone through a traumatic experience, to show how the melancholy could "eat them up" from the inside. The house is made out of wood, so the constant rain inside of it will eventually make it fall apart. The house will be destroyed from the inside as opposed from the outside, like we all are used to seeing. For the first time I saw an entire house being used a found object in art. It was maintained like it was, even the furniture inside of it was intact when it was bought by the artist. I also love the use of a home as the reflection of owner's mental state.
The Pavilion of Slovenia
Artist(s): Nika Autor
Curator(s): Anreja Hribernik
Title: Newsreel 63- The Train of Shadows
This exhibition attempts to analyze the political, economic and social roots to the current refugee problem. Secondary, it familiarizes the viewer with the life and risks a refugee takes to get to safety because to them, there is no other way or option. This step of humanizing the "othered" people is very important because it interrupts our ability to dismiss the severity of the situation and puts us in the shoes of the refugees. It is harder to ignore something if you can see and, even for a moment, be in their place. It is easy to pass judgements while sitting in a secure position in safety. The refugees do not have that kind of luxury. They do what they have to for a chance to improve their future and well-being. The video is taken by the refugees while they try to survive on sides of train railways and sitting under the train cars. The quote on the opposite wall from the video expresses hope that they will make a difference and won't be discarded as undesirable.
The Pavilion of Latvia
Artist(s): Miķelis Fišers
Curator(s): Inga Šteimane
Title: What Can Go Wrong
I have to be honest, I missed Latvian humor. It might not be for everyone but I grew up with it and I missed my four years in Canada. It is outrageously inappropriate and so funny. The Latvian artist uses humor to talk about the current political situation. Some of the little carved drawings were a little unclear to me but the overall idea is there. The drawings are placed on plinths to represent the importance of the absurdities that go on on daily basis. There a lot of laughs to have about these small drawings but in the end the question is appropriate - What could happen if we let the way things go continue on? Probably nothing good. After my return in Latvia, I have learned the source of the inspiration, the politics here have not improved while I was gone. But then again, the drawings are so abstract they could also be referencing the world politics (and, in fact, is). These impossible dystopian drawings show how we unwillingly transition into the impossible myth and they become true while we are too busy dismissing the seriousness of the situation. While we are busy denying, impossible policies and alienation becomes a reality.
The Pavilion of New Zealand
Artist(s): Lisa Reihana
Curator(s): Rhana Devenport
Title: Emissaries
I think I pretty much described everything I wanted to say in my journal. I loved the use of scroll to show the life before settlers. The cultures that were once thought to be savage, actually have rich and colourful histories with traditions and inventions of their own. Reihana reimagines the past using the indigenous perspective as her point of departure. The video work is fascinating and highlights all of those aspects of indigenous culture that the settlers denounced. A great example of the "Fourth Cinema" concept.
The Pavilion of Italy
Artist(s): Giorgio Andreotta Calo, Roberto Cuoghi, and Adelita Husni-Bey
Curator(s): Cecilia Alemani
Title: Il Mondo Magico
Italy's participation was something else entirely. Three artists, three large scale but completely unconnected works besides the central theme of magic. These artists use magic to experience the world in a new way. For example, Roberto Cuoghi has created an entire factory from start to finish that is churning out the representations of Jesus Christ. Only now they are organic bodies that are dried out, deformed and molded. This is a way of looking at identity and Christianity like I have never seen before. It looked more like an alien laboratory than art exhibition. The other artists don't disappoint as well, the massive mirror installation and the video on Tarot all use old magic tricks to reveal something else. These artists have created new and completely contrasting worlds within this small exhibition space. I suggest reading the artist statements for further explanation, I cannot describe it better without citing the whole statement.
The Pavilion of China
Artist(s): Tang Nannan, Wu Jian’an, Wang Tianwen, Yao Huifen
Curator(s): Qiu Zhijie
Title: Continuum-Generation by Generation
I loved the work by Chinese artists because of their attention to detail and, frankly, the amount of work that has been put into their art. These artists are worth exploring on your own. My favourite was the video work by Tang Nannan. The play of scale in video work that I have never seen before. You never knew what could happen next and what form it will take.
The Pavilion of Argentina
Artist(s): Claudia Fontes
Curator(s): Andres Duprat
Title: The Horse Problem
Argentinian artist attempts to examine the extreme dependency people have on horsepower. That is why she made the horse so large that it barely fits in the building in comparison to the human sized boy and girl statues. The girl attempts to tame the horse but it is obviously a futile attempt. This speaks to how people are spectacular at tricking themselves into thinking they can control and exploit such power, the reality show that it is not true if accidents, natural disasters and other catastrophes are able to tell us anything. In the end, are we really able to control the monsters we have created? The industry that relies on horsepower? These are the questions everyone should ask themselves. The child like curiosity and innocence depicted by the sculpture of the boy is dangerous and we cannot allow ourselves to wonder about the effects of the "horse"while they are looming above our heads and about to fall down. The horse and girl combination also reminds me of the Wallstreet statue of the bull and the little girl.
That is it for today. I am tired and there is so much more to see. Tomorrow I am switching it up and taking a look at the exhibitions scattered around the city. I expect there to be considerably less exhibition to talk about as I will spending most of the day just walking from one location to the next. I better get my walking shoes on!
