Photo courtesy of Travel + Leisure.
The groundbreaking 60th Venice Biennale, led by Latin American curator Adriano Pedrosa, unfolds from April to November 2024. Departing from tradition, this Biennale transcends borders with its theme, "Foreigners Everywhere," curated to explore migration and decolonization. Featuring 331 artists and collectives, this exhibition amplifies previously unheard voices and prioritizes emerging talents, promising fresh perspectives and fostering dialogue on the margins of artistic discourse. Here is our guide to some of the exhibitions and pavilions we love.
JANUS, group show, Berggruen Arts, Palazzo Diedo
Palazzo Diedo. Photo courtesy of Lisson Gallery.
Berggruen Arts & Culture announces the grand opening of a permanent contemporary art space in Venice's Palazzo Diedo, featuring site-specific commissions by 11 renowned artists including Urs Fischer, Piero Golia, and Mariko Mori. The inaugural exhibition, 'Janus,' debuts on April 20, coinciding with the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia 2024. Following extensive restoration work on the 18th-century palazzo, the exhibition aims to bridge the gap between past and present, East and West, with interventions inspired by the building's history and traditional Venetian crafts.
Under the curation of Mario Codognato and Adriana Rispoli, 'Janus' showcases artworks that interact with the architecture and original features of Palazzo Diedo, once a prestigious family residence and later repurposed as a school and court. Drawing inspiration from Venice's rich artistic heritage, the exhibition merges contemporary artistic expression with elements such as frescos, Murano glass, and Venetian floor design. This ambitious project, spearheaded by Berggruen Arts & Culture, promises to be a cultural landmark in Venice, fostering dialogue between past and present while providing a platform for innovative artistic practices.
Martha Jungwirth “Herz der Finsternis” at Galleria Giorgio Cini
Martha Jungwirth, 2023. Photo courtesy of Palazzo Giorgio Cini.
The Palazzo Cini Gallery, renowned for housing Vittorio Cini's esteemed collection, welcomes visitors once again with a special exhibition dedicated to Austrian artist Martha Jungwirth. As the sole female member of the "Wirklichkeiten" group, her artistry emerged prominently in the 1968 Vienna Secession exhibition and has since evolved into a distinctive exploration of color and bold lines. Jungwirth's innovative visual language, drawing from diverse sources such as art history, mythology, and societal contexts, captures ephemeral impulses within her compositions, blurring the lines between abstraction and figuration. Curated by Luca Massimo Barbero and supported by the Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, the exhibition, running from April 17 to September 29, features Jungwirth's works alongside pieces inspired by Palazzo Cini's collection, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between her art and art history.
Ohne Titel, aus der Serie “Porte Dorée”, 2023, Oil on paper on canvas. Photo courtesy of Palazzo Giorgio Cini.
This exhibition offers a rare insight into Jungwirth's artistic journey, highlighting her inspiration from ancient art and the continuous dialogue between her paintings and the broader art historical context. Visitors can explore previously unseen works by the Viennese artist, curated by Barbero to underscore the connection between Jungwirth's creations and the rich heritage of Palazzo Cini. Open daily (except Tuesdays) until September 29, with Palazzo Cini and its permanent collections accessible until October 13, 2024, this showcase promises to be a captivating exploration of Jungwirth's profound artistic vision within the historic confines of the gallery.
Rick Lowe 'The Arch within the Arc' at Museo di Palazzo Grimani
Rick Lowe, Untitled, 2023. Photo courtesy of Gagosian.
"The Arch within the Arc" showcases Rick Lowe's new paintings, inspired by the Museo di Palazzo Grimani's architecture and Venice's urban dynamics. Using acrylic paint and paper collage on canvas, Lowe creates vibrant artworks that balance geometric patterns with improvisational techniques. His pieces reflect infrastructure, mapping, and the experience of navigating the city, evoking spatial, temporal, and social relationships. Presented in collaboration with Gagosian, the exhibition opens just before the 60th Biennale di Venezia, emphasizing Lowe's exploration of civic practice and visual expression.
Tesfaye Urgessa at Palazzo Bolani
Tesfaye Urgessa. Photo courtesy of Saatchi Yates.
Tesfaye Urgessa will represent Ethiopia at the 60th Venice Biennale, marking the country's inaugural national pavilion at the prestigious event. His exhibition, "Prejudice and Belonging," curated by Lemn Sissay and commissioned by Ethiopia's Ministry of Tourism, will be held at Palazzo Bolani from April 20 to November 24, 2024. Urgessa's distinctive style, characterized by classicized human figures often depicted in domestic settings, invites viewers to contemplate the ambiguous psychological states of his subjects. Having studied under Tadesse Mesfin in Addis Ababa and later in Stuttgart, Germany, Urgessa's work is influenced by Ethiopian iconography as well as by German Neo-Expressionists and London School painters like Freud, Auerbach, and Bacon. His pieces are housed in renowned collections worldwide, and he is represented by the Saatchi Yates gallery in London, which will host a concurrent exhibition in April.
Tesfaye Urgessa, Bathers: Honey and Milk 1, 2023. Photo courtesy of Saatchi Yates.
Urgessa sees his participation in the Venice Biennale as a significant milestone for Ethiopian art and culture, expressing hope that it will inspire other Ethiopian artists to share their stories with the world. His exhibition aims to usher in a new era for Ethiopian art, showcasing its richness and diversity on a global stage. Alongside Ethiopia, other countries presenting their first pavilions at the Biennale this year include Benin and Morocco. The theme for the main exhibition, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, is "Foreigners Everywhere – Stranieri Ovunque," reflecting on issues of migration, identity, and belonging.
Beatriz Milhazes at the International Art Exhibition
Beatriz Milhazes. Photo courtesy of White Cube.
Beatriz Milhazes has spearheaded a special project to be housed in the Applied Arts Pavilion within the Arsenale. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa and presented in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, this project marks the eighth edition of the Pavilion. Titled ‘Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere,’ the exhibition will feature artworks from 333 artists worldwide, showcased across two sections: Nucleo Contemporaneo and Nucleo Storico, held in the Giardini and the Arsenale, respectively.
Installation view, Beatriz Milhazes, 2023. Photo courtesy of Turner Contemporary.
Helmut Newton at Le Stanze della Fotografia
Helmut Newton, Elle. Paris, 1967.Photo courtesy of Helmut Newton Foundation.
The exhibition "Helmut Newton. Legacy," curated by Matthias Harder and Denis Curti, offers a comprehensive look at the artistic heritage of Helmut Neustädter, known as Helmut Newton, the iconic Berlin-born photographer. Born into a prosperous Jewish family on October 31, 1920, Newton fled Germany in 1938 due to the oppressive racial laws, eventually settling in Australia where he established a small photography studio. It was in Melbourne where he crossed paths with June Brown, also known as Alice Springs, an actress, photographer, and muse, with whom he formed both an emotional and professional bond.
On display at Isola di San Giorgio, Newton's striking and sophisticated photographs chronicle his illustrious career spanning several decades and continents. The exhibition showcases his evolution from his early work in Australia during the 1940s and 1950s to his influential years in France during the 1960s. It further delves into his impact on American fashion photography in the 1970s, his time split between Monte Carlo and Los Angeles in the 1980s, and his prolific global shoots throughout the 1990s.
Maurizio Cattelan at the Vatican Pavilion
La Nona Ora, a realistic model of Pope John Paul II being hit by a meteorite, created by artist Maurizio Cattelan, at Blenheim Palace September 12, 2019, in Woodstock, England. Photo courtesy of the Art News.
For the Vatican's presentation at the Venice Biennale, Maurizio Cattelan will create a significant outdoor installation at the Giudecca Women’s Prison, along with works by eight other artists. Cattelan, known for his satirical sculptures, will unveil his latest work on the exterior of the prison. Inside, several pieces will involve active participation from the inmates, including a video installation directed by Zoe Saldana and her husband, Marco Perego, focusing on the theme of freedom. Additionally, inmates will contribute to artworks by artists like Claire Tabouret and Simone Fattal, while works by Corita Kent, Claire Fontaine, and Sonia Gomes will also be on display. Titled “With My Eyes,” the exhibition, curated by Chiara Parisi and Dr. Bruno Racine, aims to highlight the importance of perception and engagement with reality, with Pope Francis set to visit the exhibition on April 28, marking the first time a sitting pope will attend the Biennale. Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça emphasized the exhibition's alignment with Gospel principles and Pope Francis' call to aid the marginalized, underscoring the significance of seeing as an active engagement with reality rather than passive observation.
Corita Kent, e eye love, from the “circus alphabet” series, 1968. Photo courtesy of the Art News.
Sarah Sze at Victoria Miro
Sarah Sze, Afterimage, Blue with Fingerprint (Painting in its Archive), 2018. Photo courtesy of Victoria Miro.
Victoria Miro will present Sarah Sze's inaugural exhibition at Victoria Miro Venice, marking her sixth collaboration with the gallery. The showcase harkens back to Sze's previous engagements with Venice, including her participation in the Biennales of 1999, 2013, and 2015. Sze's latest exhibition delves into the construction of images and the formation of memories through two immersive environments. One features a new moving-image installation that transforms the gallery space with dynamic projections, inviting viewers to navigate a personal narrative within the ever-changing imagery. By disrupting the singularity of images and challenging hierarchical visual structures, Sze prompts reflection on the nature of perception and the role of images in shaping memory.
Sarah Sze, Stone Series, 2013-2015. Photo courtesy of Victoria Miro.
In another facet of the exhibition, Sze transports viewers to the salon rooms of a nearby Venetian apartment, presenting a series of paintings within a simulated environment evocative of her New York studio. Here, she explores questions of orientation within paintings, blending art historical techniques with digital approaches to create compositions that engage the viewer's eye in a continuous process of deconstruction and reconstruction. Emphasizing the pleasure of exploration and the allure of getting lost, Sze's works resonate with the wandering spirit of Venice, incorporating imagery captured or created in the city to further enrich the viewer's experience.
Julie Mehretu at Palazzo Grassi
Julie Mehretu - ENSEMBLE | Palazzo Grassi – Pinault Collection, 2024. Photo courtesy of Marian Goodman.
Running from March 17, 2024, to January 6, 2025, at Palazzo Grassi, "Ensemble" stands as Julie Mehretu's most extensive European exhibition to date. Curated by Caroline Bourgeois in collaboration with Mehretu, the showcase encompasses over fifty pieces, including paintings and prints spanning a quarter-century of Mehretu's artistic journey, with a focus on her recent works from 2021-2024. Spread across two floors, the exhibition features seventeen pieces from the Pinault Collection alongside loans from global museums and private collectors.
Julie Mehretu, TRANSpaintings, 2023-2024, Photo courtesy of the artist and White Cube. Installation view, “Julie Mehretu. Ensemble”, 2024
Structured around the theme of visual resonances and devoid of a strict chronological order, "Ensemble" offers an immersive exploration of Mehretu's oeuvre, emphasizing her collaborative relationships with fellow artists. Through a curated dialogue with works by her close friends such as Nairy Baghramian, Huma Bhabha, and David Hammons, the exhibition illuminates shared inspirations and concerns, underscoring Mehretu's interconnectedness with others. Beyond formal disparities, the showcased artworks reveal a collective ethos and mutual influence, highlighting the profound impact of displacement on each artist's identity and creative expression, whether stemming from personal choice or external circumstances like leaving or fleeing Ethiopia, Iran, or Pakistan.
Ewa Juszkiewicz 'Locks with Leaves and Swelling Buds' at Palazzo Cavanis
Ewa Juszkiewicz, Untitled (after Adélaïde Labille-Guiard), 2020. Photo courtesy of Almine Rech.
For over a decade, Juszkiewicz has focused her artistic endeavors on reinterpreting portraits of women by European artists from the 18th and 19th centuries, exploring the boundaries of portraiture through deformation and distortion. Initially, she painted a series of masked characters in 2010, where feminine attire clashed with the implied violence of the masks. These masks, whether pro-faciality or anti-faciality, offered symbolic or fantastical alternate identities, with the latter actively resisting the viewer's attempts to decipher facial features. By 2013-2014, Juszkiewicz's work increasingly embraced the dominance of anti-faciality masks, using various objects and materials to obscure or replace facial features. Her meticulous technique, reminiscent of traditional painting methods, involves layering and glazing to recreate the original brushstrokes. However, her intervention challenges the essence of portraiture itself, transforming historical portraits into representations of women's experiences under patriarchy. Moreover, by incorporating elements traditionally associated with still life, such as fabrics and flowers, Juszkiewicz subverts the conventional hierarchy of genres, blurring the boundaries between culture and nature.