The Biennale is the world’s largest and best-known international exhibition of contemporary art. Founded in 1895, it has served as a ‘mother-model’ for innumerable art fairs and displays world-wide. This year, spread across numerous Venetian venues, the 60th Biennale brings together hundreds of established and emerging artists from over 90 countries.
Their works are broadly united under the title ‘Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere’, chosen by the Biennale’s acclaimed Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa. The title, inspired by a work by the Claire Fontaine collective, evokes the cultural diversity and fluidity of identities in today’s global context. Pedrosa is known for his ability to confront and reflect contemporary social issues and this Biennale promises to be a melting pot of artists representing diversity: foreigners, immigrants, exiles, queers, outsiders, and indigenous artists, all sharing their unique experiences through art. On a more personal level, many exhibits will also tackle the intrinsic feeling of foreignness that one can experience anywhere – even in one’s own home or skin.
As always, the Biennale 2024 promises to be an exciting and enlightening experience, an invitation to reflect on our understanding of art, culture and identity in a confusing world, both increasingly alienated and interconnected. Accompanied by art historian, Nirvana Romell, explore the many pavilions of this festival of contemporary art in a city which itself boasts one of the most impressive accumulations of artistic and architectural masterpieces in the world.
Trip Leader: Mrs Nirvana Romell
Nirvana has been lecturing on the social history of Western art for nearly 25 years and has presented numerous lectures to the Friends of the Whitworth. She has also worked on collection interpretations and museum staff training. Her passion is cultural travel and she has created many unique cultural tours in the Balkans, northern Italy, France, Sweden and South Africa. In her work, she links the past with the present by combining aesthetic, historical and social theoretical approaches to art and culture. Those who travelled with Nirvana have particularly praised her ability to engage the audience and use her solid grasp of the subject matter to impart a lasting understanding of the artists, artefacts and their broader context. She has accompanied ten previous Friends of the Whitworth visits also organised by Distant Horizons.