Venice Art Biennale 2017
World’s greatest art festival
VIVA ARTE VIVA
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Dozens of biennales open every year, all around the world. It is said that up to 60 biennales are officially registered. Among them, the most representative is the ‘Venice Biennale.’ Many from across the globe are familiar or recall hearing about an international Biennale in Venice. The Venice Biennale (Italian: La Biennale di Venezia) is the world’s most prestigious historical art exposition with more than 120 years of history. While the memories offered as part of the the ‘Venice Art Biennale 2015’ still linger in our hearts, this year’s festival is ready to invite us on another journey.
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The La Biennale di Venezia – 57th International Art Exhibition does not hesitate to reveal its passionate and great ambition from its theme “VIVA ARTE VIVA.” VIVA ARTE VIVA offers a Biennale designed with artists, by artists and for artists. At a time of conflicts and shocks, where humanity is threatened by disputes and terrors, the title also reminds us of the role of art, embracing life and sharing new positive energy. The Korean Pavilion also brings the Korean modern history to the forefront in order to understand the roots of distorted values and conflicts that are now penetrating the world today. Art embracing historical, political and social debates of our time will unfold in Venice from May 13 2017. Hyundai Motor is a proud sponsor of the La Biennale di Venezia – 57th International Art Exhibition Korean Pavilion.
An exclamation, a passionate outcry
Centered on passion for art, this year’s ‘Venice Biennale’ is directed by Christine Macel. Born in 1969 in Paris, Macel has played a key role at the Centre Pompidou as the Chief Curator. She has also long been part of the Venice Biennale: she introduced Eric Duyckaerts as the curator of the Belgian Pavilion in 2007, and worked with Anri Sala at the French Pavilion in 2013.
With her experience from the many exhibitions she has curated and her insight into the international art scene, she starts the new 200 days journey in Venice with words of admiration and encouragement for art and artists. There is much attention towards how the global art scene will react to her attempt of treating every aspect including the forms, questions, and results suggested, raised, and created by the artists, trying to return to the “essence.” The harmony will be created by 120 artists from 51 countries with Christine Macel.
Counterbalance and the politics of identity
Meanwhile, the theme set for the Korean Pavilion is “Counterbalance: The Stone and the Mountain.” The pavilion will explore perspectives on Korean identity in the face of global conflicts and imbalance. The exhibition will also seek to discuss what art can do in a gloomy reality we have been seeing in today’s world.
The artists of the Korean Pavilion this year, Cody Choi and Lee Wan, and Mr. K, who represents the generation that experienced the colonial rule, the Korean War, dictatorship and rapid industrialization, are tangled as in a family tree, allowing viewers to consider the distinct characteristics of Korea and being a Korean in a global context. The three figures, representing different generations, complete a visual drama with artworks of various genres as painting, installation, and film.
The works that comprise the Pavilion thrive both together and alone, including Cody Choi’s <Venetian Rhapsody>, where the casinos of Las Vegas and Macao are brought to Venice, and Lee Wan’s <Proper Time>, which demonstrates the proper time of 668 people based on the interviews of about 1,200 people from around the world. While finding periodical and geological crossings in the ferocious battlefield of art, the Korean Pavilion may become the “splashing waves of freedom” itself as if a counterbalance slowly reaches the center. ■ with ARTINPOST
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Lee Wan, Made In, Taiwan (Sugar), 2013
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Atiku jelili <Alaagba>
performance with Anne Letailleur at Richardplatz, Berlin, Germany, Saturday May 24 2014 photo by Chiara Cartuccia
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Lee Wan, Proper Time – Though Dreams Revolve with the Moon, 2017
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Griffa Giorgio <Canone aureo 868> 2016 acrylic on canvas
Photo: Giulio Caresio, Courtesy of the artist, Casey Kaplan Gallery - New York, Galleria Lorcan O'Neil - Roma
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Cody Choi, <Color Haze>, 2016. Moving light, glasses, fog machine. Dimensions Variable.
Installation view at the Korean Pavilion, 57th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by Riccardo Tosetto. Courtesy of the Artist.
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Lee Wan, <Proper Time: Though the Dreams Revolve with the Moon>, 2017. 668 clocks. Dimensions variable.
Installation view with <For a Better Tomorrow> at the Korean Pavilion, 57th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. Photo by the Artist. Courtesy of the Artist.
