Hyundai Meets_Venice Biennale: Review

The “Hyundai Meets_Venice Biennale” team arrived on the Venetian Lagoon on May 4, two days before vernissage opened on May 6. Emphasizing the imminent opening of the Biennale, we noticed posters announcing special exhibitions and national pavilions immediately upon arriving at the Venice Marco Polo Airport. It served as a reminder that we were, indeed, at the very center of the world's contemporary art scene. Art-industry figures looked quite settled in, seated on chairs and stools at roadside eateries, engaged in animated discussions about the upcoming event. On the eve of the press open, everyone gathered by twos and threes at plazas and cafes, while those in the exhibition spaces were burning the midnight oil to make final preparations to receive guests. On the morning of, journalists from around the world could be seen bustling about, awaiting the 10 am unveiling of the Venice Biennale. The procession gathered from across the city to swarm the entrance of the Arsenale for the opening of the main exhibition.

Why don't we take a closer look at this year's Biennale? Okwui Enwezor, the director of the Biennale this year, pulled all stops in planning the main exhibition at the Arsenale venue. It was an effort made apparent from the very entrance, where visually striking works are exhibited. American artist Bruce Nauman's neon sign flickers between spelling “DEATH” and “EAT,” paired with Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed's Nymphéas (Water Lilies), which are clusters of steel blades and swords planted into the floor like sprouting bouquets. Argentinian artist Eduardo Basualdo's work Amenaza (meaning “threat”) presents a strange optical illusion of a blade. Iraqi artist Hiwa K's The Bell is a bell made from metal collected from weapons and a video that presents a sense of catharsis with the resounding peal of the bell. The exhibition itself is quite an eclectic collection that can be described through such keywords as disorder, conflict, instability and collapse.

All 136 artists from 53 countries featured at the main exhibition were chosen by Enwezor himself. Leading up to the Biennale, Enwezor had personally visited each country to talk to the artists and share his vision of the exhibition. All the commitment and enthusiasm he poured into the exhibition can be seen.

Covering about 50,000 square meters of sprawling parkland, the Giardini was rich with green shade, chirping birds and, for this occasion, the excited movement of journalists, and representatives from museums and galleries all around the world. Some exhibition venues even limited the number of visitors at a given time, resulting in some long waiting lines at the entrances. The lines for video exhibitions were particularly slow-moving, much to the distress of the visitors. Starting with the press open, national pavilions began opening one by one, and by May 9 when the Golden Lion and the Silver Lion were awarded, followed by various performances and events, the Biennale already appeared to running at full steam. The Korean Pavilion held its opening ceremony on May 6, presenting a completely original shade of contemporary art.

Navigating the maze-like canals to the national pavilions located across Venice became a sort of art treasure hunt. The sun set slowly over the glistening waters as visitors went in search of more art, while others stayed near Piazza San Marco to join in on headed discussions about the exhibitions they had seen. No matter the activity, the Biennale continued through the night until the sun rose in the east, opening the day to art aficionados steadily standing in line to be the first inside the exhibition halls. Venice truly is a city ablaze for contemporary art and it seems it won't be cooling off any time soon. ■ with ARTINPOST