The Venetian Lagoon is the great artistic stage of a theatre that plays with reality, exploring history and antihistory. For the Nigerian art critic and curator of this edition, Okwui Enwezor, "the changes that have occurred over the past two centuries have produced fascinating insights for artists." Thus, through the theme "All the World's Futures" the Biennale examines the past, the present and the future to become the "world’s sounding board."
The artists of the 53 participating countries have made their works around three filters. The first, "Vitalità: sulla durata epica" (Vitality: about the epic time) captivates the visitor in a never-ending exhibition of works already existing or created for the occasion. "Il giardino del disordine" (The garden of chaos) ventures into the depths of a chaotic and deformed universe. Finally, "Il capitale: lettura dal vivo” (The capital: live reading) offers a program of readings, part of a bibliographic project that concerns the political and philosophical vision of the Capital.
This "Machine of desire" as called by the president of the Biennale, Paolo Baratta, feeds the desire of Art giving a form sensible to the interpretations of the world, whether it is utopian or anxiety inducing. After 120 years of existence, the Biennale di Venezia is renewed and gets hold of large spaces and of a principle of unity: arts and pavilions form an indivisible whole. Venice lends itself to the Biennale, from the Giardini to the Arsenale, passing through the Mekhitarist monastery in the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni. For about seven months, national and collateral events will follow one another to probe the international and multiple vision of the humanity.
Translated by Dafne Inzaina – Meretdemeures.com (May 2015).
