Less Time Than Ideas - Art Across the Americas
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Less Time Than Ideas - Art Across the Americas
NEWS: Strikes & Anger at Venice Biennale
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Geopolitical tensions at the Venice Biennale.
Hi everyone. Welcome back to Less Time than Ideas, where today we are going to take a look at the Venice Biennale, for all its sins. This year’s edition of the world famous event - which, in what really isn’t a controversial statement, doesn’t equate to it having the best art - has been punctured by protests over a variety of issues. In its last preview day, a strike called to protest the participation of Israel saw multiple pavilions close. Just a couple of days before, the Russian pavilion also temporarily shut its doors after the activist group Pussy Riot protested against the country’s inclusion. And in what was arguably an even more important incident, before the event even began the jury resigned in unison after stating they would not consider entries from countries whose leaders were subject to international arrest warrants, meaning basically Russia and Israel.
The strike was organised by the Art Not Genocide Alliance, which said that more than 20 pavilions would shutter in order to support their calls for Israel to be barred from the event because of the genocide in Gaza. In practice, about 12 pavilions closed, and in addition a number of other spaces supported the strike by hanging Palestinian flags, informational posters etc with slogans including “We stand with Palestine.”
There were multiple talking points alongside Russia and Israel, though, with outsider artist representing the United States, Jeffrey Gibson, getting it in the neck for work which was perceived to be sterile, in its avoidance of controversial themes. Of course it’s not his fault, but the elephant in the room with the US pavilion - despite the work not reflecting on it in any way - is the Trump administration. Little doubt that institutional art suffers when autocracies take hold, and that’s not Jeffrey Gibson, but he is being affected by default, and has publicly said that this is the first time in his life that he feels the need to defend his art.
Strange times, good people, strange times. There’s a vibe to Venice this year, a highly charged vibe, and not a good one.