The Venice Biennale is one of the largest international gatherings of contemporary art, where artists from around the world exhibit their work. This year, even before its opening, many controversies have arisen: the reopening of the Russian pavilion after 4 years of absence, occupied by 40 artists offering an exhibition curated by the daughter of a former FSB general and the daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In response to this, the Biennale jury announced their resignation, prompting the direction to reschedule the award ceremony originally set for May 9, to November 22, now to be decided by a popular jury. Just days before the opening, Iran announced it would not participate, without further details at the moment. During the Biennale, each country can showcase the work of an artist of their choice during the event. This year, 99 national pavilions are presented for this new edition under the title “In Minor Keys,” chosen by curator Koyo Kouoch last year. Journalist Valérie Duponchelle from Le Figaro reflects on her visit to the Biennale:
“What is striking is that the pavilions involved in the controversies have been largely ignored by visitors. I visited the Russian pavilion, which was almost empty, except for huge floral arrangements and music by a group of young brave Mexicans dealing with the harsh climate. So, no one was visiting this pavilion. The Israeli pavilion also had few visitors. Overall, the American pavilion was completely deserted. It’s a spectacle unlike anything we’ve seen at the Venice Biennale. Usually, there are long queues to enter the American pavilion. This time, there were no lines and no one in the rooms. So, if the public vote decides the Biennale awards in November, it could be harsh for these three pavilions. […] I must say that in the first days of the Biennale, politics was a significant topic of discussion. War, its weight, its horrors, peace, its ideal, its utopia perhaps, dominate the artistic conversations.”
The 61st Venice Art Biennale will take place from May 9 to November 22.
Briefs of the day:
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Accused of rape and harassment, the director of Frac Bretagne has been dismissed: after internal investigations, the Regional Fund for Contemporary Art in Rennes announced on May 6 the dismissal of Etienne Bernard, who had been leading the institution since 2019. A judicial inquiry was opened for moral harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and aggravated rape. In November, the Instagram account #MeTooArtContemporary anonymously reported incidents from 2008. The institution’s facade was later covered with tags: “Get out,” “we see you,” “leave.” In a statement on May 6, Etienne Bernard acknowledged the decision of the Board of Directors. However, he strongly denies the accusations brought against him, which he finds to be mostly anonymous, vague, and unsubstantiated.
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The law on the return of cultural objects looted during colonization is definitively adopted: the French Parliament definitively adopted a framework law on Thursday, facilitating the return of looted works during French colonization, demanded for years in Africa. Requests for the return of plundered works by France have been longstanding but faced resistance from major museums and were often sidelined politically until the early 2010s, led notably by the Benin. After his election, Emmanuel Macron made it a political promise, but nine years later, few returns have taken place. The law now allows the government to return works by decree without having to act on a case-by-case basis. The text also integrates a new objective into the mission of French museums, to research the origin of their assets, as understanding what was wrongfully taken is crucial for claims, a point emphasized by the left demanding resources for this task.
