Since its inaugural edition in 1895, the Biennale's Art Exhibitions have been held at the historic Giardini venue, originally commissioned by Napoleon in the early 19th century, located on the eastern edge of Venice. The early triumphs of the Biennale prompted the addition of foreign pavilions in 1907, alongside the pre-existing Central Pavilion. Currently, the Giardini accommodates 29 pavilions representing various foreign countries, with some of them designed by renowned architects.
During the 25th April, Liberation day in Italy, I have chosen to spend my holiday to visit it for the first time and better understand this type of exhibition. A lot of Italians and Foreigners were present during the day, to discover how artists have chosen to represent the theme.
Pannel of 2024 topic of Venice Biennale Art Exhibition in Central Pavilion - Photo by Francesca Nigro
Under the title of "Foreigners Everywhere - Stranieri ovunque" the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Biennale Art 2024 in Venice, open to the public from April 20th to November 24th, focuses on the power of art to transcend national boundaries, centering on marginalized identities and the global South. Curator Adriano Pedrosa chose the theme "Strangers Everywhere" as a call to action, considering the record number of displaced people worldwide. The contributors to the 60th Venice Biennale aimed to develop an experiential exhibition, involving not only sight, but also hearing and the surrounding space. Many Asian artists participating in this year's pavilions seem to have responded to this call.
Korean Pavilion - Photo by Francesca Nigro
The Korean pavilion in particular is characterized by the sense of smell, an experience that evokes memories of the country and that can also be purchased for the first time. The Pavilion offers an intriguing reflection: through social media, advertisements, press releases, personal interactions, and correspondence, the Korean Pavilion team engaged with both Koreans and non-Koreans, inviting anyone with a connection to Korea to participate. They posed the question: "What is your scent memory of Korea?" This inclusive outreach effort resulted in over 600 written responses sharing various scent memories associated with Korea, including defectors from North Korea, and foreign residents shared their responses, which Koo Jeong A and her team transformed into 17 different fragrances in collaboration with perfumers. The artist is no stranger to sensory installations, fully expressing her poetic vision. In the pavilion, it is possible to smell the Smell of Seoul, the Smell of Magnolia Siebold, Smell of Rice, the Smell of Grandparents' House, the Smell of Jangdokdae and even the Smell of Sunlight. This experience transports anyone into a real treasure hunt: upon entering the seemingly empty pavilion, one already feels a different air from outside. If at first you only perceive one smell in the air, as time goes by your nose 'wakes up', revealing that different areas of the structure give off different scents.
Levitating bronze (kangse -spst) in Korean Pavilion - Koo Jeong A Art - Photo by Francesca Nigro
Through this Korean Scent Journey visitors to the Korean Pavilion will be enveloped in these olfactory creations, emitted by a levitating bronze figure within the pavilion kangse -spst. Immaterialism, weightlessness, endlessness, and levitation are the key words of Koo’s art. These four keywords are mirrored throughout the Korean Pavilion. They are embedded and engraved into the wooden floor and outdoor installations like infinity symbols, taking form as two floating wooden sculptures shaped like Möbius strips, alongside a bronze figure that levitates and releases scent. This example highlights the nuance of Koo's ephemeral and evanescent artistic interventions, working through traces and senses to demonstrate that "nothing is simply ordinary".
Wooden sculptures shaped like Möbius strips in Korean Pavilion - Koo Jeong A Art - Photo by Francesca Nigro
Named "Odorama Cities," the project aims, as the artist has declared on different media, to transcend geographical boundaries and the limits of the visible world to map a nation through collective memory.
A sensitivity to environmental issues is another theme analyzed during the exhibition.
In Japan Pavilion Yuko Mohri's acoustic sculptures, powered by electrodes inserted into decomposing fruit, are arriving at the Japan Pavilion in an installation that serves as a critical commentary on environmental issues.
Lights powered by decomposed fruits in Japan Pavilion - Yuko Mohri Art - Photo by Francesca Nigro
The artist expresses her interest in how a crisis can paradoxically stimulate "the highest levels of creativity." This notion was inspired by observing Tokyo railway workers improvising systems to capture water leaks in stations using inverted umbrellas, buckets, pipes, and duct tape. The most significant crises Mohri considers include the Covid-19 pandemic, the disastrous 2019 flood in Venice, and the threat of rising sea levels due to the climate emergency. "Perceiving the beginning of a new era of response to global challenges, I want to present an innovative vision that paves a new path toward the future," stated the artist.
In conclusion, the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Biennale Art 2024 in Venice showcases a rich range of artistic expressions that transcend national boundaries and delve into themes of identity, memory, and environmental consciousness. Curated under the theme "Foreigners Everywhere - Stranieri ovunque," this year's Biennale invites visitors to engage not only visually but also through sensory experiences. Artists like Koo Jeong A and Yuko Mohri offer profound reflections on collective memory, crisis response, and the interconnectedness of humanity in the face of global challenges. As visitors explore the pavilions, they are encouraged to contemplate the power of art to provoke thought, evoke emotion, and inspire positive change in an ever-evolving world.
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