The organization in charge of the 57th Venice Art Biennial has announced the names of the artists who are individually exhibiting. In addition, to the most important artistic exhibition in the world will be added almost a hundred artists who present their work representing their country of origin.
Under the title Viva Arte Viva, the 57th version of the Venice Art Biennial will take place between 13 May and 26 November 2017 in the old naval complex Arsenale and the mythical Giardini della Biennale. It was on Monday 6 February that the current president of the Biennial Paolo Baratta (which celebrates its second period since 2008) called a press conference to officially present the 120 artists who are participating in the individual competition of the new edition of the event. This year’s curatorial director, Christine Macel, a French curator who in 2013 was in charge of the country’s pavilion (represented by the artist Anri Sala) at the Biennial, and since 2000 is also the Responsible for the collection of the Center of Modern Art Pompidou.



On the occasion, Paolo Baratta highlighted the intention to support new talents or have not been recognized in previous years: “In the exhibition it is interesting to find that 120 artworks selected by the curator, 103 are here for the first time, and they are not only young artists or new discoveries, they are discoveries and re-discoveries. “It is about discoveries and re-discoveries, Macel said that Viva Arte Viva “wants to instill a positive and prospective energy centered on young artists, to rediscover those who died too soon or who are unknown to the public despite the importance of their artworks.” He added that a variety of generations and “specific cultural areas” are presenting, alluding to the strong presence of artists from Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia.
Among the Latin American artists are Chilean Enrique Ramírez (1979) and Juan Downey (1940 – USA, 1993) and Argentines Liliana Porter (1941), Martín Cordiano (1975), Sebastián Díaz Morales (1975) and Nicolás García Uriburu 2016). In Brazil, Paulo Bruscky (1949), Ernesto Neto (1964) Ayrson Heráclito (1968) and Erika Verzutti (1971) were selected. From Mexico will travel Gabriel Orozco (1962) and Cynthia Gutiérrez (1978); While the Cuban Zilia Sánchez (1926) and the Guatemalan Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa (1978) also stands out.






“The role, the voice and the responsibility of the artist are crucial in the context of contemporary debates,” said Christine Macel about the focus of his curatorship. It should be noted that along with the individual exhibition, 85 pavilions that are representing the participating nations, each with its own curator.
“In a world full of conflicts and shakes, in which humanism is seriously compromised, art is the most precious part of the human being, it is the ideal place for reflection, individual expression, freedom and fundamental questions”
(57th Venice Art Biennial Organization)
Check the AAL interview with the curator of the Chile pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennial
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cover image: blog.venice-tourism.com