Venice Biennale 2023: A Stage for the Unseen and Unheard

The 60th Venice Biennale, opening on April 20th, promises a profound exploration of themes such as marginalization, immigration, and decolonization, under the stewardship of Adriano Pedrosa, the event's first artistic director from the Southern Hemisphere. Titled "Stranieri Ovunque" or "Foreigners Everywhere," this year's exhibition aims to bring forward voices that have traditionally been overlooked in the art world, particularly highlighting artists who have had minimal previous exposure at the Biennale.

The Biennale, set in the picturesque locales of Venice's Giardini parkland and Arsenale shipyard, is divided into two main sections: the Nucleo Contemporaneo and the Nucleo Storico. The former will focus on contemporary marginalized groups, including Indigenous, queer, and outsider artists, while the latter revisits 20th-century works from regions often underrepresented in global art narratives, such as Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

One of the notable installations is "Exile is a Hard Job" by Turkish feminist artist Nil Yalter, a recipient of this year’s Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement. First initiated in 1975, this evolving project addresses the isolation experienced by those in exile, and for the first time, Yalter's work will be showcased at the Biennale, located in the Central Pavilion at the Giardini.

Another highlight is the "Cosmic Garden" by Indian artists Madhvi and Manu Parekh, in collaboration with Mumbai’s Chanakya School of Craft. This installation at the Salone Verde celebrates Indian cultural motifs through expressionism and modernism, featuring paintings and sculptures alongside hand-embroidered reinterpretations created by over 320 female artisans using organic materials such as silk.

Significantly, the Brazil Pavilion will undergo a symbolic transformation into the Hãhãwpuá Pavilion. Spearheaded by Glicéria Tupinambá and fellow Indigenous artists, the exhibition aims to challenge the enduring marginalization of Brazil’s Indigenous communities. "Ka’a Pûera: we are walking birds" represents a powerful commentary on the impact of colonization on these communities, embodying the essence of the Biennale's theme by presenting art as a form of resistance and expression from those on the peripheries of mainstream cultural narratives.