Explore our selection of exhibitions surrounding the Venice Biennale, each offering unique insights and perspectives. “South West Bank, Landworks, Collective Action and Sound” showcases art from Palestine’s southern West Bank, emphasising traditional practices amidst changing landscapes. “When Solidarity Is Not a Metaphor” challenges war and colonialism’s impacts, while “Your Ghosts Are Mine” delves into contemporary experiences of community and exile. “Ensemble” at Palazzo Grassi presents Julie Mehretu’s expansive oeuvre alongside works by fellow artists, exploring shared themes and connections:
Magazzino Gallery, Palazzo Polignac: South West Bank, Landworks, Collective action and Sound, Artists + Allies x Hebron
South West Bank, Landworks, Collective Action and Sound is an exhibition showcasing art from the southern West Bank in Palestine, organised by Artists + Allies x Hebron and Dar Jacir for Art and Research. Participating artists delve into land, agriculture, and heritage amidst a changing landscape, echoing the Biennale Arte 2024 theme. They emphasise the importance of traditional practices in defining ‘home’ and resist through sensory experiences like dance and music. Through diverse mediums, the exhibition portrays resilience against conflict and explores changes in urban and rural life. The artworks highlight the symbiotic relationship between humanity and nature in the face of dispossession and occupation. The exhibition includes works from Issa Amro, Samer Barbari, Adam Broomberg, Duncan Campbell, Rafael González, Isabella Hammad, Shayma Hammad, Chris Harding, Baha Hilo, Emily Jacir, Sebastián Jatz Rawicz, Benjamin Lind, Jumana Manna, Michael Rakowitz, Mohammad Saleh, Vivien Sansour, Andrea de Siena, and Dima Srouji. In addition, participants from the Researching Palestine Zine Group coordinated by Chris Harding include Suzannah Henty, Raghad Hilal, Ramzi Nimr, Hanna Salmon, Laura Tibi and Marta Wodz.
My Art Guides Venice Meeting Point, Navy Officers’ Club, Arsenale Alserkal Initiatives Collaborates with Cité internationale des arts, When Solidarity Is Not a Metaphor
When Solidarity Is Not a Metaphor, a collaboration between Alserkal Initiatives, Cité internationale des arts, and Lightbox, runs from April 16 to 21, 2024, at My Art Guides Venice Meeting Point. Curated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, it features installations, performances, and conversations by artists challenging war, patriarchy, and colonialism’s impact. Artists like Majd Abdel Hamid and Yana Bachynska explore solidarity as praxis, rejecting mere theorizing. The ancillary program includes contributions by DAAR and Saul Williams. Vilma Jurkute of Alserkal Initiatives emphasises solidarity amidst global injustices. Benedicte Alliot of Cité internationale des arts stresses solidarity’s importance in difficult times. Lightbox’s Mara Sartore highlights the exhibition’s role in fostering dialogue and unity.
ACP Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, Qatar Museums, Your Ghosts Are Mine
‘Your Ghosts Are Mine’, curated by Qatar Museums, delves into contemporary community experiences, recollection, transnational crossings, and exile through moving images. It offers an immersive journey featuring films from the Doha Film Institute, alongside video installations from Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the upcoming Art Mill Museum. Together, these artworks explore the Arab world, Africa, and South Asia, weaving narratives of past, present, and future. Filmmakers and video artists summon ghosts of resurgent pasts and projections of uncertain futures, navigating a realm governed by imagination. The exhibition redefines cinema and video as both phenomenon and language, showcasing diverse audiovisual creations that challenge traditional narratives in favor of new dialogues. These films, often emerging from postcolonial contexts, transcend mass media, embodying historical significance amidst societal upheavals. For these filmmakers and artists, crafting sounds and images serves as a vital means of addressing postcolonial complexities with depth, humanity, and poetry, embracing paradoxes and multiple perspectives. The exhibition serves as a unique agora, merging modernity with spirituality, and science-fiction with anthropology, offering a space where diverse voices and genres converge.
Palazzo Grassi: Julie Mehretu, Ensemble
“Ensemble,” the largest European exhibition of Julie Mehretu’s work to date, is showcased at Palazzo Grassi from March 17, 2024, to January 6, 2025. Curated by Caroline Bourgeois and Julie Mehretu, it features over fifty pieces spanning 25 years, including recent works from 2021-2024. Mehretu’s art intertwines with contributions from fellow artists Nairy Baghramian, Huma Bhabha, Tacita Dean, David Hammons, Robin Coste Lewis, Paul Pfeiffer, and Jessica Rankin, exploring shared themes and connections. The exhibition transcends chronology, offering a holistic view of Mehretu’s practice, emphasszing collaborative creation and collective inspiration.
