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Venice Biennale

Everything you need to know about the

Olympics of Art.

April 2022

- team luxe List

Portrait of (left) CECILIA ALEMANI and (right) ROBERTO CICUTTO. Courtesy the Venice Biennale.

ANSWERING THE WHAT? WHY? & WHO? OF THE VENICE BIENNALE FOR THE FIRST TIME VISITOR

What exactly is the Venice Biennale?

While, by now, it's extravagantly clear that the Venice Biennale is an art exhibition featuring creations from varied sectors of art, here’s what the wondrous event exactly encapsulates. The Venice Biennale is also referred to as the Art Biennale or the Biennale d’Arte in Italian. The three most famous Venice Biennale are the Art Biennale, the Architecture Biennale (since 1980), and the Biennale Cinema (since 1932).

The Venice Biennale can be summed up in three segments: the first of which is the central exhibition curated by the artistic director–Cecilia Alemani for this year–in the central pavilion in the public gardens named the Giardini and the dockyards, named the Arsenale. The second part are mainly the national pavilions. As the name indicates, these are mainly organized by different countries, with one or more artist offerings, and curated for the globe-trotting audiences. Tagged as collateral events, the third and final segments of the Venice Biennale are the independent exhibitions.

Why is the Venice Biennale considered the Olympics of the art world?

The Venice Biennale spans over a period of six months–a prime reason why the event occurs biennially and not annually–, it showcases art from around the world and is flocked with installations created over years–some also representing the language of an entire nation. Unlike most other art exhibitions, the Venice Biennale isn’t only the runnings of a single art-gifted individual, it is the wild, vicarious collection of art wonders from across the globe, under one giant blue Venice sky-cover.

The Venice Biennale happens once every two years. The title Venice Biennale for the art exhibition is a simple name when broken down. While the first part is an obvious indicator of the location of the event, biennale (a word of Italian origin) means an exceptionally large art event that occurs biennially (the English extension of biennale), which is used to describe any event that occurs once in two years.

The 59th International Art Exhibition, curated by Cecilia Alemani, will open to the public from April 23 to November 27, 2022, at the Giardini and the Arsenale. Cecilia Alemani is a curator who has organized many exhibitions of contemporary artists. She is currently Director and Chief Curator of High Line Art, the programme of public art of the urban park in New York, and is the past curator of the Italian Pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2017. Speaking to the official website of the art exhibition, the artist declared, “As the first Italian woman to hold this position, I intend to give voice to artists to create unique projects that reflect their visions and our society.”

Katharina Grosse, Study for Apollo, Apollo, 2021. Photography by Daniela Görgens. © Katharina Grosse and VG Bild, Bonn, 2022.

Art is the modern, primitive, ancient and all-through colloquial counter to everything else that at some stage romances redundancy. Art evolves, encapsulates, etches and engages. The Venice Biennale breathes, and breeds such art. The preposterous art-menace returns to take center stage in 2022, now that the pandemic has gloomed. Rich in history, the Venice Biennale was one of the very few Art (or any other) events that continued through the World War–a keen testament to the importance, and quality of the huge amalgamation of art.

Anish Kapoor at Palazzo Manfrin

Who should visit the Venice Biennale?

Everyone; for two reasons. 1) Art is timeless, and easily the most natural, and captivating portrayal of an artist’s message, and 2) there is never an age or occupation that can determine an individual’s ability to consume art. Speaking more categorically, the Venice Biennale has something for architects, art-world denizens, students, tourists, globe-trotters, dancers, musicians, actors, drama-geeks, cinema-lovers, artists, seniors, once again, everyone.

What kind of an experience can you expect there?

Mesmerizing, if we were to describe it in one word. Known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice (now, Venice), the floating city, the heritage establishment of the city is the perfect backdrop for art descendants. With 500,000 at every edition (if foot fall was ever a marker of quality), the Biennale is pretty much an art haven. All in all, you will experience substantially satiating art from all over the world and a magical world created by the primary organizer.

Are there any passes required for the Venice Biennale?

Yes, the Venice Biennale is a paid event. There are various categories of tickets that vary in period and access is granted to the ticket-holder for buyers to choose from. There are single-entry tickets that allow you single access to the Giardini and the Arsenale as well as other national pavilions. There are paid dramas, cinemas and art inscriptions offered too. Early-bird and student discounts are offered by the organizers. Tickets can be booked online or bought at the entrance too. The art is open to be visited between 10am to 6pm, but shut on Mondays–we suggest you check this beforehand from a local authority or event organizer and plan accordingly.