The Venice Biennale 2024: Celebrating Diverse and Outspoken Artistry

The 2024 Venice Biennale has set the art world abuzz with its thrilling announcement of 331 extraordinary artists slated to take centre stage at this year’s main exhibition, themed “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.” Crafted under the discerning eye of Adriano Pedrosa, the mastermind behind São Paulo’s Museu de Arte, the event is poised to captivate from 20th April to 24th November 2024.

Divided into two captivating sections, the exhibition promises an immersive experience into the realms of art. The Nucleo Contemporaneo will offer a profound exploration of contemporary foreign and indigenous artists, while the Nucleo Storico will delve into the depths of global modernism. The underlying theme of “Stranieri Ovunque” beckons us to ponder the notion that we are perennially surrounded by foreigners, and at the core, we are all strangers in some way.

The Nucleo Contemporaneo is a beacon shining brightly on artists from diverse backgrounds, including foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, diasporic communities, émigrés, exiles, and refugees. Notably, it will also exalt Indigenous artists and the LGBTQ+ community.

This segment promises to showcase the exquisite works of Kay WalkingStick, a luminary in the realm of landscape art with Native American heritage, the influential Brazilian collective MAHKU, and the mesmerising Māori female quartet Mataaho Collective.

Moreover, this section will illuminate the path with avant-garde pieces from a host of Queer artists, both contemporary and historical, such as Isaac Chong Wai, Louis Fratino, Erica Rutherford, and Evelyn Taocheng Wang, ensuring a diverse and representative ensemble of talent.

The Nucleo Storico, on the other hand, will transport visitors through time and space, as it presents the artistic treasures of 20th-century Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, all while redefining the borders of modernism. The exhibit will be unveiled in distinct chambers dedicated to Portraits, Abstractions, and will cast a spotlight on the Italian artistic diaspora in the 20th century.

The Portraits gallery will unveil masterpieces from a motley crew of artists, including the towering figures of Māori Modernism Selwyn Wilson and Chilean painter Laura Rodig. The “Abstraction” segment will dazzle with the likes of Sandy Adsett, Fanny Sanín, Etel Adnan, Eduardo Terrazas, and Samia Halaby. As a tribute to the Italian diaspora, the exhibit will pay homage to 40 artists, including luminaries like Argentinian painter Lidy Prati and Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi.

But that’s not all, because the display will also play host to works by historical giants like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Tarsila do Amaral, and Carmen Herrera.

With its poignant theme of “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere,” and the kaleidoscopic array of artists, the 2024 Venice Biennale promises to be nothing short of a jubilant ode to creativity and a stage for voices that may have been hitherto overlooked. Whether it’s the contemporary foreign and indigenous artists or the in-depth exploration of global modernism, this edition unfurls into a tapestry of artistry that will breathe life into the cultural landscape.