Art, Pope, cocktails, demos: the faces of the Biennale 24

A happy atmosphere, lively discussions, clinking glasses and astonished eyes: Even before the official start of the 60th Venice Art Biennale, there is already a lot going on in the Giardini and Arsenale. Visitors queue in front of many of the pavilions – for example in front of the pavilions of Germany, France and Great Britain, which are located right next to each other. Of course, for many people, a glass of wine or an Aperol Spritz is a must while waiting.

A whole series of live performances can be seen during the so-called “Preview Days” – and not just on the Biennale site itself. As soon as you arrive at the “Giardini Biennale” vaporetto stop, there is currently a lot to discover: one Woman walking on eggs with shopping bags in hand or a man smearing blood-red paint on himself. Perhaps a reference to our world dominated by terror and war, in which blood is shed almost daily?

The main international exhibition “Foreigners Everywhere” is also well attended on Wednesday and Thursday: artists, gallery owners, journalists and art enthusiasts stroll through the central pavilion into the Giardini. Paintings, photographs, sculptures, video and sound installations from a wide variety of countries can be seen here. Queer and indigenous artists in particular will be offered a platform at this year’s Biennale.

Actually, there are far too many impressions to digest in a short period of time. There is an oversaturation of art, which is accepted with joy and enjoyment at the Biennale.

Protests against Israel in the Giardini

Despite many colorful and colorful contributions, the international art scene seems to be quite disillusioned about the future: climate crisis, racism, war and flight play a significant role in many of the contributions and pavilions. Is there an apocalyptic mood here?

In the German pavilion, the artist Yael Bartana also lets people fly into space in a spaceship. “We as humans have destroyed so much that we have to leave this place so that the earth can heal,” she emphasized in an interview with dpa, as the news agency reports.

Despite its exuberant moments, this year’s Biennale will be overshadowed by political debates and world events. The mood seems depressing at times. On Wednesday there was a protest in front of the Israeli pavilion, which remains closed for the time being at the request of the artist Ruth Patir. As the dpa reports, a group of people demonstrated there against Israel in view of the Gaza war. “The group then moved on to the USA pavilion and the German pavilion. The activists called for a boycott of Israeli art in Venice. Speakers described Israel as a ‘terrorist state’ and a ‘totalitarian state’ and also harshly criticized Germany. Representatives of the so-called Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) also took part in the protest. They distributed flyers,” writes the dpa.

Day ticket for Venice and Pope’s visit

The Biennale can still be visited without a Venice day ticket. According to KNA reports, day-trippers to Venice will need a day ticket from April 25th and will pay five euros for it. “Residents of Venice and the Veneto region, overnight guests and people who work, study, go to school or take part in sports competitions are exempt. Those in need of care and relatives of residents are also exempt from the fee,” writes the KNA. “Venice is testing its day tickets in an eleven-day block from April 25th to May 5th and on weekends until July 14th.”

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Luxembourg Biennale representative Andrea Mancini in portrait

On April 28th, Pope Francis will visit the Art Biennale. As the KNA reports, it is the first Pope’s visit to the famous exhibition of modern art.