By Janet Ekstract NEW YORK – To celebrate 60 years of the Biennale Arte 2024 – Venice Biennale Swatch designed a new watch in collaboration with the Paris-born and Palermo-based Claire Fontaine collective. The Biennale 2024 Swatch watch has the words “Foreigners Everywhere” with the 2024 Biennale Arte theme on the dial. The new watch fits perfectly into this year’s biennale theme of Foreigners Everywhere which includes an exhibition by Ai Weiwei entitled “Neither Nor” that follows Weiwei’s artistic path from 2006 through today. It features a large selection of new artwork created between 2019-2023 using LEGO bricks next to historical work made from porcelain, marble, bamboo and assemblages of diverse materials. Another exhibition at the biennale is entitled “The Spirits of Maritime Crossing” presented by the Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation that gathers 15 artists from the Global South including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Singapore that explores these of diaspora, displacement and colonialism through the looking glass of ocean and sea travel using performance, film, painting and sculpture. This exhibition showcases parallels between Venice and Bangkok.
Another fascinating and first solo exhibition in Italy is from Houston-based artist Rick Lowe showcased at Palazzo Grimani which houses a magnificent, large collection of 16th century Greek and Roman sculpture. Lowe created a series of paintings to reflect the aesthetic influence of ancient and pre-modern architecture to complement Venice’s urban plan, allowing viewers to experience moving through the city and its waterways. In addition, an immersive exhibition from Maqbool Fida Husain, known as the ‘Picasso of India’ -the show examines his life and work. Husain known for his modernist paintings, displays his wooden toys, paintings, photographs, letters and snippets from his films with collages, letters and poetry that created his vision of Inisa as a rich ‘cultural mosaic.” Venice Biennale 2024’s goal is to bring a diversity of artistic perspectives and voices from every corner of the world to its guests. With the theme Foreigners Everywhere, Biennale Arte 2024 promises to be the most eclectic, colorful international art exhibition, yet.
