The title and the theme of the 59th International Art Exhibition have been announced by the President of La Biennale di Venezia, Roberto Cicutto, and the Curator Cecilia Alemani. La Biennale di Venezia was founded in 1895 and is now one of the most famous and prestigious cultural organizations in the world. La Biennale, who stands at the forefront of research and promotion of new contemporary art trends, organizes exhibitions and research in all its specific departments. The Biennale Arte 2022 will be held from 23 April to 27 November 2022 (pre-opening on 20, 21, 22 April) in the Giardini, at the Arsenale, and at various sites around Venice.
Roberto Cicutto and Cecilia Alemani, Photo by Andrea Avezzù,
Courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
The curator Cecilia Alemani explains her title choice: “The 59th International Art Exhibition will be titled The Milk of Dreams/Il latte dei sogni. This name is borrowed from a book by Leonora Carrington, in which, as Cecilia Alemani says, “the Surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination, and where everyone can change, be transformed, become something and someone else. The exhibition takes us on an imaginary journey through metamorphoses of the body and definitions of humanity.”
The exhibition The Milk of Dreams takes Leonora Carrington, her otherworldly creatures, and many other figures of transformation as companions on an imaginary journey through metamorphoses of the body and definitions of humanity. This exhibition is grounded in many conversations with artists which took place over the past months. The questions that kept emerging seem to capture this moment in history when the very survival of the species is threatened, but also to sum up doubts that pervade the sciences, arts, and myths of our time. How is the definition of the human changing? What constitutes life, and what differentiates animals, plants, humans and non-humans? What are our responsibilities towards the planet, other people, and the different organisms we live with? And what would life look like without us?
These are some of the guiding questions for this edition of the Biennale Arte, which focuses on three themes in particular: the representation of bodies and their metamorphoses; the relationship between individuals and technologies; the connection between bodies and the earth.
The 59th International Art Exhibition will also feature, as usual, the National Participations, with each country presenting its own exhibition in the Pavilions of the Giardini and the Arsenale, and in the historic centre of Venice. This edition will once again include a selection of Collateral Events organized by international institutions, which will hold their own shows and initiatives in Venice.
59th International Art Exhibition: 23 April > 27 November
La Biennale di Venezia announces all dates for the other 2022 activities:
Classici Fuori Mostra: 10 February > 26 May
Archèus. Wunderkammer dal Flauto magico: 18 February > 5 June
13th International Kids’ Carnival: 19 > 27 February
50th International Theatre Festival: 24 June > 3 July
16th International Festival of Contemporary Dance: 22 > 31 July
79th Venice International Film Festival: 31 August > 10 September
66th International Festival of Contemporary Music: 14 September > 25 September
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