Venice Biennale 2024
Curation Hour’s pick with a focus on video
By Curation Hour
Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere serves as the theme for the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, drawing inspiration from the ongoing series initiated in 2004 by the Paris-born, Palermo-based collective Claire Fontaine. Their neon sculptures, adorned in various hues, illuminate the phrase "Foreigners Everywhere" in an array of languages, echoing the sentiments of the Turin collective that combated racism and xenophobia in Italy during the early 2000s. Explaining the significance, the curator of the 2024 edition Adriano Pedrosa elucidates, "The expression 'Stranieri Ovunque' carries nuanced meanings—it underscores the ubiquitous presence of foreigners and underscores the innate foreignness within each of us." Guided by this ethos, Biennale Arte 2024 champions artists new to the International Exhibition, amplifying fresh perspectives and voices.
Among the myriad works on display, our selection delves into the immersive world of video art, showcasing innovative narratives, sensory experiences, and thought-provoking reflections. From evocative storytelling to mesmerising visual compositions, these video installations offer a glimpse into the diverse and dynamic landscape of artistic expression at one of the world's most prestigious art events.
Pierre Huyghe. Liminal. Punta della Dogana.
Liminal, the brainchild of Pierre Huyghe in tandem with curator Anne Stenne, offers a compelling fusion of new creations and a decade-spanning selection from the esteemed Pinault Collection.
Pierre Huyghe’s oeuvre has long probed the intricate interplay between humanity and the non-human realm, crafting speculative narratives that unfurl alternative vistas of existence. To him, fiction serves as a conduit to explore the realms of the possible and the impossible—a gateway to what could be or what might never come to pass.
At Punta della Dogana, Pierre Huyghe orchestrates a kinetic, empathetic environment in a constant state of flux. This exhibition transcends static presentation, instead emerging as a liminal space inhabited by a tapestry of human and non-human entities, cultivating fluid subjectivities in a perpetual state of evolution. These beings, ever-adapting and hybridizing, absorb the traces of both tangible and intangible occurrences that permeate the exhibition space, expanding their collective memory.
For Huyghe, Liminal embodies an unpredictable ritual, where boundless possibilities coalesce sans hierarchy or predetermined paths. Through this immersive experience, he beckons us to traverse alternate realities, encouraging a detachment from our conventional human-centric perspective, inviting us to embrace the inhuman.
Listening All Night To The Rain - John Akomfrah. British Pavilion.
Delving into the realms of post-colonialism, environmental upheaval, and the intricacies of aesthetics in politics, Listening All Night To The Rain stands as Akomfrah's most audacious and expansive commission to date.
Drawing inspiration from the poetry of 11th-century Chinese luminary Su Dongpo, who contemplated life's fleeting essence amidst political exile, the exhibition is structured akin to a melodic composition, comprising eight interconnected multimedia and sound installations. These "cantos" form a cohesive and immersive narrative, chronicling the experiences of migrant diasporas in Britain. Culminating from years of meticulous research by Akomfrah and his team, the exhibition interlaces newly captured footage, archival videos, still imagery, and a rich auditory tapestry sourced from global archives and libraries. Through these narratives, the exhibition illuminates the multifaceted geopolitical threads interwoven within the broader diasporic experiences.
Thresholds. Yael Bartana and Ersan Mondtag. German Pavilion.
Amidst a backdrop of global turmoil and conflict, we found ourselves grappling with a fundamental query: What defines spaces of solidarity? How do we liberate ourselves from the confines of nation-state paradigms and conventional modes of thought? True transformation unfurls when we acknowledge the impermanent nature of our circumstances.
Thresholds symbolise a stirring yearning for the dissolution of political boundaries. For countless individuals worldwide, inhabiting the liminal space between national identities and affiliations evokes trauma and upheaval. The exhibition endeavours to harness this very experience, fostering a vantage point of enlightenment that transcends these divisive borders, if only momentarily. Thresholds epitomise transitional realms—spaces of flux and metamorphosis. In this vision, the pavilion serves as a sanctuary of sorts, a realm in constant motion, where visitors are perpetual voyagers, and arrival remains elusive. We step into the pavilion not to settle, but to depart—to embark on journeys of exploration and introspection.
Drama 1882. Wael Shawky. Egyptian Pavilion.
Wael Shawky, an Egyptian artist of multifaceted talents spanning film, sculpture, performance, and drawing, embarks on a captivating exploration of national and religious identities, challenging conventional perceptions through a unique lens. Grounded in meticulous research and an intimate connection to the rich tapestry of Arab heritage, Shawky's practice challenges the notion of history as an objective truth, instead presenting it as a tapestry of subjective narratives. In Shawky's world, history becomes a stage for elaborate re-imaginings and reinterpretations of pivotal events. In El Araba El Madfuna (2012), children pay homage to an ancient archaeological city and its accompanying mythologies, while Cabaret Crusades (2013) transforms medieval conflicts between Muslims and Christians into a captivating trilogy, narrated from an Arab perspective. Continuing this tradition, Shawky unveils his latest masterpiece for the Egyptian Pavilion: Drama 1882. Set against the backdrop of Egypt's Urabi revolution (1879–1882) against imperial dominion, this epic musical film transports viewers to the tumultuous year of 1882. From a seemingly innocuous café altercation to city-wide riots and the cataclysmic British bombardment of Alexandria culminating in the Battle of Tel El Kebir, Shawky's narrative reimagining offers a fresh perspective on this pivotal moment in history. Through intricate choreography and evocative storytelling, Shawky invites audiences to reconsider established narratives and delve into the complexities of historical truth.
Void. Joshua Serafin.
Void stands as a pivotal component within the expansive tapestry of Creation Paradigm, a profound exploration of divine emergence and societal reflection.
This 10-minute video masterpiece unveils the genesis of a deity for the ages—the enigmatic Void. Tasked with traversing the mortal realm to grasp the essence of contemporary godhood, Void's choreographed movements serve as a visceral embodiment of our collective sorrow, anguish, and yearning.
Each midnight, Void sheds tears of pearls—a poignant manifestation of humanity's pain and suffering, crystallised into its ultimate form. These pearls, vessels of universal anguish, are amassed in the astral realm, a repository where divine entities study and archive the depths of human agony. As dawn breaks, humanity awakens to find solace in the lightened burden of their sorrow, borne by Void's sacred task.
At its core, Void is a radical act of decolonisation—a challenge to heteronormative constructs imposed by Western influence on Filipino culture. Drawing from the fluidity of pre-colonial Filipino identity and the non-binary belief systems inherent to ancestral wisdom, this work aims to transcend local boundaries and resonate with a global consciousness. It reimagines history and dares to envision a future where physical transformation embodies the divine, empowering the Global South and brown bodies worldwide.
Through Void, we embark on a journey of spiritual reclamation and societal metamorphosis—a testament to the enduring power of art to rewrite narratives, provoke thought, and ignite change.
Torita- Encuetada. Elyla
Elyla, currently based in Malaysia, embarks on a transformative journey of cultural reinterpretation, challenging entrenched power dynamics through the lens of folk traditions. Their latest video performance, Torita-encuetada (2023), serves as a poignant anticolonial ceremony, offering a profound exploration of liberation from the shackles of colonialism.
Rooted in the rich tapestry of Nicaraguan culture, Torita-encuetada draws inspiration from the traditional fire ritual known as toro encuetado. This mesmerizing display of ritual dance, or mitote, becomes a powerful call for reclaiming earth-honoring customs and dismantling the colonial legacies woven into Mesoamerican sexual and gender identities.
Collaborating with esteemed Nicaraguan filmmaker Milton Guillén and featuring evocative music by Susy Shock and Luigi Bridges, Elyla's filmed ritual transcends mere performance, delving into the encounter of ancestral corpodivinities from Nicaragua's Pacific region. Through this convergence of culture, anticolonial artistic expression, and the sacred, viewers are invited to witness the intricate intersections of tradition and resistance.
Driven by a commitment to challenging societal norms, Elyla boldly transforms the notion of the cochón (queer) utopia into a revolutionary artistic practice of the present. This performance stands as a tribute to Indigenous Mangue-Chorotega cultural leaders Gustavo Herrera and Cristian Ruiz (1977–2022), cherished friends, collaborators, and guiding lights whose legacy continues to inspire.
Through Torita-encuetada, Elyla beckons us to reimagine our relationship with tradition, to confront the injustices of the past, and to forge a path towards a more inclusive and liberated future.
Marshall Allen, 99, Astronaut, 2024. Ari Benjamin Meyers. Nebula. Fondazione in Between Art Film.
At the heart of this captivating work lies Marshall Allen, a luminary figure in the realms of free and avant-garde jazz, and the esteemed leader of the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra—an ensemble he's been an integral part of since 1958. In this filmic exploration, the artist orchestrates a mesmerizing encounter between Allen and the essence of music itself. Crafting two original scores specifically for Allen's interpretation, the film offers viewers an intimate glimpse into the spontaneity, discipline, and collaborative potential inherent in the act of music-making. Through the lens of the camera, we observe Allen immersed in private practice within the hallowed halls of the Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra—a space steeped in history and musical innovation for over five decades.
Kin. Charmaine Poh.
In her hybrid documentary series Kin (2021), Poh offers a poignant exploration of queer domesticity in Singapore, shedding light on the challenges faced by individuals whose aspirations for fulfillment are stifled by society's entrenched idealization of heterosexual nuclear families. Through the lens of three young queer protagonists, Kin delves into the nuances of home and chosen family, revealing the systemic barriers imposed by heteronormative definitions of marriage, particularly evident in the realm of public housing access.
In Poh's vision, queer kinship emerges as a boundless horizon of relational possibilities, challenging heteronormative constructs of intimacy, desire, care, and reproduction. Through her artistry and storytelling prowess, Poh invites viewers to contemplate the transformative power of queer resilience and solidarity, transcending societal limitations to forge paths towards authenticity, belonging, and collective liberation.
Until we became fire and fire us, 2023. Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme. Nebula. Fondazione in Between Art Film.
This evocative work intricately weaves together disrupted landscapes and fractured communities, casting them as vibrant witnesses and silent echoes through which suppressed or forgotten narratives persist and resurface. In this new iteration of the project, the artists draw inspiration from the original purpose of the Complesso dell’Ospedaletto—a sanctuary for the impoverished and the infirm for centuries—and incorporate drawings crafted by Abou-Rahme’s father in Jerusalem during the tumultuous decades of the 1970s and ’80s. Through this lens, they explore the enduring legacies of dispossession and erasure in Palestine, both past and present.
Within a series of interconnected rooms, the installation unfolds as a sensory tapestry, where words, sounds, images, and light coalesce and dissipate in a non-linear, poetic rhythm. Viewers are invited to navigate this immersive environment, engaging with its multifaceted components to decipher its rich sensory landscape. From resilient indigenous plants to ancient stones emerging from colonial concrete, from sites of violent upheaval to expressions of love and loss through song and dance, the work breathes life into the remnants of alienated existences, offering a conduit for spiritual and physical reconnection and historical reconstruction across generations.