49 Myrna Ayad surveys the 55th Venice Biennale and focuses on the Middle Eastern contingent, which was stellar at times and disappointing at others. RETURN TO THE LAGOON 50 H ere we are again, at the jewel of the Contemporary art crown: the Venice Biennale, which kicked off during the last week of May and recalibrated – as it always does – the movers and shakers and the winners and, well, non- winners of what makes the art world go round. Some significant ‘firsts’ characterise the 55th edition – for starters, the appointment of the youngest-ever artistic director in the 110-year-history of La Biennale, Massimiliano Gioni. The Italian-born curator presented The Encyclopaedic Palace , inspired by Marino Auriti’s 1950s project of the same name, which sought to represent all of mankind’s achievements within a single structure. Gioni’s maze of an exhibition needs an encyclopaedic guide all to itself to take in the works of 160 artists, not all of whom are Contemporary, in what’s been dubbed by some as a ‘mini museum’. The show, staged across two spaces, is nonetheless intelligent and thought-provoking and demands several visits to fully grasp. Another first was Angola’s entry to the Biennale, which saw the country receive the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. No sooner was the announcement made on 1 June than queues to enter the Pavilion grew, daunting many a visitor. A key ‘first’ at this Biennale was the largest ever number of Middle Eastern Pavilions – a record eight. Freshmen Kuwait and Bahrain join their neighbours Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and the UAE; the latter succeeded in securing a permanent space after its third participation, making the Gulf state and Egypt the region’s only two fixed Pavilions. VENICE BIENNALE REVIEW 51 51 Opening spread: Clockwise from top left: View of the Grand Canal; installation view of Not Vital’s 700 Snowballs ; entrance to the Giardini; Yasmin Atassi of Dubai’s Green Art Gallery at the Russia Pavilion. This page: Clockwise from top left: View of the Grand Canal; installation view of Rudolf Stingel’s show at Palazzo Grassi; Marino Auriti’s The Encyclopaedic Palac e; Oliver Croy and Oliver Elser’s work at Massimiliano Gioni’s exhibition The Encyclopaedic Palace. [ THE ENCYCLOPAEDIC PALACE ] IS INTELLIGENT AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DEMANDS SEVERAL VISITS TO FULLY GRASP. 52 This page: Clockwise from top: Poster of Richard Mosse’s The Enclave at the Ireland Pavilion; the entrance to Fondazione Prada’s When Attitudes Become Form exhibition; Marc Quinn’s Mirage at the Cini Foundation; work by Jeremy Deller at the entrance of the British Pavilion; detail of Ai Weiwei’s Bang at the Germany Pavilion. Facing page: Left: Marc Quinn with his sculpture, Self ; Right: A detail of Camille Zakharia’s Care Of at the Bahrain Pavilion. COLLATERAL ADVANTAGE Before we get to the Pavilions – 88 in total this edition – a vast array of collateral events punctuated the canals of the Queen of the Adriatic, making it near impossible to see everything. One thing everyone could see, however, was Marc Quinn’s 11-metre inflatable sculpture on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore of disabled artist Alison Lapper when she was eight months pregnant. A great deal of publicity on Instagram aside, the Catholic Church had its reservations about the work’s placement at the entrance of a holy site. Breath was a giant teaser for Quinn’s retrospective, curated by Germano Clement. It presents more sculptures of people with disabilities alongside Quinn’s signature giant bronze shells and orchids, an incredible set of photorealist paintings of raw meat and the pièce de résistance , Quinn’s fifth self-portrait of his head made of 4.5 litres of his own blood. In short, a rousing shock-and-awe experience. Staying on San Giorgio Maggiore, the medium of glass is in the limelight at this Biennale through artist Not Vital’s 700 Snowballs and Fragile? The latter presents the work of over 25 artists including Mona Hatoum, Walead Beshty, Damien Hirst and Gerhard Richter. The real kicker, however, is Glass Stress: White Light/White Heat, curated by James Putnam and Adriano Berengo, which returns to the Biennale for a third time. It includes the glasswork of over 60 artists including Ayman Baalbaki, whose first experiment with the material through road barriers and tyres at the show’s entrance sits alongside mesmerising pieces by Shirazeh Houshiary – remakes of her trademark aluminium sculptures. The Iranian artist also presents Breath in the tower of La Torre di Porta Nuova – a profoundly meditative experience through the repetition of Buddhist, Islamic, Christian and Jewish chants. “It really is magnificent,” commented Yasmin Atassi of Dubai’s Green Art Gallery. “The building complemented Shirazeh’s work really well and is an interesting analogy of her practice.” Other unmissable shows include Fondazione Prada’s When Attitudes Become Form: Bern 1969/Venice 2013 – a re-adaptation of Harald Szeemann’s controversial and pioneering presentation at the Bern Kunsthalle in 1969 and reconfigured by Celant, Thomas Demand and Rem Koolhaas. Meanwhile, crowds always bow at the altar that is François Pinault’s Punta della Dogana, whose show Prima Materia , curated by French-born Caroline Bourgeois and Michael Govan of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is a must-see. And so is Rudolf Stingel’s show at the Dogana’s sister location at Palazzo Grassi, which sees the German artist drape over 5000 square metres of an image based on an Azerbaijani rug across all floors of the Palazzo interspersed with his 53 paintings. Though Azerbaijan had its own Pavilion again this year, highlights of the nation’s art came through the Baku-based YARAT- sponsored platform Love Me, Love Me Not curated by art consultant Dina Nasser-Khadivi, whose premiere foray into the curatorial world was met with mixed responses. Some said that the individual artworks ‘from Azerbaijan and its neighbours’ (as its tagline stated) – Iran, Russia, Turkey and Georgia – were stronger than the overall exhibition, while others wondered where Armenia was. Nasser-Khadivi’s intention from the start was for this collateral event to firmly veer away from politics – far enough to wedge a barrier in a show that purported that there were none between Azerbaijan and its neighbours. The Iranian-born curator did, however, succeed in underlining cultural links between the nations that audiences were not previously privy to. “As an Iranian, I feel that Iran always gets lumped with the Middle East and so it was interesting to see Iran portrayed from this angle,” commented art patron Maryam Eisler. “The show offered a new way of looking at the region and the exhibition’s overall positioning was stimulating.” More Middle Eastern art was scattered around other platforms such as the Future Generation Art Prize by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and Pinchuk Art Centre. Artists such as Tala Madani, Marwa Arsanios, Rayyane Tabet and Bassem Magdy contributed to what is a fresh, daring, innovative and vibrant show of artists under 35. The same unfortunately could not be said of the Saudi art found at Edge of Arabia’s Rhizoma: Generation in Waiting , which is a far cry from the organisation’s quality debut at the Biennale in 2009 and the Kingdom’s inaugural and stellar Pavilion featuring work by the Alem sisters in 2011. Beyond the show’s focus on the younger generation of Saudi artists, the curatorial message was rather opaque. “There was no art there really,” commented Khaled Samawi of Ayyam Gallery, which supported the show. “I thought it was progressive of Edge of Arabia to introduce what young artists from Saudi are doing, but that could have been done in a venue outside Venice.” Yes, Venice – a stage whose calibre is a demanding one. Quality work is on display at Otherwise Occupied , a moving two-artist collateral event by Palestinian artists that sees Aissa Deebi present The Trial – a video re-enactment of the 1973 trial of Palestinian poet and activist Daoud Turki. Meanwhile, Bashir Makhoul invites audiences to occupy the garden at Liceo Artistico VENICE BIENNALE REVIEW AMONG THE WEST’S PAVILIONS, IRELAND IS A SHOWSTOPPER ... AND SO IS RUSSIA 54 Statale di Venezia by decorating and placing cardboard boxes in it. Makhoul’s ever-changing interactive installation touches on the notion of Palestine as a subjugated territory, the actual act of occupying a space and the residential status quo of Palestinians vis-à-vis crowded living conditions. Hands down – it is a must-see. COUNTRY FOCUS Among the West’s Pavilions, Ireland is a showstopper with Richard Mosse’s multimedia installation, The Enclave . A lot of paradoxes come into play here: the images are beautiful, but they are of the war-torn Congo; the terrain, camouflage garb and military berets of the rebels are rendered pink in a territory where testosterone reigns; and in bridging the chasm between photojournalism and Contemporary art, a heightened sense of surrealism – and terror – is born. One wonders: can colour really soften the blow of a hard-hitting image or does it accentuate it? Another showstopper is the Russia Pavilion through Vadim Zahkarov’s brilliant take on the Greek myth of the seduction of Danae, who, imprisoned in a chamber, was freed and impregnated by Zeus in the guise of a golden shower. Zahkarov’s ‘golden shower’, however – a remark on contemporary materialism and a comment on how only women can ‘save the day’ – saw a cascade of golden coins fall from the ceiling to the lower floor, which was strictly accessible to women only. “The Russia Pavilion made me laugh to the point of tears!” said Eisler. “So amusing and such an intelligent statement on Russia today.” Elsewhere in the Giardini, France and Germany have swapped Pavilions in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ friendship pact, the Elysée Treaty. France presents Ravel Ravel Unravel by Anri Sala, a captivating multi-screen installation rooted in French composer Maurice Ravel’s Concerto D for the Left Hand . Though the focus of the work is on the actual left hand, Sala’s experiment also wonderfully elicits notions of space and sound. Germany focuses on the theme of identity through the This page: Above and below: Details of Sami Mohammed’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem ’s bronze sculptures at the Kuwait Pavilion. Facing page: Clockwise from left: Video stills from Akram Zaatari’s Letter to a Refusing Pilot at the Lebanon Pavilion; Curators of the Lebanon Pavilion Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath; Khaled Zaki’s bronze artwork at the Egypt Pavilion; Mona Hatoum’s Drowning Sorrows at Fragile? OF THE MIDDLE EAST’S PAVILIONS, LEBANON, TURKEY AND THE UAE HAVE COME OUT AS RESOUNDING CROWD FAVOURITES VENICE BIENNALE REVIEW 55 works of four non-German artists – Ai Weiwei, Dayanita Singh, Romuald Karmakar and Santu Mofokeng – each tackling issues pertaining to their home countries of China, India, France and South Africa respectively. Not presenting German art at the country’s Pavilion is an intention on the part of its curator Susanne Gaensheimer who has sought instead to zero in on traditional focuses of national art. Conceptual and ambitious, yes, but one could ask: isn’t national art at national Pavilions what the Venice Biennale is about, or, at the very least, about issues pertaining to that country? A strong national focus can be found at the British Pavilion through Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller’s look at contemporary British identity. English Magic is a six-room installation addressing the country’s economic and political power, laced with the artist’s imagined narratives. Interestingly, a portion of Deller’s work featuring the statement ‘Prince Harry Kills Me’ was censored by the British Council for referencing a 2011 attack on British territory in Kabul. Many Middle Eastern enthusiasts felt that this censorship didn’t create the media ruckus that it would have had it taken place at a regional Pavilion. Of the Middle East’s Pavilions, Lebanon, Turkey and the UAE have come out as resounding crowd favourites. Lebanon’s second participation sees Akram Zaatari present Letter to a Refusing Pilot , a show that saw curators Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath “choose the project itself and not the artist”. Though slow in places, the 35-minute video is exceptionally powerful on emotive, political and intellectual fronts and tells the story of an Israeli fighter pilot who was ordered to bomb a school (founded 56 56 by Zaatari’s father) in Saida (the artist’s hometown) during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The fighter pilot resisted and instead dropped the bombs in the Mediterranean. The story circulated in Saida and fell on Zaatari’s ears during his teens; it became a legend until he discovered years later that it was true. There were tears from the viewers and they did not belong solely to the Lebanese in attendance; each time the video ended, the audience erupted in applause and President of the Venice Biennale Paolo Baratta visited the show twice during opening week. “Zaatari’s piece stands way above everyone else’s. It is very well thought out and is a contemporary expression with no pretensions,” comments curator, writer and art critic Vali Mahlouji. “The crown definitely goes to the Lebanon Pavilion.” Agreed, and if Canvas could award two more, they would go to Russia and Ireland. One only had to look at the facial expressions of visitors at Turkey’s Pavilion to see just how potent Ali Kazma’s five- channel video installation is. Though Resistance presents various interventions on the human body – during eye surgery, conducting an autopsy, being tattooed, performing wrestlers and so on – Kazma reflects on the body’s definitions within different social, cultural, sexual, professional and other contexts. Gory, astonishing, provocative and certainly not for the faint-hearted, it nonetheless succeeds in engaging viewers, though some believe that the shock factor is passé. Atassi disagrees: “Shock is not the point of ONE MIDDLE EASTERN PAVILION THAT HAD A PHYSICAL EFFECT ON PEOPLE WAS THAT OF THE UAE 57 57 This page: Left: Shirazeh Houshiary’s artwork at Glass Stress: White Light/White Heat; Right: Bashir Makhoul’s installation at the Otherwise Occupied collateral event. Facing page: Clockwise from top : La Torre di Porta Nuova, location of Shirazeh Houshiary’s Breath ; detail of Ahmad Sami Angawi’s Wijha 2:148 [And everyone has a direction to which he should turn...] at Edge of Arabia’s Rhizoma: Generation in Waiting ; Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem; detail of Kazem’s Walking on Water at the National Pavilion of the UAE. the work; that was just a result. It is what it is; shock is the antithesis of what Kazma’s work is all about.” CLOSER TO HOME One Middle Eastern Pavilion that had a physical effect on people was that of the UAE. Represented by Mohammed Kazem and curated by the Guggenheim’s Reem Fadda, it saw the Emirati artist showcase a flawless encircling screen of the sea and invite audiences to stand in the centre on an elevated platform. The conceptual work, a continuation of the artist’s Directions series, also includes Kazem’s signature use of the GPS tracking system. The dark, horizon-less scene, coupled with the sound of waves, results in a nauseating and claustrophobic experience. Walking on Water draws its inspiration from an incident that took place years ago during which Kazem fell off a boat while fishing, his screams drowned out by the departing engine. It certainly brought out “that innate human fear of being lost,” noted Alaa Al-Shroogi, Director of Dubai’s Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, who agreed with many who felt that the UAE’s third participation at the Biennale has been the nation’s best to date. Unfortunately, neighbouring country Bahrain’s first foray into the Biennale is rather dismal. The works, by Bahrain-based Lebanese artist Camille Zakharia, Mariam Haji and Waheeda Malullah, do not present any palpable curatorial or aesthetic connection. The exhibition is, sadly, also wholly unreflective of the Kingdom’s vibrant Contemporary art scene and the Pavilion is ironically, as its title states, literally ‘in a world of your own’. Even more disappointing as Bahrain kicked off its inaugural participation in the Venice Architectural Biennale a year before by winning the Golden Lion. Al-Shroogi, like many others, conceded that the Pavilion was not “Biennale-worthy”. Ditto for the Syria Pavilion, which once again presents a hodgepodge of its more obscure roster of VENICE BIENNALE REVIEW 58 58 artists alongside Italian counterparts. The question of whether something was ‘Biennale-worthy’ also surrounded the Iraq Pavilion, which features the work of 10 Iraq-based artists in what is a home-type atmosphere, including a bedroom fashioned entirely of cardboard by the WAMI artist collective, photographs by Jamal Penjweny and a tearoom where delicious Iraqi tea is served. The artists had never shown outside their country and catapulting them to Venice Biennale fame was, many said, ambitious on the part of curator Jonathan Watkins. Kuwait’s first entry, on the other hand, is curatorially strong through a reinterpretation and analysis of the country’s “symbols of grandeur” as curator Ala Younis puts it. This comes through with the bronze details of Kuwaiti Sheikhs by Sami Mohammed and photographs of stadiums, schools, palaces and other sites shot by Tarek Al- Ghoussein, all of which offer an exploration of the nation’s history and changing landscape. Similarly, visitors could see Egypt’s ancient history at its Pavilion, although sadly through the clichéd sarcophagi and bronze Sufi dervishes AUDIENCES ARE IMMUNE TO SUCH STALE IMAGERY AND NARRATIVE [AT THE EGYPT PAVILION ] – BASTA ! VENICE BIENNALE REVIEW 59 59 of Khaled Zaki, alongside Mohammed Banawy’s mosaics. Audiences are immune to such stale imagery and narrative – basta ! “Any art fair or museum without the hustle and bustle of the Biennale is 10 times more important,” noted Samawi. “I don’t think any prominent Western collector visited an Arab Pavilion and saw anything of significance.” Though his sentiment is on the harsh side, there is some truth to it; we have seen better presentations of Middle Eastern art at groundbreaking shows than that showing at some regional Pavilions. Think Told/Untold/Retold at Doha’s Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art (December 2010), Edge of Arabia’s We Need to Talk in Jeddah (January 2012) or I Put It There, You Name It by Rokni and Ramin Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian at Dubai’s Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde (March 2012). “I think the Pavilions of Turkey and Lebanon in particular are so strong because the art presented is mirrored in their local art scenes,” says Atassi. Mahlouji echoes this outlook: “Lebanon and Turkey have a longer history of art practice, a great array of artists and an intellectual tradition that is quite deep.” Though the region’s enthusiasts jumped for joy at a record eight Middle Eastern Pavilions at the 55th edition, strength is not in numbers, but lies rather in artistic and curatorial excellence. Sadly, the majority did not live up to that standard. The 55th Venice Biennale runs until 24 November. For more information, visit www.labiennale.org This page: Clockwise from top left: Installation view of WAMI artist collective’s work (Yaseen Wami and Hashim Taeeh) at the Iraq Pavilion; entrance to the Iraq Pavilion; a still from Ali Kazma’s Resistance at the Turkey Pavilion; Turkish artist Kazma. Facing page: A work by Marlene Dumas at Prima Materia at Punta della Dogana; installation view of Rayyane Tabet’s Architecture Lessons at the Future Generation Art Prize produced by the Pinchuk Art Centre. Next page: Clockwise from top left: A view of a Venetian canal; detail of Adel Abdessemed’s Décor at Prima Materia at Punta della Dogana; Ayman Baalbaki’s artworks at Glass Stress: White Light/ White Heat ; installation view of Venetians by Pawel Althamer at Massimiliano Gioni’s exhibition, The Encyclopaedic Palace All images © Canvas Archives. 60 60