Alix Pierre Essay

La Biennale di Venezia: Who: The 2017 Venice Biennale welcomes French curator Christine Macel as artistic director. Macel has acted as curator at the Biennale in the past, leading the French and Belgian Pavilions in previous years. Macel is an art historian and curator who has acted as Chief Curator at the French National Museum of Modern Art (Centre Pompidou) since 2000. The Biennale is arranged in pavilions representing nations from around the world which are curated by a team. Past curators have included Hans Ulrich Obrist, Igor Zabel, and Massimiliano Gioni. What: This year marks the 57th edition of La Biennale di Venezia. The oldest of its kind, the Biennale was founded in 1895 and takes place during odd-numbered years. This year’s exhibition stresses the importance of art during difficult times. Christine Macel said of the upcoming Biennale, “in a world full of conflicts and jolts, in which humanism is being seriously jeopardized, art is the most precious part of the human being.” The Biennale lasts for six months, during which time artists will host “open table” discussions with audiences over lunch. This years’ Biennale is promised to be one “designed with the artists, by the artists, and for the artists,” Macel says. Where: As the name suggests, La Biennale di Venezia takes place in the city of Venice, Italy. The central exhibition hall sits in the Giardini, a park and garden designed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Within the garden are 30 pavilions each housing art from countries around the world. The main exhibition hall is traditionally curated by the Biennale director.

Featured artist at the Island of Grenada’s pavilion :

Susan Mains

Milton Williams

Asha Mains