Artists Adrian Villar Rojas and Fernando Prats will represent their countries (Argentina and Chile) in the 54th edition of Venice Biennial, June 4 November 27.
Young Argentine artist Adrian Villar Rojas, with a spiraling career, has exhibited his works in galleries in São Paulo, Paris, Bogota, Buenos Aires. Prats, currently living in Barcelona, was handpicked by the Biennials Committee and promoted by the National Council of Culture and Arts (CNCA), and he’s a staff member at “Joan Prats” Gallery, Barcelona.
This 54th Venice Biennial will be inaugurated for three days prior to the fair’s kickoff. Among the invited countries: Andorra, Arabia Saudi, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Ruanda. Other guests are Congo and India, who attended the Biennial in 1968 and 1980.
The historic Biennial retakes its usual venues: Los Jardines and El Arsenal, as well as other central enclaves in the city. As for the title of the event Illuminations (Iluminaciones), Bice Curiger, art director of this Biennial, explained that the exhibition intends to become into a kind of reflector to the world contemporary art.
The Republic of Argentina participated in the Venice Biennial in 1901, it was the first time, few years after its inauguration in 1895, with artist Pío Collivadino’s exhibition. In 1962, Antonio Berni attended the biennial; in 1966, Julio Le Parc; in 1984, Antonio Segui; Marta Minujin, in 1986; Jorge Orta, in 1995, Luis Benedit, Jaques Bedel, Oscar Bony in 1999; Leandro Erlich and Graciela Sacco in 2001; Charlie Niejenson in 2003; Jorge Macchi, in 2005; Guillermo Kuitca, in 2007 and Luis Felipe Noe, in 2009.
Rodrigo Alonso will be the curator of this Argentine display. He’s a writer and university professor, specialized on contemporary art and new media. He’s a theorist and researcher in the technological art field. Nowadays, he works as grade and post-grade professor at the IUNA, UBA, and Media Centre d’Art i Disseny (Mecad), Ramon Llul University in Barcelona.
Chile played a leading role in the last Venice Biennial, represented by Ivan Navarro,[1] who showcased his Threshold set up, made up of installations “Death row”, “Resistance” and “Bed”, which included sculptures, videos and objects such doors and mirrors, as well as electric systems.
Further information: www.labiennale.org
Other sources: www.thisischile.cl
[1] We recommend the reading of Ivan Navarro’s text: “No creo que existan estrategias de éxito artístico”, by Carolina Lara B., published in the latest issue of our printed magazine (Arte por Excelencias, a. II, no. 7, 2010, pp.8-16).
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