Foreigners Everywhere: The 2024 Biennale and Beyond!

This lecture will explore the Venice Biennale, beginning with a brief history of the exhibition since its inception in 1895 and then focusing on highlights of this year’s edition, Foreigners Everywhere, curated by Adriano Pedrosa. In addition to examining some of Pedrosa’s key themes and currents—a refocusing of this institution to underscore art of the Global South, foreignness, indigeneity, fiber arts, and more, we will consider some of this year’s most exciting and ambitious national pavilions, including the US, Japan, Canada, and Egypt, as well as a sprinkling of collateral events in the city, including the two shows mounted by the Pinault Foundation: Ensemble, featuring Julie Mehretu, David Hammons, Jessica Rankin, and Tacita Dean at Palazzo Grassi, and Pierre Huyghe: Liminal at the Punta della Dogana. Next, we will virtually visit the dramatically installed City of Refuge III with works by Belgian sculptor Berlinde de Bruyckere in the Palladian church of San Giorgio and the Stanze…