
A first read on the Venice Biennale 2022
With the Venice Biennale opening in just a matter of weeks, on the 23rd of April, Artscapy is today sharing the list of artists that will feature this year. In this first article from a series on the fair, we share with you our reading of the themes of this year’s edition and the full list of artists presenting. Over the next few weeks leading up to the opening, we will be providing you with curated artist selections and insights on where you can see and acquire the artworks, so stay tuned.
La Biennale di Venezia 2022 focuses on three main themes: the representation of bodies and their metamorphoses; the relationship between individuals and technologies; and the connection between bodies and earth.
What ties these three themes together beautifully, in our view, is the reflection of a shift from the ‘us’ to the ‘me’. Through various political, societal, and world event currents, the past few years have seen an ever accelerating explosion of expression to turn a collectivistic, almost anonymous state of existence into one where each individual being ought to be heard and respected.
This agnostic ‘me’ has returned to an ‘us’ in a new, individualistic way, that then fuses back into society again. A new society that is shaken even more by the pandemic and especially by its subsequent post-pandemic open questions. These questions, spanning broad tangents - including gender treatment and imbalances, religious beliefs, race identity, and on - from its identity starting point continue to be augmented and echo through the amplifiers of technology, and in particular social media.
With this premise, under the lead of the New-York based, Italian curator Cecilia Aleman this year’s Venice Biennale is titled "Il Latte dei Sogni" (The Milk of the Dreams), which takes its name form a children's book by the Surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington.
“The Surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination, and where everyone can change, be transformed, become something and someone else. The exhibition takes us on an imaginary journey through metamorphoses of the body and definitions of humanity.” - Cecilia Alemani shared in a statement.
And so, Aleman creates multiple dialogues starting from the self/me in relation with time, technology, and nature. These dialogues then take their narratives and shapes within the so called ‘capsules’, that is, the pavilions of the Biennale.
A further, particularly interesting angle, is the reflection on the relation with time, as this year's Biennale also includes artists that are no longer with us, part of the past. As a result, there will be a chance to admire not only contemporary art but also hidden gems from the 1900’s avant-gardes of Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism.
So, without further ado, and in anticipation of our curated selections and insights coming up, here is the full list of all the 213 artists from 58 countries presenting at this year’s 59th International Art Exhibition:
- Noor Abuarafeh b. 1986, Jerusalem. Lives in Jerusalem and Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Carla Accardi b. 1924, Trapani, Italy – 2014, Rome, Italy
- Igshaan Adams b. 1982, Cape Town. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa
- Eileen Agar b. 1899, Buenos Aires, Argentina – 1991, London, UK
- Monira Al Qadiri b. 1983, Dakar, Senegal. Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Sophia Al-Maria b. 1983, Tacoma, USA. Lives in London, UK Pavilion of Applied Arts
- Ozlem Altın b. 1977, Goch, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Marina Apollonio b. 1940, Trieste, Italy. Lives in Padua, Italy
- Gertrud Arndt b. 1903, Ratibor (Racibórz), German Empire (present-day Poland) – 2000, Darmstadt, Germany
- Ruth Asawa b. 1926, Norwalk, USA – 2013, San Francisco, USA
- Shuvinai Ashoona b. 1961, Kinngait. Lives in Kinngait, Nunavut
- Belkis Ayón b. 1967 – 1999, Havana, Cuba
- Firelei Báez b. 1981, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Lives in New York City, USA
- Felipe Baeza b. 1987, Guanajuato, Mexico. Lives in New York City, USA
- Josephine Baker b. 1906, Saint Louis, USA – 1975, Paris, France
- Djuna Barnes b. 1892 – 1982, New York City, USA
- Mária Bartuszová b. 1936, Prague, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic) – 1996, Košice, Slovakia
- Benedetta b. 1897, Rome, Italy – 1977, Venice, Italy
- Mirella Bentivoglio b. 1922, Klagenfurt, Austria – 2017, Rome, Italy (In collaboration with Annalisa) Alloatti 1926 – 2000, Turin, Italy
- Merikokeb Berhanu b. 1977, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Lives in Silver Spring, USA
- Tomaso Binga b. 1931, Salerno, Italy. Lives in Rome, Italy
- Cosima von Bonin b. 1962, Mombasa, Kenya. Lives in Cologne, Germany
- Louise Bonnet b. 1970, Geneva, Switzerland. Lives in Los Angeles, USA
- Marianne Brandt b. 1893, Chemnitz, Germany – 1983, Kirchberg, Germany
- Kerstin Brätsch b. 1979, Hamburg, Germany. Lives in New York City, USA and Berlin, Germany
- Dora Budor b. 1984, Zagreb, Croatia. Lives in New York City, USA
- Eglė Budvytytė b. 1981, Kaunas, Lithuania. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In collaboration with Marija Olšauskaitè and Julija Steponaitytė b. 1989, Vilnius. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and New York City, USA b. 1992, Vilnius. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Liv Bugge b. 1974, Oslo. Lives in Oslo, Norway
- Simnikiwe Buhlungu b. 1995, Johannesburg. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa and Amsterdam, the Netherlands Biennale College Arte
- Miriam Cahn b. 1949, Basel, Switzerland. Lives in Stampa, Switzerland
- Claude Cahun b. 1894, Nantes, France – 1954, Saint Helier, Jersey, UK
- Elaine Cameron-Weir b. 1985, Red Deer, Canada. Lives in New York City, USA
- Milly Canavero 1920 – 2010, Genoa, Italy
- Leonora Carrington b. 1917, Clayton-le-Woods, UK – 2011, Mexico City, Mexico
- Regina Cassolo Bracchi 1894, Mede, Italy – 1974, Milan, Italy b. 1981, Kaunas, Lithuania. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Ambra Castagnetti b. 1993, Genoa, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy Biennale College Arte
- Giulia Cenci b. 1988, Cortona. Lives in Cortona, Italy and Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Giannina Censi b. 1913, Milan, Italy – 1995, Voghera, Italy
- Gabriel Chaile b. 1985, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lisbon, Portugal
- Ali Cherri b. 1976, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Paris, France
- Anna Coleman Ladd b. 1878, Bryn Mawr, USA – 1939, Santa Barbara, USA
- Ithell Colquhoun b. 1906, Shillong, India – 1988, Lamorna, UK
- Myrlande Constant b. 1968, Port-au-Prince. Lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- June Crespo b. 1982, Pamplona, Spain. Lives in Bilbao, Spain
- Dadamaino 1930 – 2004, Milan, Italy
- Noah Davis b. 1983, Seattle, USA – 2015, Ojai, USA
- Lenora de Barros b. 1953, São Paulo. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil
- Valentine de Saint-Point b. 1875, Lyon, France – 1953, Cairo, Egypt
- Lise Deharme b. 1898, Paris, France – 1980, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
- Sonia Delaunay b. 1885, Odessa, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) – 1979, Paris, France
- Agnes Denes b. 1931, Budapest, Hungary. Lives in New York City, USA
- Maya Deren b. 1917, Kyiv, Ukraine – 1961, New York City, USA
- Lucia Di Luciano b. 1933, Syracuse, Italy. Lives in Formello, Italy
- Ibrahim El-Salahi b. 1930, Omdurman, Sudan. Lives in Oxford, UK
- Sara Enrico b. 1979, Biella, Italy. Lives in Turin, Italy
- Chiara Enzo b. 1989, Venice. Lives in Venice, Italy
- Andro Eradze b. 1993, Tbilisi. Lives in Tbilisi, Georgia Biennale College Arte
- Jaider Esbell b. 1979, Normandia, Brazil – 2021, São Sebastião, Brazil
- Jana Euler b. 1982, Friedberg, Germany. Lives in Frankfurt, Germany and Brussels, Belgium
- Minnie Evans b. 1892, Long Creek, USA – 1987, Wilmington, USA
- Alexandra Exter b. 1882, Białystok, Russian Empire (present-day Poland) – 1949, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Jadé Fadojutimi b. 1993, London. Lives in London, UK
- Jes Fan b. 1990, Scarborough, Canada. Lives in New York City, USA and Hong Kong
- Safia Farhat b. 1924 – 2004, Radès, Tunisia
- Simone Fattal b. 1942, Damascus, Syria. Lives in Paris and Erquy, France
- Célestin Faustin b. 1948, Lafond, Haiti – 1981, Pétion-Ville, Haiti
- Leonor Fini b. 1907, Buenos Aires, Argentina – 1996, Paris, France
- Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven b. 1874, Swinemünde (Świnoujście), German Empire (present-day Poland) – 1927, Paris, France
- Katharina Fritsch b. 1956, Essen, Germany. Lives in Wuppertal and Düsseldorf, Germany
- Ilse Garnier b. 1927, Kaiserslautern, Germany – 2020, Saisseval, France
- Aage Gaup b. 1943, Børselv, Sápmi/Northern Norway – 2021, Karasjok, Sápmi/Northern Norway
- Linda Gazzera b. 1890, Rome, Italy – 1942, São Paulo, Brazil
- Ficre Ghebreyesus b. 1962, Asmara, Eritrea – 2012, New Haven, USA
- Elisa Giardina Papa b. 1979, Medicina, Italy. Lives in New York City, USA and Palermo, Italy
- Roberto Gil de Montes b. 1950, Guadalajara, Mexico. Lives in La Peñita de Jaltemba, Mexico
- Nan Goldin b. 1953, Washington, D.C., USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Jane Graverol b. 1905, Ixelles, Belgium – 1984, Fontainebleau, France
- Laura Grisi b. 1939, Rhodes, Greece – 2017, Rome, Italy
- Karla Grosch b. 1904, Weimar, Germany – 1933, Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel)
- Robert Grosvenor b. 1937, New York City, USA. Lives in East Patchogue, USA
- Aneta Grzeszykowska b. 1974, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw, Poland
- Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe b. 1971, Sheroana, Venezuela. Lives in Mahekototeri and Caracas, Venezuela
- Florence Henri b. 1893, New York City, USA – 1982, Compiègne, France
- Lynn Hershman Leeson b. 1941, Cleveland, USA. Lives in San Francisco, USA
- Charline von Heyl b. 1960, Mainz, Germany. Lives in New York City and Marfa, USA
- Hannah Höch b. 1889, Gotha, Germany – 1978, Berlin, Germany
- Jessie Homer French b. 1940, New York City, USA. Lives in Mountain Center, USA
- Rebecca Horn b. 1944, Michelstadt, Germany. Lives in Odenwald, Germany
- Georgiana Houghton b. 1814, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain – 1884, London, UK
- Sheree Hovsepian b. 1974, Isfahan, Iran. Lives in New York City, USA
- Tishan Hsu b. 1951, Boston, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Marguerite Humeau b. 1986, Cholet, France. Lives in London, UK
- Jacqueline Humphries b. 1960, New Orleans, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Kudzanai-Violet Hwami b. 1993, Gutu, Zimbabwe. Lives in London, UK Biennale College Arte
- Tatsuo Ikeda b. 1928, Saga, Japan – 2020, Tokyo, Japan
- Saodat Ismailova b. 1981, Tashkent. Lives in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Paris, France
- Aletta Jacobs b. 1854, Sappemeer, the Netherlands – 1929, Baarn, the Netherlands
- Geumhyung Jeong b. 1980, Seoul. Lives in Seoul, South Korea
- Charlotte Johannesson b. 1943, Malmö, Sweden. Lives in Skanör, Sweden
- Loïs Mailou Jones b. 1905, Boston, USA – 1998, Washington, D.C., USA
- Jamian Juliano-Villani b. 1987, Newark, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Birgit Jürgenssen 1949 – 2003, Vienna, Austria
- Ida Kar b. 1908, Tambov, Russia – 1974, London, UK
- Allison Katz b. 1980, Montreal, Canada. Lives in London, UK
- Bronwyn Katz b. 1993, Kimberley, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Kapwani Kiwanga b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada. Lives in Paris, France
- Kiki Kogelnik b. 1935, Graz, Austria – 1997, Vienna, Austria
- Barbara Kruger b. 1945, Newark, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, USA
- Tetsumi Kudo b. 1935, Osaka, Japan – 1990, Tokyo, Japan
- Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill b. 1979, Comox, Canada. Lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil- Waututh peoples
- Louise Lawler b. 1947, Bronxville, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Carolyn Lazard b. 1987, Upland, USA. Lives in New York City and Philadelphia, USA
- Mire Lee b. 1988, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Simone Leigh b. 1967, Chicago, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Hannah Levy b. 1991, New York City. Lives in New York City, USA
- Tau Lewis b. 1993, Toronto, Canada. Lives in New York City, USA
- Shuang Li b. 1990, Wuyi Mountains, China. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland
- Liliane Lijn b. 1939, New York City, USA. Lives in London, UK
- Candice Lin b. 1979, Concord, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, USA
- Mina Loy b. 1882, London, UK – 1966, Aspen, USA
- Antoinette Lubaki b. 1895, Bukama, Congo Free State (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) – ?
- LuYang b. 1984, Shanghai. Lives in Shanghai, China
- Zhenya Machneva b. 1988, Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg), Russia. Lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Baya Mahieddine b. 1931, Fort de l’Eau (present-day Bordj El Kiffan), Algeria – 1998, Blida, Algeria
- Maruja Mallo b. 1902, Viveiro, Spain – 1995, Madrid, Spain
- Joyce Mansour b.1928, Bowden, UK – 1986, Paris, France
- Britta Marakatt-Labba b. 1951, Idivuoma, Sápmi/Northern Sweden. Lives in Övre Soppero, Sápmi/Northern Sweden
- Diego Marcon b. 1985, Busto Arsizio, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy
- Sidsel Meineche Hansen b. 1981, Ry, Denmark. Lives in London, UK
- Maria Sibylla Merian b. 1647, Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany) – 1717, Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (present-day the Netherlands)
- Vera Molnár b. 1924, Budapest, Hungary. Lives in Paris, France
- Delcy Morelos b. 1967, Tierralta, Colombia. Lives in Bogotá, Colombia
- Sister Gertrude Morgan b. 1900, LaFayette, USA – 1980, New Orleans, USA
- Sandra Mujinga b. 1989, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lives in Oslo, Norway, and Berlin, Germany.
- Mrinalini Mukherjee b. 1949, Bombay (present-day Mumbai), India – 2015, New Delhi, India.
- Nadja b. 1902, Saint-André-lez-Lille, France – 1941, Bailleul, France
- Louise Nevelson b. 1899, Pereiaslav, Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) – 1988, New York City, USA
- Amy Nimr b. 1898, Cairo, Egypt – 1974, Paris, France
- Magdalene Odundo b. 1950, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in Farnham, UK
- Precious Okoyomon b. 1993, London, UK. Lives in New York City, USA
- Meret Oppenheim b. 1913, Berlin, Germany – 1985, Basel, Switzerland
- Ovartaci b. 1894, Ebeltoft, Denmark – 1985, Risskov, Denmark
- Virginia Overton b. 1971, Nashville, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Akosua Adoma Owusu b. 1984, Alexandria, USA. Lives in New York City and Cambridge, USA
- Prabhakar Pachpute b. 1986, Sasti, India. Lives in Pune, India
- Eusapia Palladino b. 1854, Minervino Murge, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (present-day Italy) – 1918, Naples, Italy
- Violeta Parra b. 1917, San Fabián de Alico, Chile – 1967, Santiago, Chile
- Rosana Paulino b. 1967, São Paulo. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil
- Valentine Penrose b. 1898, Mont-de-Marsan, France – 1978, Chiddingly, UK
- Elle Pérez b. 1989, New York City. Lives in New York City, USA
- Sondra Perry b. 1986, Perth Amboy, USA. Lives in Newark, USA
- Solange Pessoa b. 1961, Ferros, Brazil. Lives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Thao Nguyen Phan b. 1987, Ho Chi Minh City. Lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Julia Phillips b. 1985, Hamburg, Germany. Lives in Chicago, USA and Berlin, Germany
- Joanna Piotrowska b. 1985, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw, Poland and London, UK
- Alexandra Pirici b. 1982, Bucharest. Lives in Bucharest, Romania
- Anu Põder b. 1947, Kanepi, Estonia – 2013, Tallinn, Estonia
- Gisèle Prassinos b. 1920, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) – 2015, Paris, France
- Christina Quarles b. 1985, Chicago, USA. Lives in Los Angeles, USA
- Rachilde b. 1860, Cros, France – 1953, Paris, France
- Janis Rafa b. 1984, Athens. Lives in Athens, Greece and Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Alice Rahon b. 1904, Chenecey-Buillon, France – 1987, Mexico City, Mexico
- Carol Rama 1918 – 2015, Turin, Italy
- Paula Rego b. 1935, Lisbon, Portugal. Lives in London, UK
- Edith Rimmington b. 1902, Leicester, UK – 1986, Bexhill-on-Sea, UK
- Enif Robert b. 1886, Prato, Italy – 1974, Bologna, Italy
- Luiz Roque b. 1979, Cachoeira do Sul, Brazil. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil
- Rosa Rosà b. 1884, Vienna, Austria – 1978, Rome, Italy
- Niki de Saint Phalle b. 1930, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France – 2002, La Jolla, USA
- Giovanna Sandri 1923 – 2002, Rome, Italy
- Pinaree Sanpitak b. 1961, Bangkok. Lives in Bangkok, Thailand
- Aki Sasamoto b. 1980, Kanagawa, Japan. Lives in New York City, USA
- Augusta Savage b. 1892, Green Cove Springs, USA – 1962, New York City, USA
- Lavinia Schulz and Walter Holdt b. 1896, Lübben (Spreewald), Germany – 1924, Hamburg, Germany 1899 – 1924, Hamburg, Germany
- Lillian Schwartz b. 1927, Cincinnati, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Amy Sillman b. 1955, Detroit, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Elias Sime b. 1968, Addis Ababa. Lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Marianna Simnett b. 1986, London, UK. Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Hélène Smith b. 1861, Martigny, Switzerland – 1929, Geneva, Switzerland
- Sable Elyse Smith b. 1986, Los Angeles, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Teresa Solar b. 1985, Madrid. Lives in Madrid, Spain
- Mary Ellen Solt b. 1920, Gilmore City, USA – 2007, Santa Clarita, USA
- P. Staff b. 1987, Bognor Regis, UK. Lives in London, UK and Los Angeles, USA
- Sophie Taeuber-Arp b. 1889, Davos, Switzerland – 1943, Zürich, Switzerland
- Toshiko Takaezu b. 1922, Pepeekeo, USA – 2011, Honolulu, USA
- Emma Talbot b. 1969, Stourbridge, UK. Lives in London, UK
- Dorothea Tanning b. 1910, Galesburg, USA – 2012, New York City, USA
- Bridget Tichenor b. 1917, Paris, France – 1990, Mexico City, Mexico
- Tecla Tofano b. 1927, Naples, Italy – 1995, Caracas, Venezuela
- Josefa Tolrà b. 1880 – 1959, Cabrils, Spain
- Tourmaline b. 1983, Boston, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Toyen b. 1902, Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Czech Republic) – 1980, Paris, France
- Rosemarie Trockel b. 1952, Schwerte, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Wu Tsang b. 1982, Worcester, USA. Lives in Zürich, Switzerland
- Kaari Upson b. 1970, San Bernardino, USA – 2021, New York City, USA
- Andra Ursuta b. 1979, Salonta, Romania. Lives in New York City, USA
- Grazia Varisco b. 1937, Milan. Lives in Milan, Italy
- Remedios Varo b. 1908, Anglès, Spain – 1963, Mexico City, Mexico
- Sandra Vásquez de la Horra b. 1967, Viña del Mar, Chile. Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Marie Vassilieff b. 1884, Smolensk, Russia – 1957, Nogent-sur-Marne, France
- Cecilia Vicuña b. 1948, Santiago, Chile. Lives in New York City, USA
- Nanda Vigo 1936 – 2020, Milan, Italy
- Marianne Vitale b. 1973, East Rockaway, USA. Lives in New York City, USA
- Raphaela Vogel b. 1988, Nuremberg, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany
- Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller b. 1877, Philadelphia, USA – 1968, Framingham, USA
- Laura Wheeler Waring b. 1887, Hartford, USA – 1948, Philadelphia, USA
- Ulla Wiggen b. 1942, Stockholm. Lives in Stockholm, Sweden
- Mary Wigman b. 1886, Hanover, Germany – 1973, Berlin, Germany
- Müge Yilmaz b. 1985, Istanbul, Turkey. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Frantz Zéphirin b. 1968, Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Zheng Bo b. 1974, Beijing, China. Lives on Lantau Island, Hong Kong
- Unica Zürn b. 1916, Berlin, Germany – 1970, Paris, France
- Portia Zvavahera b. 1985, Harare. Lives in Harare, Zimbabwe
Image credits: La Biennale di Venezia 2022. Via https://www.labiennale.org/en