Bice Curiger, Director of 54th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia

Often referred to as the Olympics games of the art world, the Venice Biennale is the oldest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibition in the world. This year the city hosts its 54th biennale, an event initially conceived to showcase decorative arts. Since its inauguration in 1895, the show has become increasingly international in scope and has developed a strong interest inthe more innovative traditions taking place in modern art.

Today it forms the single largest avant garde art festival in the world, displaying the best contemporary talent across all artisticmediums. The festival is based at a park named the Giardini that is home to an array of permanent national pavilions. Each country is given free reign to manage its own pavilion and countries not owning one are exhibited in other venues across Venice. Included in the Giardini is a large exhibition curated by the Biennale’s director.

This year’s choice is Bice Curiger, a Swiss born art historian, critic, curator and editor. The theme of the central exhibition is ILLUMInations, featuring over 80 artists, four of whom have been asked to create parapavillions in which to house work by other artists. The chosen theme reflects an interest in the concept of nationhood, with Curiger seeking to explore new forms of ‘community’, embracing the wider world and its socio-political dimensions. Notions of the collective as well as more fragile, temporary identity formation are there to be examined and she has encouraged mutual exchanges between the artists, with all being asked fi ve questions that relate to their own sense of identity and belonging. These include ‘If art was a nation what would be written in its constitution?’ and ‘Does the future speak English or another language?’.

Mike Nelson - Pavilion of Great Britain at 54 International Art Exhibition - la Biennale di Venezia

Britain’s Mike Nelson powerfully engages with Curiger’s theme and has created a hugely popular piece. Through his construction of a masterful, labyrinthine installation that is typical of his work he offers a meditation on identity and historical memory that straddles different cultures and times. Drawing upon and extending an Istanbul piece from 2003, he has transformed the British pavilion from its original format into a convincing maze that, although imagined, is reminiscent of other realities, similar to Turkish slums or the old back streets of Venice.

However, American artist Christian Marclay seems to have stolen the show, winning the Golden Lion for Best Artist with his 24 hour film The Clock. Featuring an enormously complex compilation of clips from hundreds of fi lms that have been synchronized with real time, it has been referred to as hypnotic, addictive and mind-boggling. To witness fi rst-hand works such as these is truly an experience and those who are fortunate enough to make the trip will remember it for years to come.

To learn more about the Biennale and the extensive collection of works on show this year visit www.labiennale.org.

Written by Kyle Reeves

Dali enthusiasts may be interested to know that earlier this year St. Petersburg, Florida saw the opening of a museum dedicated to his life and works. The new model is more than twice the size of its predecessor and offers the most extensive collection of Dali’s work outside of his native Spain – his hometown of Figueras boasts a world-renowned museum that was designed by the artist himself.

The new museum is much better protected from the elements and is now able to withstand a grade 5 hurricane and large scale flooding. This is necessary given the fact that it is now home to 96 of Dali’s oil paintings, including 7 of his 18 masterworks such as ‘The Hallucinogenic Toreador’ and ‘The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus’. However, Dali was not confined to working in one particular style or media and the museum holds a further 2000 artworks which range from the likes of graphics, prints and drawings to watercolours, photographs and sculptures. Work from every stage of Dali’s career is represented and a huge archival library, which currently holds over 5000 books, is also incorporated into the main site.

The chief contributors to this fabulous art collection were Albert Reynolds and Eleanor Morse, a couple from Ohio who purchased their first piece of Dali’s work in 1942. Fascinated by his ideas, they continued to collect his work prolifically and later became both patrons and friends to the artist and his wife Gala, who moved to America in the 1940s in an attempt to escape the war.

Officially opened on January 11th 2011, the Floridian museum cost $36 million to build and after its original conception was 14 years in the making. Enormous in scope, the museum’s most significant architectural detail comes in the form of a magnificent wave of glass panelling that undulates around the building. This feature is a tribute to the Mediterranean Sea that Dali was so fond of and its design came from the architect Yann Weymouth, who helped to devise the famous glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris. There is also an awesome 75ft high, double helix staircase, which reflects Dali’s fascination with science – a theme that in later years came to have a profound influence on his work.

With over 100, 000 visitors in the first three months it seems that this new museum is set to be a roaring success. Attendance numbers prove that interest in the fascinating figure of Salvador Dali is still very much alive and continues to grow, which is great news for anyone who has the opportunity to invest in his work. As more and more pieces are taken up by museums those that remain on the market will become increasingly few and far between. So, for those who seek to establish a collection, you would be advised to move quickly.

If you are interested in Dali’s work, come and speak with us here at The Meller Merceux Gallery, about having a Salvador Dali in your collection – 01865 727996 / 01993 708606

China’s most well known contemporary artist, Ai Weiwei, has been missing since the 3rd April when he was seized by the Chinese authorities at Beijing airport. The disappearance of such a popular figure has drawn much attention both within China itself and on the global stage. With no one having seen or heard from Ai in over 3 weeks, calls for his release are becoming increasingly strident. The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has asked the Chinese government to ‘urgently clarify Ai’s situation and well being’ and more than 1000 protestors took to the streets of Hong Kong on Saturday in an attempt to regain the artist’s freedom.

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As well as being an internationally acclaimed artist, curator and architectural designer, Ai Weiwei is also renowned for his social and cultural criticism of China. He has been keen to investigate government corruption and cover-ups while also defending human rights and pushing for political reforms that he believes would better serve the Chinese people. After the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, Ai tried to draw attention to the terrible fate of thousands of children who died as a result of shoddily built schools. Instead of being praised for his efforts, Ai was subject to such a severe beating by the Chinese police that he suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2009. This alone makes the question of Ai’s safety a pressing concern for the global community. Yet the situation is made more urgent, considering that his recent disappearance has come amid the brutal implementation of a much wider crackdown on dissent. Since February of this year, some of China’s most prominent human rights lawyers such as Teng Biao, Li Tianhian and Liu Shihui have simply vanished with no one seeming able to account for their whereabouts. Many writers, artists and activists have also suffered a similar fate or been subject to beatings, house arrest, criminal charges and detention; thus indicating that freedom of expression is given only to those who do not dare to criticize the government.

Chinese officials have been vague about the reason for Ai’s disappearance but give the impression that he is undergoing investigation for crimes concerning tax evasion and distribution of pornography on the Internet. To many these alleged crimes seem to have little truth behind them and Ai’s family are certain that they are merely a pretext under which the government is now attempting to fight back against his activism. With every day that goes past, the idea that these ‘crimes’ are simply a guise, for the Chinese government’s more sinister political motives, becomes ever more convincing.

It is precisely those artists, who are courageous enough to take on a public role and stand up against aggressive authoritarianism, whom we need to be concerned for and for whose safety we must ensure. The Lisson Gallery, who remain committed to hosting an exhibition of Ai Weiwei’s work next month, have reiterated the importance of this message.

‘We are extremely alarmed by the detention of Ai Weiwei and his colleagues and are greatly concerned for his safety. Ai Weiwei is one of the leading cultural figures of his generation and consistently displays great courage in placing himself at risk to affect social change through his art. He serves as an example for legitimate social criticism and free expression both in China and internationally. Lisson Gallery has a long history of working with political artists and we strongly condemn any form of artistic suppression. We continue to support Ai Weiwei and are fully committed to staging his first solo exhibition at the gallery, opening 13 May 2011.’ Greg Hilty, Director, Lisson Gallery

We at Meller Merceux Gallery will continue to watch this whole episode with interest……

 Written by Kyle Reeves