Venice Biennale 2013: an incredible journey in contemporary art and collective imaginary
This year, the
55th Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte organised by the
Biennale di Venezia and curated by the young
art critic Massimiliano Gioni, opens its doors on 31 June 2013 and remains open until November 24. This year's exhibition, entitled
IL PALAZZO ENCICLOPEDICO [the encyclopaedic palace], unfolds between the
Giardini and the
Arsenale, and is presented as an outstanding labyrinth of ideas and emotions erected on thousands of works of art from over
150 artists: a vast temporary museum that examines the ways whereby images are used to organise knowledge. The common thread that unites all these artists is the imagination and its products, removing all chronological boundaries or distinctions between professionals and amateurs, between insiders and outsiders.
The
55th International Art Exhibition opens at the Central Pavilion in the
Giardini with a presentation, inside a temple-like structure, of the
Red Book of Jung, an important reflection on inner images and dreams that pervasively undertones this year's
Esposizione Internazionale di Arte. The exhibition brings together numerous examples of works and figurative expressions that present different approaches to visualise knowledge through representations of abstract concepts and manifestations of supernatural phenomena.
Imagination is also put to work through writing and drawing, both frequently recurring themes in the exhibition: alongside works of contemporary artists, we find also visual experiments of some important authors of the twentieth century, such as
Jean Louis Borges and
Franz Kafka, to name a few. The whole exhibition is also a tribute to books, understood as a sadly and slowly declining medium but also a place for self-discovery.
In the
Arsenale, the trail becomes even more labyrinthine although it is progressively arranged from natural art forms to artificial ones (mostly video).
The viewer of
55th International Art Exhibition can enjoy a
totally unique experience, building indeed an entirely personal reading path going back and forth within the halls, with no time for boredom.
