Friday, April 22, 2022

La Biennale di Venezia 2022: The Milk of Dreams (Il Latte dei Sogni)


The 59th Biennale di Venezia titled "The Milk of Dreams" (Il Latte dei Sogni) will run from 23 April to 27 November 2022. This year edition of the most relevant international art exhibition is curated by Cecilia Alemani, the first Italian woman to hold such position. According to Alemani's statement this Biennale "which celebrates art and its capacity to create alternative cosmologies and new conditions of existence. It asks artists not to reveal who we are, but to absorb the worries and fears of this time and show us who and what we can become." 

The title is taken from a book by Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) "in which the Surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination." Alemani states that "there are three thematic areas in particular: the representation of bodies and their metamorphoses; the relationship between individuals and technologies; the connection between bodies and the Earth."

A few facts about the 2022 Biennale: it is the first Biennale since the COVID-19 pandemic and for the first time happen in a even-number year. The first Biennale was in 1895 and was held it biannually in odd-numbered years. In the 2022 edition 213 artists from 58 countries were included.