‘In Venice, it is essential not to stroll or idle or appear leisurely or slack’ – Colm Tóibín
The April issue of frieze is dedicated to the 60th Venice Biennale Arte. Dare Turner talks to Jeffrey Gibson, Archie Moore and Inuuteq Storch about the challenges and opportunities of working within the settler colonial framework of their respective national pavilions. Plus, novelist Colm Tóibín observes the city through the lens of its artists and writers, with specially commissioned photography by Eric Scaggiante.
Roundtable: Presenting the Nations
‘How can we pull apart umbrella terms and narratives for communities and individuals to talk about their experiences?’ This year’s Venice Biennale sees several projects by Indigenous artists from across the globe. Here, three of them discuss the challenges and opportunities of working within the American, Australian and Danish national pavilions.
‘1,500 Words’: Colm Tóibín
‘What a relief to stand in front of a painting of a saint who made himself useful.’ A novelist observes Venice through the eyes of those practitioners who have lived and worked in the city over the centuries.
Also featuring
Associate editor Vanessa Peterson meets with John Akomfrah ahead of his Venice presentation to discuss the challenges of representing the UK at this year’s biennial and the overdue recognition of Black British art. Eric Otieno Sumba analyzes the complex legacies of artists and pavilions from the African continent at the Biennale. Senior editor Terence Trouillot sits down with artists Koo Jeong A of South Korea and Yuko Mohri of Japan, to discuss their respective presentations and the obsolescence of national divisions.
Columns: Mother Tongues
Francesca Tarocco asks how artists and activist groups care for the city’s social ecosystems, while Eimear Walshe considers an anthem for Irish speakers. Rahel Aima on the Abdullah Al Saadi alphabet made from ephemera, and Ela Bittencourt explores how MAHKU’s murals give form to ancestral music traditions. Plus, Charlene K. Lau on The Altersea Opera, which brings the cultural imaginary of Cantonese restaurants to the Swedish pavilion.
Finally, to commemorate Nil Yalter receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at this year’s Venice Biennale, Simon Wu looks back on the artist’s longstanding series, ‘Exile Is a Hard Job’. Plus, Jeffrey Gibson contributes to the series of artists’ ‘to-do’ lists and the latest (and final) iteration of our beloved Lonely Arts column.
