Page 10 - La Biennale di Venezia issue of World of Art Magazine

LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA
58TH INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION

PAOLO BARATTA.
PRESIDENT OF LA BIENNALE
DI VENEZIA. COURTESY OF
LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA.
PHOTO BY ALVISE NICOLETTI.

Statement by Paolo Baratta
President of La Biennale di Venezia

Venice The title of this Exhibition could be interpreted as a sort of curse, where
Giardini and Arsenale, the expression “interesting times” evokes the idea of challenging or even
May 11th – Nov 24th 2019 “menacing” times, but it could also simply be an invitation to always see
Pre-opening May 8th-9th-10th and consider the course of human events in their complexity, an invitation,
thus, that appears to be particularly important in times when, too often,
Venice, 7 March 2019 – Open to the oversimplification seems to prevail, generated by conformism or fear.
public from Saturday May 11th to Sunday And I believe that an exhibition of art is worth our attention, first and
November 24th 2019, at the Giardini and foremost, if it intends to present us with art and artists as a decisive
the Arsenale, the 58th International Art challenge to all oversimplifying attitudes.
Exhibition, titled May You Live In Interesting
Times, will be curated by Ralph Rugoff and Twenty years have passed since, in this same location, I presented my first
organized by La Biennale di Venezia chaired Exhibition (as President), after the Biennale underwent major reform in
by Paolo Baratta. 1998.
Let me tell you, they have been very interesting times.
The pre-opening will take place on May 8th, It’s natural that, over the course of these years, we – and many other
9th and 10th, the awards ceremony and people - have often reflected on the role the Biennale should have and the
inauguration will be held on Saturday May challenges it must face, well aware of the many, ambivalent ways our work
11th 2019. (and our mission) can be interpreted. Our work stands apart from that of
many others, not for what it does (Exhibitions) but perhaps for the spirit
with which it is done and for our work method, which, in turn, must hold
true to that spirit.

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