It’s been called the Olympics of the art world; La Biennale di Venezia, as it is known in its home country, is the oldest art biennale in the world, having been established in 1855. It is also the only art biennale for which South African artists and curators receive funding from the Department of Arts and Culture.
Preparations for the biennale typically start almost a year before the opening, when the title is announced. Curators then work on their proposals for funding from the department. The winning proposal for this year’s exhibition went to co-curators“There was an open call for the tenders in July, then it was cancelled. And then it reopened around about end-November, early-December. We applied before it closed again on 21 December.
With this exhibition, as well as other exhibitions on which the duo have collaborated, they are adamant that their focus is not on rewriting or rehashing the past. Following the notion of a trialogue as described in the show’s curatorial statement, the curators describe the layout of the exhibition as conversational and immersive. Says Makhubu: