The oldest and one of the most important and prestigious international art exhibition, the Venice Biennale, has come to it's 52nd edition, and opened for the public on June 10th 2007. This time, artists from 72 countries from all over the world are competing for the coveted grand prize, the legendary Golden Lion, and it is still unknown who has the best chances of winning. It is the first time that African and Roma artists have separate pavilions.
This major cultural event also has a rich and interesting history, as it's first edition was held in 1887, the Biennale quickly becoming the place for young and tallented artists, as well as for the masters of those times. Just by participating at the Biennale any artist gave the proof of his talent, and a work exhibited there meant a lot for his future career. In the 20th century the Venice Biennale was the place for artists such as Pablo Picasso or Gustav Klimt and also launched other artist's careers, such as that of Henry Moore, the winner of the prize for sculpture in 1948.
Several important Romanian artists will exhibit at the Venice Biennale a large number of works, ranging from painting and sculpture to multimedia, installations, drawings, graphics and many others. Also several shows, lectures and presentations have been prepared by the Romanian artists. Among the ones present at the Venice Biennale are Mircea Roman, Mariana Gordan, Calin Stegerean, Ruxandra Cesereanu, Bianca Valota Cavallotti, Ion Stendl and others.
This year the first Roma pavilion at the Venice Biennale has the sugestive title of "Paradise Lost" and is set in the Pisani Palace, an impressive medieval building, apart from the main Biennale. In this pavilion 16 artists from eight countries are exhibiting their works, the main themes being the history, customs, poverty and tragedies of the Roma. Also, another premiere is the first separate African section, where 30 artists from various countries are exhibiting. The works presented here are closely related, as they come from a single private collection, located in Luanda, the capital of Angola. This already led to criticism, as many artists and experts do not consider that the pavilion represents the whole of the African continent.
June 2007
