People observing a snake-like art structure

Korean artist Yunchul Kim’s sculpture is kinetic. The snake-like knot moves as if it’s breathing.

Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images

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Venice Biennale: The World’s Art Gallery

Every two years, at the edge of the sea, art, culture, and community collide for eight months. People travel from all over the world to see the famed Venice Biennale (bee-en-AHL-eh) in Venice, Italy. Many people refer to this prestigious international art event as the Olympics of fine art. Hundreds of the world’s most talented artists showcase cutting-edge work within the canal city.

Ngoc To Vy Nguyen/EyeEm/Getty Images

Venice is known for its canals and historic architecture.

Snapshot:

  • The first Venice Biennale was held in 1895. That year the curators displayed 516 artworks. Italian artists created 188 of them and the rest were by artists from other countries.
  • Today each participating country sends one or more artists to represent their nation in the individual National Pavilions.
  • A high-profile curator organizes a larger themed exhibition featuring international artists in the Central Pavilion.
  • This year, 213 artists from 58 different countries participated.
  • The Biennale is a cultural affair. Visitors immerse themselves in the art—rather than buying it.
  • A jury of international curators gives out several prizes each year.
  • Organizers expect more than half a million people to attend this year.

Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images

Brazilian artist Jonathas de Andrade presents playfully grotesque sculptures.

NYR Children’s Collection

The 2022 Biennale’s theme is based on this Surrealist children’s book.

The 2022 exhibition is called “The Milk of Dreams.” It refers to a children’s book, right, written and illustrated by Leonora Carrington. She was a Surrealist artist who lived from 1917 to 2011. In the story, characters and environments transform through magic and imagination.

The artworks in the Biennale are related to this theme. They evoke questions about the ways the planet and its inhabitants are changing.

“It’s a journey through transformation,” Cecilia Alemani the Central Pavilion’s artistic director explains, “not only of people but also animals and nonhuman forms.”

Courtesy of Venice Biennale 2022

How does German artist Jana Euler’s work above relate to the Surrealist theme “The Milk of Dreams”? What does her work make you think of?

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