A series of dynamic performances during the opening week of the 58th Venice Biennale of Art, commissioned by Arts Council England and co-produced by Delfina Foundation and the Venice Biennale as part of Meetings on Art.
Devised by Ralph Rugoff, Artistic Director of the 58th Venice Biennale of Art, and Aaron Cezar, Director of Delfina Foundation, the performance programme will activate the ‘in between’ spaces of the biennale’s gardens and galleries in short and durational episodes. Building on the approach of this year’s central exhibition, the performances test aesthetic, behavioural and social conventions.
The practices of the eight artists presenting works during the Biennale’s opening week span music, movement and visual art, and interrogate identity politics through the concepts of nationality, gender, and intersectionality. They consider the architecture of representation and how language, as articulated through the body and the voice, can reaffirm or refuse conventions.
Schedule
Giardini
12:00 – 14:00 (processional)
Zadie Xa
Grandmother Mago, 2019
15:00 – 17:00 (processional)
Nástio Mosquito
No.One.Gives.A.Mosquito’s.Ass.About.Our.Performance, 2019
Giardino delle Vergini, Arsenale
16:30 – 16:50
boychild
Untitled Hand Dance, 2019
17:00 – 17:20
Victoria Sin ft. Matteo Gemolo (traverso)
If I had the words to tell you we wouldn’t be here now, 2019
17:30 – 17:50
Paul Maheke
Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer *deep within*, 2016-2018
Teatro Piccolo, Arsenale
18:00 – 18:30
Florence Peake and Eve Stainton
Apparition Apparition, 2019
Giardini
12:00 – 14:00 (processional)
Nástio Mosquito
No.One.Gives.A.Mosquito’s.Ass.About.Our.Performance, 2019
15:00 – 17:00 (processional)
Zadie Xa
Grandmother Mago, 2019
Giardino delle Vergini, Arsenale
16:30 – 16:50
boychild
Untitled Hand Dance, 2019
17:00 – 17:20
Victoria Sin ft. Matteo Gemolo (traverso)
If I had the words to tell you we wouldn’t be here now, 2019
17:30 – 17:50
Paul Maheke
Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer *deep within*, 2016-2018
Teatro Piccolo, Arsenale
18:00 – 18:30
Florence Peake and Eve Stainton
Apparition Apparition, 2019
Undisclosed location*
11:00 – 14:00 (durational)
Alex Baczynski-Jenkins
Untitled (Holding Horizon), 2018
*Alleyway on the left immediately after the Arsenale’s ticket barrier; enter the door under the neon light
Giardini
12:00 – 14:00 (processional)
Zadie Xa
Grandmother Mago, 2019
15:00 – 17:00 (processional)
Nástio Mosquito
No.One.Gives.A.Mosquito’s.Ass.About.Our.Performance, 2019
Giardino delle Vergini, Arsenale
16:30 – 16:50
boychild
Untitled Hand Dance, 2019
17:00 – 17:20
Victoria Sin ft. Matteo Gemolo (traverso)
If I had the words to tell you we wouldn’t be here now, 2019
17:30 – 17:50
Paul Maheke
Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer *deep within*, 2016-2018
Teatro Piccolo, Arsenale
11:00 – 11:30
Florence Peake and Eve Stainton
Apparition Apparition, 2019
Undisclosed location*
16:00 – 19:00 (durational)
Alex Baczynski-Jenkins
Untitled (Holding Horizon), 2018
* Alleyway on the left immediately after the Arsenale’s ticket barrier; enter the door under the neon light
? Wet weather is forecast. Stay tuned for possible time and location updates ?
Giardini
12:00 – 14:00 (processional)
Nástio Mosquito
No.One.Gives.A.Mosquito’s.Ass.About.Our.Performance, 2019
15:00 – 17:00 (processional)
Zadie Xa
Grandmother Mago, 2019
Giardino delle Vergini, Arsenale
16:30 – 16:50
boychild
Untitled Hand Dance, 2019
Tese dei Soppalchi, Arsenale*
*New indoor venue added due to weather
17:00 – 17:20
Paul Maheke
Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer *deep within*, 2016-2018
Teatro Piccolo, Arsenale
18:30 – 19:05
Victoria Sin
A View From Elsewhere, 2018
? Wet weather is forecast. Giardini performances are subject to conditions?
Giardini
12:00 – 14:00 (processional)
Zadie Xa
Grandmother Mago, 2019
Giardino delle Vergini, Arsenale
16:30 – 16:50
boychild
Untited Hand Dance, 2019
Tese dei Soppalchi, Arsenale*
*New indoor venue added due to weather conditions
17:00 – 17:20
Paul Maheke
Seeking After the Fully Grown Dancer *deep within*, 2016-2018
Teatro Piccolo, Arsenale
11:00 – 11:35
Victoria Sin
A View From Elsewhere, 2018
17:30 – 18:00
Florence Peake and Eve Stainton
Apparition Apparition, 2018
Venue Maps
Participating artists – Opening Week
Acknowledgements
The performances have been commissioned by Arts Council England as part of Meetings on Art at the 58th Venice Biennale of Art. In addition to this performance programme, Meetings on Art includes a rich series of events, artist talks, and conversations.
Artist supporters include European ArtEast Foundation, Chi-Wen Gallery and Institute Inclusartiz with additional funding from High Commission of Canada, Jahmek Contemporary Art, Spring Workshop, Razwana Akram, Francise Chang, and Delfina Foundation’s Network of Asia-Pacific Patrons.
Special thanks to gallery supporters Bosse & Baum, Galería Agustina Ferreyra, Carlos/Ishikawa, Galerie Sultana, and Union Pacific.