Visiting the Venice Biennale

Welcome

Apr 12

Still from ‘Liquid Light’ (2022) by Lita Albuquerque
© Courtesy the artist

As Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, helped open the Bienniale with the idea that “there are no tyrannies that would not try to limit art,” Venice is vibrant with a host of exhibits at the Giardini, Arsenale and beyond. A great overview in the Financial Times provides a guide to some of this year’s engaging offerings.

APAA member Suzanne Lemakis, a long-time Biennale visitor, offers some tips for those navigating an almost overwhelming array of art that is everywhere! Her first recommendation, while a bit old-fashioned, is having a guidebook handy, with maps, for moments when cell service fails or the GPS can’t navigate Venice’s complicated landscape. Get a Vaporetto pass for the time you will be in Venice; it’s expensive but less so than water taxis.

Day One, Suzy heads to the Gardini early to take in the curatorial narrative for the exhibit, and dives in to take in the international pavilions. There’s a library, a bookstore and a nice spot for lunch.

Day Two: The Arsenale is enormous, but there are very handy golf carts to take you around if you need a rest. The space is spectacular, and artists can go wild with size. The curatorial narrative continues and it’s a great opportunity to check out really interesting work from smaller countries.

Day Three: After examining your guide to the Biennale, you’ll choose from the many memorable exhibits throughout Venice. You’ll be hopping on and off the vaporattos and plunging down the calles into all kinds of interesting areas. You might, for a respite, head to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum and have a lovely lunch in the garden where the view of the Grand Canal is worth the price of admission. Suzy also recommends checking out the Accademia, the major art museum, and the other islands — Torcello is magical.