Venice Biennale 2022 | Highlights
59th International Art Exhibition | The Milk of Dreams
The 59th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale is finally open: this edition was delayed by one year due to the world health emergency. The last time the Biennale was postponed due to exceptional circumstances was in 1944, during the second world war, which makes this Biennale particularly momentous.
The Venice Biennale 2022, titled The Milk of Dreams after Leonora Carrington’s book, is curated by Cecilia Alemani (the first Italian woman to hold this position) and will be open until November 27.
It feels as though this additional time has allowed the curatorial team to find the time to pause, reflect and search deeper, thus producing a project of magnitude with a strong critical narrative and enhanced attention to detail.
In addition, what is immediately apparent this year is the influence of the current social movements, brought to global attention by the new feminist wave, Black Lives Matter, and efforts to recontextualize the history and consequences of colonialism.
These social waves have pushed certain themes and artists to the foreground, which were previously underrepresented. The result is a far richer outlook on artistic research, as well as on the human condition.
One will notice that, in certain cases, the pressure to conform to these themes has given an incentive to national participants and artists to push themselves to conform to this wave, with mixed results. Hence, some presentations appear somewhat forced, which is disappointing, and risks undermining the strength and importance of these themes in contemporary art. In a few cases, the operation appears as a counterproductive redress, almost resulting in cultural exploitation and/or appropriation.
These crucial themes are instead very well portrayed by artists such as Simone Leigh, deserving winner of this edition’s Golden Lion for the works she presented and that can be viewed in the United States Pavilion, at the Arsenale’s main exhibition, and at the Giardino delle Vergini. Another fascinating research is the one presented by the two female artists (Ingūna Skuja from Latvia and Melissa Braden from California) who form the artistic collaboration Skuja Braden, representing Latvia in its Pavilion at the Arsenale with their overflowing installation-universe.

Simone Leigh – Golden Lion for the Best Participant in the Venice Biennale 2022 – at the United States Pavilion
Of course, another theme that pervaded this opening weekend was the war in Ukraine, mentioned in multiple presentation speeches by curators and politicians alike, and silently embodied at the Giardini della Biennale by a closed Russian Pavilion – following the curator and artists’ decision to resign from their positions, thereby cancelling the country’s participation in this year’s edition – and by the installation Piazza Ucraina, realized by the curators of the Ukrainian Pavilion Borys Filonenko, Lizaveta German and Maria Lanko in collaboration with the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Piazza Ucraina, an installation realized by the curators of the Ukrainian Pavilion Borys Filonenko, Lizaveta German and Maria Lanko in collaboration with the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund and the Victor Pinchuk Foundation
One of the exceptions to this pervasive sentiment of inclusivity and social activism is the Italian Pavilion, showing a nation mainly focused on itself, disconnected from the international scene, despite the participants’ stated intentions.
After all this, a question lingers: are we forced to look at parallel narratives by these trying times (are we virtue signaling?), or do we really believe in a change of perspective?
VENICE BIENNALE 2022: PHOTO GALLERY/HIGHLIGHTS
BIENNALE ARTE 2022: OFFICIAL AWARDS
Golden Lion for the Best Participant to:
Simone Leigh (1967, Chicago, USA. Lives in New York City, USA)
Golden Lion for Best National Participation to:
GREAT BRITAIN
Sonia Boyce: Feeling Her Way
Silver Lion for a Promising Young Participant to:
Ali Cherri (1976, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Paris, France)
- Ali Cherri, Of Men and Gods and Mud (2022)
- Ali Cherri, Of Men and Gods and Mud (2022)
- Ali Cherri, Of Men and Gods and Mud (2022)
Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement to:
Katharina Fritsch (Germany)
Cecilia Vicuña (Chile)
- Katharina Fritsch’s Elephant (1987) in the Central Pavilion at the Giardini della Biennale
- Cecilia Vicuña, Bendigame Mamita (1977)
NATIONAL PARTICIPATIONS: GIARDINI DELLA BIENNALE
- Latifa Echakhch, The Concert at the Swiss Pavilion
- Latifa Echakhch, The Concert at the Swiss Pavilion
- Pilvi Takala, Close Watch at the Pavilion of Finland
- Maria Eichhorn at the German Pavilion
- Ignasi Aballí at the Spanish Pavilion
- Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Re-enchanting the World (a manifesto on Roma identity and art) at the Polish Pavilion
- Kristina Norman and Bita Razavi at the Estonian Pavilion
- Kristina Norman and Bita Razavi at the Estonian Pavilion
- Zsófia Keresztes, After Dreams at the Hungarian Pavilion
- Adina Pintilie, You Are Another Me at the Romanian Pavilion
- Adina Pintilie, You Are Another Me at the Romanian Pavilion
- Francis Alÿs, The Nature of the Game at the Belgian Pavilion
- Francis Alÿs, The Nature of the Game at the Belgian Pavilion
- Yunchul Kim at the Korean Pavilion
This year, the Nordic Pavilion celebrates the art and sovereignty of the Indigenous Sámi people by renaming itself the Sámi Pavilion:
- Máret Ánne Sara, Gutted (2022)
NATIONAL PARTICIPATIONS: ARSENALE
- Skuja Braden (Ingūna Skuja and Melissa Braden) at the Latvian Pavilion
- Skuja Braden (Ingūna Skuja and Melissa Braden) at the Latvian Pavilion
- Skuja Braden (Ingūna Skuja and Melissa Braden) at the Latvian Pavilion
- Skuja Braden (Ingūna Skuja and Melissa Braden) at the Latvian Pavilion
- Pavlo Makov, Fountain of Exhaustion. Acqua Alta at the Ukranian Pavilion
- Füsun Onur, Once Upon a Time… at the Turkish Pavilion
- Reem Fadda, The Teaching Tree at the Saudi Pavilion
- Arcangelo Sassolino at the Malta Pavilion
- Roger Ballen at the South African Pavilion
- Herbert Rodríguez at the Peruvian Pavilion
- Gian Maria Tosatti, Storia della notte e destino delle comete (2022) at the Italian Pavilion
- Gian Maria Tosatti, Storia della notte e destino delle comete (2022) at the Italian Pavilion
- Gian Maria Tosatti, Storia della notte e destino delle comete (2022) at the Italian Pavilion
- Gian Maria Tosatti, Storia della notte e destino delle comete (2022) at the Italian Pavilion
- Gian Maria Tosatti, Storia della notte e destino delle comete (2022) at the Italian Pavilion
THE MILK OF DREAMS | CENTRAL PAVILION: GIARDINI DELLA BIENNALE
- Andra Ursuta, Predators ‘R Us (2019)
- Paula Rego, Oratório (2009)
- Mrinalini Mukherjee (1982, 1994)
- Leonora Carrington (1940s)
- Aneta Grzeszykowska, Mama (2018)
- P. Staff, On Venus (2019)
- P. Staff, On Venus (2019)
- P. Staff, On Venus (2019)
- P. Staff, On Venus (2019)
THE MILK OF DREAMS | CENTRAL PAVILION: ARSENALE
- Belkis Ayón, La consagración (1991)
- Belkis Ayón, La consagración (1991)
- Felipe Baeza, Wayward (2021)
- Gabriel Chaile (2022)
- Gabriel Chaile (2022)
- Tecla Tofano, Vessel with Hands (1969)
- Delcy Morelos, Earthly Paradise (2022)
- Firelei Báez (2022)
- Jessie Homer French, Island Deer (2020)
- Candice Lin, Xternesta (2022)
- Candice Lin, Xternesta (2022)
- Candice Lin, Xternesta (2022)
- Elias Sime, Red Leaves (2021)
- Elias Sime, Red Leaves (2021)
- Elias Sime, Red Leaves (2021)
- Liv Bugge, Play (2019)
- Teresa Solar, Tunnel Boring Machine (2022)
- Louise Bonnet, Pisser Triptych (2021-2022)
- Tetsumi Kudo (1968)
- Tetsumi Kudo (1966)
- Jes Fan (2022)
- Marguerite Humeau, Migrations (2022)
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Forefront: Geumhyung Jeong (2021)
Back: Barbara Kruger (2022)
- Barbara Kruger, Untitled (2022)
- Barbara Kruger, Untitled (2022)
- Barbara Kruger, Untitled (2022)
- Barbara Kruger, Untitled (2022)
- Diego Marcon, The Parents’ Room (2021)
- Precious Okoyomon, To See the Earth Before the End of the World (2022)
- Precious Okoyomon, To See the Earth Before the End of the World (2022)
- Precious Okoyomon, To See the Earth Before the End of the World (2022)
VENICE BIENNALE 2022 | MISCELLANEOUS
- Venice Biennale 2022: The Milk of Dreams
- Giulia Cenci at Arsenale
- Marianne Vitale (2021) at Giardino delle Vergini
- From Palestine with Art, organized by the Palestine Museum US, is the first Palestinian art exhibition at the Venice Biennale, featured among the collateral events
- From Palestine with Art, organized by the Palestine Museum US, is the first Palestinian art exhibition at the Venice Biennale, featured among the collateral events
- A group of Orthodox Jews passes in front of the Palestinian Art Exhibition organized for the Venice Biennale 2022
- Venice Biennale 2022: The Milk of Dreams
by Droste Effect
in A Walk Through The Art
Apr 25, 2022