La Biennale di Venezia, one of the oldest art events in the world – with over 80 countries and artists represented at various individual pavilions – celebrates its 60th edition. For its 7th year, the South African Pavilion has announced its participation in the 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, from April 20th to November 24th, 2024. Curated by Portia Malatjie and hosted by the Institute of Creative Repair, the exhibition “Quiet Ground” will feature a newly commissioned sound installation known as Dinokana (2024) by the art collective, MADEYOULOOK made up of Molemo Moiloa and Nare Mokgotho.
In perfect harmony with the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia’s overarching theme “Foreigners Everywhere (Stranieri Ovunque)” by curator Adriano Pedrosa, “Quiet Ground” is set against the backdrop of South Africa’s complex history of forced migration and land dispossession. The exhibition offers a space for hope that explores the possibility for personal and communal healing for those feeling like strangers in their homeland. As the nation celebrates 30 years of democracy, these themes resonate with South Africa’s continued journey towards mending the historical severing of indigenous people’s connection to the land.
Unfolding under the theme “…because the land is ours”, the 2024 pavilion’s programming will be expressed through these three main pillars: Art in South Africa, The Land as classroom, and notions of Repair through Art. The exhibition explores the ways in which the dispossessed are reconnecting with the land, learning from its wisdom, and finding new roots through the process of rehoming and land rehabilitation.
It is important to note that the South African Pavilion exhibition will come alive through the support of public programs which would include digital content, events in Italy and South Africa, and a competition for young artists in various South African secondary schools
