Postcard from Venice: 8 Things You Need to See at the 56th Biennale
While the hours of trekking through last week s preview of the 56th Venice Biennale already feel like a distant memory—the blisters, nonetheless, remain—the official exhibition and hundreds of peripheral shows will remain on view for months to come. It would be impossible to see everything on view in Venice this summer, but these eight offerings are not to be missed.
Photo: Courtesy of Joan Jonas1/8Joan Jonas at the American Pavilion
National treasure and performance art pioneer Jonas—who took up residence in Venice along with her dog, Ozu—received a Special Mention at the Golden Lion ceremony for her immersive and lavishly poetic installation of film and sculpture.
Photo: Mark Guiducci2/8"All the World’s Futures"
**Okwui Enwezor’**s impressively thoughtful (and huge) show at the Central Pavilion and the Arsenale has numerous high points. Look out for the late Terry Adkins’s sculptures, **Adrian Piper’**s interactive performance, **Oscar Murillo’**s ominous draped canvases, and mesmerizing films by Steve McQueen and Carsten Höller, who documented an all-night face-off between two Kinshasa DJs.
Photo: Matteo De Fina3/8"Slip of the Tongue" at Punta della Dogana
This artist Danh Vo-curated show in **François Pinault’**s exquisitely converted customs house juxtaposes Rodin, Brancusi, and medieval miniatures with irreverent works by Elmgreen Dragset, Peter Hujar, David Hammons, and Vo himself.
Photo: Mark Guiducci4/8Peter Doig at Fondazione Bevilacqua
A floor of paintings, almost all previously unseen, in this (relatively) modestly scaled palazzo off the Grand Canal. The vivid colors and emblems of Doig’s current home, Trinidad, together with a play of scale, make this an utter must-see.
Photo: Courtesy of Fondazione Prada5/8"Portable Classic" at Fondazione Prada
An exhibition impeccably co-curated by Salvatore Settis and Davide Gasparotto shows the widespread commissioning of copies of classical sculptures, from life-sized to miniature, commissioned by wealthy citizens of the Renaissance.
