Reflections on the 60th Venice Biennale: Art at the Edge of Imagination

During my stay in Italy, I became aware that the Venice Biennale was being held this year (2024) beginning April. I quickly made plans to visit the city since the next one isn’t until 2026. Every even year, Venice becomes a renowned player within the global art scene hosting the Venice Biennale. For a small city surrounded by water, this is a huge feat to undertake every two years …. becoming the “world’s pre-eminent stage for new contemporary art.” This year, its 60th International Art Exhibition’s theme and title is “Stranieri Ovunque — Foreigners Everywhere.” What better theme or topic to request of artists throughout the world for their interpretations? For art lovers who haven’t planned any travel yet, there is still time to catch this universal exhibition ending by November 1st. Here’s what I learned…

First a Bit of History

The Venice Biennale was founded in 1895, the first and oldest art show of its kind and has continuously evolved from its humble beginnings of exhibiting only European artists to today’s 75+ countries. In fact, the Biennale was canceled only during World War II and the pandemic. Over the decades, the Biennale has expanded to include the following art forms: theater, film and music, although it is mostly known for its visual exhibitions. There has been quite a few changes in…