Venice Biennale looks back on 125 years of exhibitions
Formafantasma designs ‘The Disquieted Muses, When La Biennale di Venezia Meets History’, a show that displays works from all six artistic disciplines, looking back to 125 years of Biennale exhibitions and events
In a year of significant cultural calendar shifts, the Venice Biennale presents The Disquieted Muses: When La Biennale di Venezia Meets History – a peculiar exhibition chronicling its history through visual archive materials from different disciplines. Designed by Formafantasma, the exhibition takes over the Central Pavilion of the Giardini, and is curated by the six artistic directors of the different disciplines in collaboration with contemporary art researcher and curator Cecilia Alemani.
125 year of Venice Biennale
We decided to create a show—the first in Biennale history, for the 125th anniversary of its foundation—based on audiovisual materials, photographs, installations and documents: marking our return to activity, it forges a dialogue between the six arts of La Biennale,’ said Roberto Cicutto, President of La Biennale di Venezia.
The curators have delved into the archives of La Biennale as well as several Italian and international archives to document how the Venetian biennials have overlapped with the history of the 20th century. The exhibition features rare footage, interviews, and artworks from the fields of art, architecture, music, dance, cinema and theatre.
Exhibition design by Formafantasma
The Amsterdam-based studio’s exhibition design is based on the possibility of demounting, repairing and eventually recomposing the structures in different arrangements for future archival exhibitions. It is not the first time the Italian designers have looked at ways to reuse and repurpose exhibition displays, as the studio’s current focus explores new ways of approaching this ephemeral branch of design in ways that are both sustainable and innovative.
The displays are based on a modular system of raw plywood frames and tables that allows for multiple compositions. The displays are punctuated with textiles in a chromatic palette including yellow, red and mint green, and oversized black and white photographs the pair have selected from the archives.
The different rooms of the exhibition reference key moments in history, from the Fascist era to radical protests of 1968. The spaces also touch upon Postmodernism and the first Architecture Biennale (with works by Paolo Portoghesi and Aldo Rossi) and the 1990s, highlighting contemporary artists such as Marina Abramovic, Richard Hamilton and Kabakov.
Formafantasma’s display system offers a three-dimensional feel to the flat nature of the archival materials, with modules and large-scale photographs becoming mini-architectural devises that divide the space. The designers also left their mark on the exhibition entrance, with an opening intervention featuring six historical photos (from 1897 to this day), documenting how the pavilion’s façade has been modified over the years to be based on the styles and politics of the different eras.
History meets creative disciplines in this momentous exhibition, which Ciccuto says ‘bolsters La Biennale’s role as a hub of research in the contemporary arts, a fundamental driving force for investigating the present and future, and a strategic tool for development, even in terms of economic growth.’
INFORMATION
‘The Disquieted Muses, When La Biennale di Venezia Meets History’ is on view until 8 December
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
The McLaren W1 is the latest in the sports car maker's tech-saturated Ultimate Series
First F1, then P1 and now W1, McLaren Automotive reveals its latest limited-edition supercar to the world, a £2m concoction of hybrid power and active aero that is, unsurprisingly, already sold out
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’
‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
‘London: Lost Interiors’ gathers unseen imagery of some of the capital’s most spectacular homes
This new monograph is a fascinating foray into the interior life of London, charting changing tastes, emerging styles and the shifting social history of grand houses in the heart of a fast-changing city
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announced
Programme announced for Prada Frames 2023 at Milan Design Week, the annual symposium curated by Formafantasma at Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Teatro Filodrammatici from 17 to 19 April
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
‘You don't want space; you want to fill it’: Milan exhibition
Making its debut during Milan Design Week 2022 at Marsèll Paradise, a new exhibition by Matylda Krzykowski, explores how we approach the space we live in (until 15 July 2022)
By Cristina Kiran Piotti Last updated
-
Kohler and Daniel Arsham brought experiential art to Milan Design Week
Looking back on Daniel Arsham and Kohler’s Divided Layers installation, and the brand’s latest bathroom collection
By Simon Mills Last updated
-
Men’s mental health takes centre stage at an art and design exhibition by Tableau
‘Confessions’, which travels to Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design following its debut at Milan Design Week 2022, features commissioned work by 14 male artists, designers and architects, reflecting on toxic masculinity, vulnerability and mental health
By TF Chan Last updated
-
Recycled glass tiles by Studio Plastique, Snøhetta and Fornace Brioni launch in Milan
The ‘Forite’ tile collection, which upcycles glass components from discarded fridges, ovens and microwaves, launches with an exhibition at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2022
By TF Chan Last updated
-
Hermès’ annual Milan Design Week spectacle is inspired by brutalist water towers
Bringing colour and lightness to Fuorisalone 2022, Hermès’ installation at La Pelota conceals the maison’s latest collections of furniture, accessories and lighting
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Alcova: wellbeing, cultural identity and the environment in focus at Milan Design Week 2022
In its fourth edition during Milan Design Week 2022, Alcova brings together a diverse group of designers and brands curated by Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
New Giorgetti furniture balances beauty and functionality
New Giorgetti furniture, revealed at Salone del Mobile 2022 and photographed here at the rationalist Castrocaro Terme, is perfectly poised between beauty and functionality
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated