I\u2019m never not happy to visit the Venice Biennale. There are always a few works that make up for the overpriced food and the acrylic Michelangelo aprons sold by the Rialto. Wael Shawky<\/a>\u2019s Drama 1882<\/a> was the most astonishing, moving and beautiful video i\u2019ve seen in a long, long time. Spain\u2019s Pinacoteca Migrante<\/a> and Portugal\u2019s \u201ccreole garden<\/a>\u201d are two other highlights. Russia lent its pavilion to Bolivia, which led to much geopolitical<\/a> speculation. Nearby, Israel\u2019s pavilion was closed in an act<\/a> of grandiloquent self-censorship and guarded by Italian soldiers. A genius marketing initiative that makes Israel look, again, like a victim. And I had not read reviews of the biennale before taking the train to Venice, so i didn\u2019t realise that the German pavilion was not limited to the mound of dirt blocking its front entrance. <\/p>\n What i couldn\u2019t miss, obviously, was the main exhibition, titled Stranieri Ovunque \u2013 Foreigners Everywhere<\/a> and curated by Adriano Pedrosa<\/a>. The massive show talks about forced migrations, the stubborn influence of colonialism, climate (in)justice, exile, indigenous voices feeling like foreigners on their own land and more. <\/p>\n Here are the works that stayed in my head weeks after my return from Venice:<\/p>\n
Claire Fontaine and Yinka Shonibare. Photo: Marco Zorzanello<\/em><\/p>\n
Karimah Ashadu<\/a>, Machine Boys<\/a>, 2024. Photo: Andrea Avezz\u00f9. Courtesy: La Biennale di Venezia<\/em><\/p>\n
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