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      In Pictures: See How LACMA’s New Interscope Records Show Pairs Artists With the Musicians That Inspire Them, from Lana Del Rey to Dr. Dre

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      For just a few short weeks, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is hosting “Artists Inspired By Music: Interscope Reimagined”, which pairs paintings by Ed Ruscha, Amoako Boafo, Kehinde Wiley, and Anna Weyant with songs or albums from Interscope Records. The exhibition came about as a means to celebrate the music label’s 30th anniversary, and Dr Dre, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Nine Inch Nails, and Lady Gaga are among the musicians from which the participating artists drew their inspiration.
      The show closes on February 13, so in case you can’t go see the works yourself, take a look at (most of) the work on view here.

      Adam Pendleton, Untitled (Dr. Dre, The Chronic) (2021), reimagining the Dr. Dre album The Chronic (1992), silkscreen ink on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles.
      Amoako Boafo, 6Lack – Black Woolen Hat (2021), reimagining the album FREE 6LACK (2016), oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California.
      Anna Park, Intermission (2021), reimagining the Billie Eilish album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019), charcoal on paper mounted on panel. Private Collection.
      Anna Weyant, Dessert (2021), reimagining the Gwen Stefani album The Sweet Escape (2006), oil on canvas, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian
      Burnt Toast, Seeing Sounds (2021), reimagining the N*E*R*D album Seeing Sounds (2008), digital file. Courtesy of the artist.
      Cecily Brown, If Teardrops Could Be Bottled (2021), reimagining the Billie Eilish EP don’t smile at me (2017), oil on linen. Courtesy of the artist.
      Chloe Wise, The River’s All Wet (2021), reimagining the Yeah Yeah Yeahs album It’s Blitz! (2009), oil on linen. Courtesy of the artist and Almine Rech.
      Damien Hirst, Addict (2021), reimagining the Eminem album The Slim Shady LP (1999), mixed media. Private Collection.
      Derrick Adams, The Breakthrough (2021), reimagining the Mary J. Blige album The Breakthrough (2005), acrylic on wood panel. Courtesy of the artist.
      Ed Ruscha, All Eyez on Me (2021), reimagining the 2Pac album All Eyez on Me (1996), acrylic on linen. Private Collection.
      Emily Mae Smith, Broken (2021), reimagining the Nine Inch Nails EP Broken (1992), oil on linen. Courtesy of the artist and Petzel Gallery, New York.
      Ferrari Sheppard, Blackstreet Harmony (2021), reimagining the song “No Diggity” (featuring Dr Dre and Queen Pen) from the Blackstreet album Another Level (1996), acrylic, charcoal and 24k gold on canvas. Ferrari Sheppard Studio.
      Genesis Tramaine, Black Woman Saint Cleans Jesus (2021), reimagining the Summer Walker album Over It (2019), acrylic, oil paint, Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, the Holy Spirit. Courtesy of the Artist and Almine Rech.
      Henni Alftan, Untitled (2021), reimagining the Olivia Rodrigo album SOUR (2021), oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Karma, New York.
      Henry Taylor, Untitled (2021), reimagining the song “DNA” from the Kendrick Lamar album DAMN (2017), acrylic on canvas. Private Collection.
      Hilary Pecis, Untitled (2021), reimagining the Selena Gomez album Rare (2020), acrylic on canvas. Private Collection.
      Issy Wood, Gwen with All the Obstacles (2021), reimagining the song “Cool” from the Gwen Stefani album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004), oil on linen. Lent by the artist and Carlos/Ishikawa, London.
      Jenna Gribbon, Lana Watched (2021), reimagining the Lana Del Rey album Born to Die (2012), oil on linen. Private Collection.
      Jennifer Guidi, Seeking Hearts (Black Sand MT, Pink Sand, Pink CS, Pink Ground) (2021), reimagining the BLACKPINK album The Album (2020), sand, acrylic and oil on linen. Private Collection.
      John Currin, Newspaper Couple (2016), reimagining the song “Beautiful Day” from the U2 album All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000), oil on canvas. Gagosian, Courtesy of the artist.
      Jordy Kerwick, Bloody Valentine (2021), reimagining the song “Bloody Valentine” from the Machine Gun Kelly album Tickets to My Downfall (2020), acrylic on canvas. Private Collection, courtesy of Vito Schnabel Gallery.
      Julie Curtiss, Venus (2021), reimagining the song “Just a Girl” from the No Doubt album Tragic Kingdom (1995), acrylic and oil on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Anton Kern Gallery, New York.
      KAWS, Better Days Ahead (2021), reimagining the Snoop Dogg album Doggystyle (1993), acrylic on canvas. Private Collection.
      Kehinde Wiley, The Watcher (2021), reimagining the Dr. Dre album 2001 (1999), oil on canvas. Private Collection.
      Lauren Halsey, Untitled (2021), reimagining the Kendrick Lamar album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), gypsum on wood. Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles.
      Loie Hollowell, Mandalora Squeeze (2019), reimagining the Lady Gaga album The Fame Monster (2009), oil paint, acrylic medium and case resin on linen over panel. Private Collection.
      Lucy Bull, 10:00 (2021), reimagining the song “Spiderwebs” from the No Doubt album Tragic Kingdom (1995), oil on linen. Private Collection.
      Marc Quinn, We Share Our Chemistry with the Stars (MGK200) (2021), reimagining the Machine Gun Kelly album Tickets to My Downfall (2020), oil on canvas. Marc Quinn Studio.
      Matthew Wong, The Outside World (2018), reimagining the Lana Del Rey EP Paradise (2012), gouache on paper. Matt Wong Painter Ltd.
      Nicolas Party, Portrait with a Parrot (2021), reimagining the Lady Gaga album Joanne (2016), pastel on cardboard. Private Collection, courtesy of Karma, New York.
      Nina Chanel Abney, 2 PM (2021), reimagining the 2Pac album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996), collage on panel. Pace Prints and courtesy of the artist.
      OSGEMEOS, The End (2021), reimagining the Black Eyed Peas album The E.N.D. (2009), mixed media on MDF. Courtesy of OSGEMEOS.
      Rashid Johnson, Good Kid (2021), reimagining the Kendrick Lamar album good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), ceramic tile, mirror, red oak, oil stick, spray enamel. Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles.
      Raymond Pettibon, No title (Lake Placid) (2019), reimagining the Lana Del Rey album Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019), ink on paper. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner.
      Reggie Burrows Hodges, Swimming in Compton: Look Ma (December Day) (2021), reimagining the song “Swimming Pools (Drank)” from the Kendrick Lamar album good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), acrylic and pastel on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Karma, New York.
      Richard Prince, Untitled (2021), reimagining the Nine Inch Nails album The Downward Spiral (1994), acrylic and ink jet on canvas. Courtesy of Richard Prince.
      Sayre Gomez, Commemorative Merchandising (2021), reimagining the 50 Cent album Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (2003), acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of François Ghebaly Gallery.
      Shepard Fairey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2021), reimagining the Yeah Yeah Yeahs album Fever to Tell (2003), stencil impression and mixed media collage on album covers. Courtesy of Obey Giant Art Inc.
      Stanley Whitney, Roma 32 (2021), reimagining the song “King Kunta” from the Kendrick Lamar album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), oil on linen. Courtesy of Lisson Gallery.
      Takashi Murakami, Goodbye & Good Riddance (2021), reimagining the Juice WRLD album Goodbye & Good Riddance (2018), acrylic on canvas mounted on wood frame. Courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co Limited.
      Titus Kaphar, Seeing Through Time (2021), reimagining the Eve album Scorpion (2001), oil on panel. Private Collection.
      Toyin Ojih Odutola, Damn (2021), reimagining the Kendrick Lamar album DAMN. (2017), graphite on black board; graphite on Duralar. Private Collection.
      Umar Rashid, The Dar al harb according to Tupac. Or, Shakur vs the other world. Earth like, violent, and prone to frequent periods of injustice. Alas, if one seeks it, one can find beauty in the hideous. (Me against the world) (2021), reimagining the 2Pac album Me Against the World (1995), acrylic and spray paint on canvas. Courtesy of Half Gallery and Blum and Poe.
      Will Boone, HELMET (2021), reimagining the Helmet album Meantime (1992), acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles.

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      Dive Into the Confusing and Manipulative World of Deepfakes Through This Chilling Show at the Museum of the Moving Image

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      “Can you spot a Deepfake?” That is the question that first greets visitors to the website for In Event of Moon Disaster, an Emmy Award-winning documentary that uses deepfake technology to present an alternate history of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon.
      After viewers answer either “yes” or “no,”—if you click yes, the response chides: “Okay Hot Shot, Let’s Go”—they watch a short film and then are asked a series of questions to discern what in the video is real and what is not. The results are surprising, to say the least.
      
      That’s because the video depicts US President Richard Nixon informing the public that the Apollo 11 astronauts did not survive their mission. The speech was written for Nixon by William Safire in case such an unfortunate scenario occurred. Since it didn’t, the speech was never delivered.
      At the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, the film, presented on an older model television set in a period-appropriate living room, serves as the centerpiece of a fascinating, timely, and unsettling exhibition “Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen.” The show explores the phenomenon of “deepfake” videos, which use advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to create deceptive content, and how they are used to manipulate audiences and perpetuate misinformation or propaganda.
      Installation view of In Event of Moon Disaster at the Museum of the Moving Image. Photo by Thanassi Karageorgiou / Museum of the Moving Image.
      The moon disaster film, which was co-directed by Francesca Panetta and Halsey Burgund and produced by the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, is a perfect jumping-off point to explore the potential harms and benefits of deepfake technology.
      By presenting “an alternative version” of landmark historical events, the installation demonstrates that the representation of both the past and present is subject to powerfully effective technical manipulation, which can challenge our belief in what is real, according to a statement about the show.
      Excerpts from the documentary To Make a Deepfake (2020), produced by Scientific American, are also on view, as well as a wide range of deepfake videos distributed online.
      Installation view of How do you spot a deepfake? Mirror Room. Photo by Thanassi Karageorgiou / Museum of the Moving Image.
      The show also offers examples of contested depictions of actual events from throughout the history of the moving image, ranging from a Spanish-American War reenactment dating to 1899 and credit to Thomas Edison, to the 1963 Zapruder footage of the JFK assassination.
      Keep an eye on the related event series “Questionable Evidence: Deepfakes and Suspect Footage in Film,” which includes screenings and other public programs that explore synthetic media from a variety of perspectives.
      The exhibition was organized by Barbara Miller, the museum’s deputy director for curatorial affairs, and Joshua Glick, assistant professor of English, film, and media studies at Hendrix College and a fellow at the Open Documentary Lab at MIT.
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      What Can a Family of Simulated Orcs Teach Us About the Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse? This Absurd New Exhibition Shows Us

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      “The feeling of presence: this is the defining quality of the metaverse.” 
      So begins an audio composition in Theo Triantafyllidis’s new exhibition “The Metaverse and How We’ll Build it Together” at Meredith Rosen Gallery. That paradoxical line as well as others in the recording, which blasts from inside ceramic pots installed on old Amazon boxes, were culled from the video Facebook released upon rebranding itself to Meta, an eerie piece of technocratic propaganda that was lampooned to death on social media last fall.
      Like many, Triantafyllidis—an artist who builds virtual worlds to interrogate our lived-in, physical one—found the video unsettling. 
      “There is this very bizarre conflict between reality and fiction—between this totally utopian, almost completely tone-deaf, representation of our own lives that Mark Zuckerberg seems to have in his mind versus the banal reality of our online experience,” the artist said over video chat recently, Zooming in from Athens, Greece, where he was born and raised. (He’s primarily based in LA.)
      An installation view of Theo Triantafyllidis’s exhibition “The Metaverse and How We’ll Get There Together,” 2022 at Meredith Rosen Gallery, New York. Photo: Adam Reich.
      “Banal” is a funny word for the artist to use, given the way he illustrates that disjunction between fiction and reality in the second half of the exhibition. Two live simulations—that is, video games controlled by AI rather than human button-pressing—play out on a pair of screens.
      The first is populated by a family of tech-obsessed orks. Operating by a code similar to that which drives The Sims, the creatures mindlessly perform a series of repetitive tasks in their virtual home as various catastrophes slowly destroy the world around them.
      One ork sprawls before the TV, for instance, while another texts atop a toilet or surfs the web. A tortoise with a camera strapped to its back rides a Roomba, or at least tries to, as his weight keeps the robotic vacuum in place—a clever metaphor, perhaps, for how technology both speeds up our lives and keeps them in place. A fire in the kitchen blazes the whole time.  
      A still from Theo Triantafyllidis’s Ork Haus (2022). Courtesy of the artist.
      The orks look more like Shrek than those of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that’s not to say they’re all cute and cuddly. Triantafyllidis’s creatures are crude and vulgar; that’s why he chose them as his avatars. Within gaming communities, the artist explained, there’s a debate about orks, with some saying they’ve been villainized in popular culture through the coded racial attributes we’ve chosen to assign to them. For Triantafyllidis, the idea relates to algorithmic radicalization, or the theory that the algorithms driving social media platforms inherently push people to extremist views.  
      Algorithmic Radicalization is also the name of the second simulation in the show. Whereas the first plays out a domestic simulation, the second is all-out war. Humans and monsters alike fight, die, decompose, and respawn in an endless, self-perpetuating loop of violence on a blank battlefield.  

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      “The more you look at the work the more you realize how stuck these characters are in the simulation,” Triantafyllidis said. 
      The game-like war scene may look like it exists in a different world than the Zuckerberg-themed sound installation found in the room opposite, but for the artist, there’s a line to be drawn between the cycle metaphorized in the simulation and Facebook/Meta’s technocratic vision.  
      “I think there’s a direct link between the radicalization pipeline and this utopian aura that this new video tried to present, offering up this new dream to look for during the hellscape situation that we’re in right now,” Triantafyllidis concluded.   
      “Theo Triantafyllidis: The Metaverse and How We’ll Build it Together” is on view now through February 26, 2022 at Meredith Rosen Gallery in New York.
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      In Pictures: The Most Significant Show of Van Gogh’s Self-Portraits in a Quarter-Century Reveals His Evolving Psychic State

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      A newly opened exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery in London looks to offer insights into Vincent van Gogh’s ever-changing and volatile psyche.
      “Van Gogh: Self-Portraits,” curated by Karen Serres, brings together 16 works by the Dutch master from 1886 to 1889, around half of the 35 self-portraits and the two drawings that survive from the era.
      Featuring works from the Courtauld’s own collection, as well as loans from esteemed institutions worldwide, the show is the first in 25 years to assemble so many of his self-portraits, the gallery said.
      “People say that it’s difficult to know oneself… but it’s not easy to paint oneself either,” the artist wrote in September 1889 in a letter to his brother Theo.
      Courtauld staff member Aaron Stennett (l) and curator Karen Serres put the finishing touches to the installation as two of Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portraits. Courtesy of The Courtauld Gallery.
      The paintings can be viewed as representations of the artist’s evolving psychological and mental state, from Self-Portrait with a Dark Felt Hat (1886-1887), created during a spell in Paris, when he experienced a breakthrough in his artistic style, to the somber depictions he made of himself in the following years.
      Two paintings created in 1889, shortly before his death in 1890, are among the highlights of the exhibition, and are reunited for the first time in more than 130 years since they left the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the south of France, where the artist was living at the time.
      The two self-portraits were painted in late August and early September 1889, just about a week apart, but they were vastly different.
      “The first was painted as he was still in the midst of the severe mental health crisis that had struck him in mid-July, while the second was created as he was recovering,” the gallery said.
      Sadly, Van Gogh did not survive much longer. “If I could have worked without this accursed disease, what things I might have done,” the artist wrote in one of last letters.
      The exhibition runs until May 8. See more images from the show below.
      Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait (September 1889).
      Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (January 1889).
      Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait With Straw Hat (August – September 1887).
      Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait (c. 1887).
      Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait as a Painter (December–February 1888).
      Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (September – October 1887).
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      See Ancient, Stunningly Well-Preserved Frescoes From Pompeii, Now on View at New York University

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      Right now, in the center of Manhattan, anyone can enter a veritable portal to the ancient world. Thirty-five frescoes transported from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples have arrived at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World to appear in the exhibition “Pompeii in Color: The Life of Roman Painting.”
      Pompeii lives on in our collective imagination because of its tragic history. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, the entire city and surrounding areas were smothered by piles of volcanic ash and pumice, wiping out the inhabitants instantly. Underneath the wreckage however, the ancient city was astonishingly well preserved and serves as a kind of time capsule of moments leading up to the explosion.
      Archaeologists have been fascinated with the ancient city, and excavations have helped shed light on daily life in Pompeii. In one villa, the so-called House of the Painters at Work, researchers found that the home was in the midst of renovations when Vesuvius erupted. Inside the house, a half-finished fresco was found, surrounded by bowls of pigments and plaster, tools, and scaffolding, leading to a greater understanding of the painting technique and appreciation for the many frescoes that were preserved.
      Other frescoes on view depict mythological scenes, landscapes, and architectural renderings, portraits, and imaginative scenes of daily activities. “The remarkably well-preserved frescoes from lost villas invite us to see beyond the ashes of the tragic city,” the organizers of the show aid, “and instead experience the vibrant world of the ancient Roman home as the Pompeians themselves knew it.”
      Below, see images of the frescoes on view.
      The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at NYU is currently closed due to health restrictions, but an online portal is available to the public until the galleries reopen.
      Hercules and Omphale (1st century CE), Herculaneum. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Mask amid bunches of grapes and vines (1st century CE). House of V. Popidius or House of Mosaic Doves, triclinium 13, east wall, central section, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Still-life fragments representing vase, scrolls, landscape, and fruit (1st century CE), Herculaneum. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Small cup with blue pigment (1st century CE), Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Painter at work (1st century CE), House of the Surgeon, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Polyphemus and Galatea ( 1st century BCE), Villa at the Royal Stables on Portici, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Hercules and Omphale (1st century CE), House of Marcus Lucretius, triclinium 16, east wall, central section, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Achilles on the Island of Skyros (1st century CE), House of Achilles or House of the Skeleton or House of Stronnius, cubiculum u, north wall, central section, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Architectural landscape (1st century CE), House of the Peristyle, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
      Banquet scene with inscribed words (1st century CE), East wall, central section, House of the Triclinium, Pompeii. Image © Photographic Archive, National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
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      A Cube Made From $11.7 Million Worth of Gold Is Sitting in Central Park—and Has Its Own Security Detail

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      This morning, joggers in New York’s Central Park may have come across a curious, rather illustrious sight. A cube composed of 186 kilograms of pure 24-karat gold, conceived by the German artist Niclas Castello who has billed it as a conceptual “socle du monde” (base of the world) sculpture for our time, was wheeled out to the Naumburg Bandshell this morning at around 5 a.m. 
      Although the work is not for sale, according to the artist’s team, based on the current price of gold at $1,788 per ounce, its material worth is around $11.7 million. Flanked by a heavy security detail, the 410-pound work is set to be displayed in the park until the day’s end.
      In a message sent this morning to Artnet News, Castello called the work “a conceptual work of art in all its facets.” He said the idea was to “create something that is beyond our world—that is intangible.” 
      And so, as with all things in 2022, an accompanying cryptocurrency is being launched alongside the physical artwork. The Castello Coin, traded as $CAST, is available for purchase online at an initial price of €0.39 ($0.44) each, with an accompanying NFT auction scheduled for 21 February. 

      The Castello Cube being cast in a foundry in Switzerland.
      “The cube can be seen as a sort of communiqué between an emerging 21st-century cultural ecosystem based on crypto and the ancient world where gold reigned supreme,” says the Viennese gallerist Lisa Kandlhofer, who was in New York for the artwork’s launch.
      According to Castello’s team, golden cube was cast at a foundry in Aarau, Switzerland, requiring a special handmade kiln in order to withstand both the sheer size and volume of gold, as well as the extreme temperatures needed to melt it, reaching up to 1100 degrees Celsius. The cube measures over a foot and a half on all sides and has a wall thickness of about a quarter inch. 
      Later tonight, the sculpture will make its way to a private dinner on Wall Street, where numerous celebrities are said to be attending. 
      Niclas Castello with his piece The Castello Cube in Central Park, New York. Photo by Sandra Mika.
      Born in 1978 in East Germany, Castello currently lives between New York and Switzerland, and is known largely for his sculptures and paintings partly inspired by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Castello’s previous works lean heavily on imagery from pop and consumer culture. 
      His cube can, in some respects, be compared to Damien Hirst’s infamous diamond encrusted skull, a memento mori that is also a commentary on art’s endless entanglement in money and capital, or Piero Manzoni’s tongue-in-cheek provocation Artist’s Shit (1961), a tin can containing the artist’s feces which he sold for its weight in gold. 
      But after its one-day exhibition, where will The Castello CUBE go next? The artist’s team has so far remained tight-lipped about that. One thing is certain, however: Central Park just got a lot more bling. 
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      The Venice Biennale’s Main Exhibition Will Challenge the Idea of ‘Men as the Center of the Universe’—See the Full Artist List Here

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      Women and gender nonconforming artists will take center stage at this year’s Venice Biennale exhibition, which is set to challenge the dominating role of men in society and consider relationships between humans, technology, and different life forms on earth.
      “The Milk of Dreams,” the international art exhibition curated by Italian-born, New York-based curator Cecilia Alemani, will feature 213 artists from 58 countries, including 26 Italian artists, in what will be the most nationally diverse line-up of any edition of the show. Many featured artists come from countries or regions that were normally not represented at the Venice Biennale, Alemani told press during an online conference on Wednesday, February 2.
      The exhibition will also address a post-pandemic future through a dialog between historic and contemporary artworks. The show is set to include scores of fresh positions spanning more than 150 years: a total of 180 artists, dead and alive, are taking part for the first time, and there will be 80 newly commissioned productions.
      Nan Goldin, Barbara Kruger, and Lousie Lawler, are included among the 213 artists list, alongside rising stars Jamian Juliano-Villani, Tau Lewis, and Christina Quarles. Historic artists, including entertainer and activist Josephine Baker and 19th century painter Georgiana Houghton are also included.
      “The presence of a large number of female and gender non-confirming artists challenge the figure of men as the center of the universe,” the curator told the press.
      Alexandra Pirici Aggregate (2017–2019). Photo: Andrei Dinu. Courtesy the Artist. © Alexandra Pirici
      Since she was appointed to spearhead the prestigious exhibition in January 2020, Alemani has been working on the preparation of the show remotely from her New York office. The content of the hotly anticipated exhibition is a result of many long and candid online conversations she had with artists over the past two years, after the exhibition was postponed from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
      “The research and learning stage had to be done remotely… but I met hundreds and hundreds of artists by Zoom. Not being able to be in their studios is sad. Not being able to see their works in person meant my senses couldn’t be activated,” Alemani said. On the other hand, she said the experience brought “strange feelings of intimacy” and “confessional” discussions.
      These conversations were distilled into three major themes that are “intertwined” through out the show, which will be staged at the Arsenale and Giardini: “The representation of bodies and their metamorphosis,” “The relationship between individuals and technologies,” and “The connection between bodies and earth.” In each of the main sections, artworks will echo the mysterious depictions of mutant creatures featured in Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington’s book, The Milk of Dreams, which inspired the title of this year’s exhibition.
      Ithell Colquhoun, The Pine Family, 1940. Photo © The Israel Museum Jerusalem. The Vera and Arturo Schwarz Collection of Dada and Surrealist Art in the Israel Museum. © SIAE
      Alemani added the “transhistorical” exhibition will additionally have five “time capsules,” which each revolve around different themes: Historic and previously unseen artworks, loaned from major institutions and collections, will be installed here in parallel with the contemporary works on view in the show.
      “What emerges is a historical narrative that is not built around systems of direct inheritance or conflict, but around forms of symbiosis, solidarity, and sisterhood,” she said in a statement.
      This year’s Venice Biennale will also feature 80 national pavilions, including five countries participating for the first time: Cameroon, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, and Uganda. Kazakshstan, Kirghizistan, and Uzbekistan will also each stage their own pavilion for the first time.
      See the full list of artists below: 
      1. Noor Abuarafeh b. 1986, Jerusalem. Lives in Jerusalem and Maastricht, the Netherlands2. Carla Accardi b. 1924, Trapani, Italy–2014, Rome, Italy3. Igshaan Adams b. 1982, Cape Town. Lives in Cape Town, South Africa4. Eileen Agar b. 1899, Buenos Aires, Argentina–1991, London, U.K.5. Monira Al Qadiri b. 1983, Dakar, Senegal. Lives in Berlin, Germany6. Sophia Al-Maria b. 1983, Tacoma, U.S. Lives in London, U.K. Pavilion of Applied Arts7. Ozlem Altın b. 1977, Goch, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany8. Marina Apollonio b. 1940, Trieste, Italy. Lives in Padua, Italy9. Gertrud Arndt b. 1903, Ratibor (Racibórz), German Empire (present-day Poland)–2000, Darmstadt, Germany10. Ruth Asawa b. 1926, Norwalk, U.S.–2013, San Francisco, U.S.11. Shuvinai Ashoona b. 1961, Kinngait. Lives in Kinngait, Nunavut12. Belkis Ayón b. 1967–1999, Havana, Cuba13. Firelei Báez b. 1981, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Lives in New York City, U.S.14. Felipe Baeza b. 1987, Guanajuato, Mexico. Lives in New York City, U.S.15. Josephine Baker b. 1906, Saint Louis, U.S.–1975, Paris, France16. Djuna Barnes b. 1892–1982, New York City, U.S.17. Mária Bartuszová b. 1936, Prague, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czech Republic)–1996, Košice, Slovakia18. Benedetta b. 1897, Rome, Italy–1977, Venice, Italy19. Mirella Bentivoglio b. 1922, Klagenfurt, Austria–2017, Rome, Italy (In collaboration with Annalisa) Alloatti 1926–2000, Turin, Italy20. Merikokeb Berhanu b. 1977, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Lives in Silver Spring, U.S.21. Tomaso Binga b. 1931, Salerno, Italy. Lives in Rome, Italy22. Cosima von Bonin b. 1962, Mombasa, Kenya. Lives in Cologne, Germany23. Louise Bonnet b. 1970, Geneva, Switzerland. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.24. Marianne Brandt b. 1893, Chemnitz, Germany–1983, Kirchberg, Germany25. Kerstin Brätsch b. 1979, Hamburg, Germany. Lives in New York City, U.S. and Berlin, Germany26. Dora Budor b. 1984, Zagreb, Croatia. Lives in New York City, U.S.27. Eglė Budvytytė b. 1981, Kaunas, Lithuania. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the NetherlandsIn collaboration with Marija Olšauskaitè and Julija Steponaitytė b. 1989, Vilnius. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and New York City, U.S. b. 1992, Vilnius. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands28. Liv Bugge b. 1974, Oslo. Lives in Oslo, Norway29. Simnikiwe Buhlungu b. 1995, Johannesburg. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa and Amsterdam, the Netherlands Biennale College Arte30. Miriam Cahn b. 1949, Basel, Switzerland. Lives in Stampa, Switzerland31. Claude Cahun b. 1894, Nantes, France–1954, Saint Helier, Jersey, U.K.32. Elaine Cameron-Weir b. 1985, Red Deer, Canada. Lives in New York City, U.S.33. Milly Canavero 1920–2010, Genoa, Italy34. Leonora Carrington b. 1917, Clayton-le-Woods, U.K.–2011, Mexico City, Mexico35. Regina Cassolo Bracchi 1894, Mede, Italy–1974, Milan, Italy b. 1981, Kaunas, Lithuania. Lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and Amsterdam, the Netherlands36. Ambra Castagnetti b. 1993, Genoa, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy Biennale College Arte37. Giulia Cenci b. 1988, Cortona. Lives in Cortona, Italy and Amsterdam, the Netherlands38. Giannina Censi b. 1913, Milan, Italy–1995, Voghera, Italy39. Gabriel Chaile b. 1985, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lisbon, Portugal40. Ali Cherri b. 1976, Beirut, Lebanon. Lives in Paris, France41. Anna Coleman Ladd b. 1878, Bryn Mawr, U.S.–1939, Santa Barbara, U.S.42. Ithell Colquhoun b. 1906, Shillong, India–1988, Lamorna, U.K.43. Myrlande Constant b. 1968, Port-au-Prince. Lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti44. June Crespo b. 1982, Pamplona, Spain. Lives in Bilbao, Spain45. Dadamaino 1930–2004, Milan, Italy46. Noah Davis b. 1983, Seattle, U.S.–2015, Ojai, U.S.47. Lenora de Barros b. 1953, São Paulo. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil48. Valentine de Saint-Point b. 1875, Lyon, France–1953, Cairo, Egypt49. Lise Deharme b. 1898, Paris, France–1980, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France50. Sonia Delaunay b. 1885, Odessa, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine)–1979, Paris, France51. Agnes Denes b. 1931, Budapest, Hungary. Lives in New York City, U.S.52. Maya Deren b. 1917, Kyiv, Ukraine–1961, New York City, U.S.53. Lucia Di Luciano b. 1933, Syracuse, Italy. Lives in Formello, Italy54. Ibrahim El-Salahi b. 1930, Omdurman, Sudan. Lives in Oxford, U.K.55. Sara Enrico b. 1979, Biella, Italy. Lives in Turin, Italy56. Chiara Enzo b. 1989, Venice. Lives in Venice, Italy57. Andro Eradze b. 1993, Tbilisi. Lives in Tbilisi, Georgia Biennale College Arte58. Jaider Esbell b. 1979, Normandia, Brazil–2021, São Sebastião, Brazil59. Jana Euler b. 1982, Friedberg, Germany. Lives in Frankfurt, Germany and Brussels, Belgium60. Minnie Evans b. 1892, Long Creek, U.S.–1987, Wilmington, U.S.61. Alexandra Exter b. 1882, Białystok, Russian Empire (present-day Poland)–1949, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France62. Jadé Fadojutimi b. 1993, London. Lives in London, U.K.63. Jes Fan b. 1990, Scarborough, Canada. Lives in New York City, U.S. and Hong Kong64. Safia Farhat b. 1924–2004, Radès, Tunisia65. Simone Fattal b. 1942, Damascus, Syria. Lives in Paris and Erquy, France66. Célestin Faustin b. 1948, Lafond, Haiti–1981, Pétion-Ville, Haiti67. Leonor Fini b. 1907, Buenos Aires, Argentina–1996, Paris, France68. Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven b. 1874, Swinemünde (Świnoujście), German Empire (present-day Poland)–1927, Paris, France69. Katharina Fritsch b. 1956, Essen, Germany. Lives in Wuppertal and Düsseldorf, Germany70. Ilse Garnier b. 1927, Kaiserslautern, Germany–2020, Saisseval, France71. Aage Gaup b. 1943, Børselv, Sápmi/Northern Norway–2021, Karasjok, Sápmi/Northern Norway72. Linda Gazzera b. 1890, Rome, Italy–1942, São Paulo, Brazil73. Ficre Ghebreyesus b. 1962, Asmara, Eritrea–2012, New Haven, U.S.74. Elisa Giardina Papa b. 1979, Medicina, Italy. Lives in New York City, U.S. and Palermo, Italy75. Roberto Gil de Montes b. 1950, Guadalajara, Mexico. Lives in La Peñita de Jaltemba, Mexico76. Nan Goldin b. 1953, Washington, D.C., U.S.. Lives in New York City, U.S.77. Jane Graverol b. 1905, Ixelles, Belgium–1984, Fontainebleau, France78. Laura Grisi b. 1939, Rhodes, Greece–2017, Rome, Italy79. Karla Grosch b. 1904, Weimar, Germany–1933, Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine (present-day Israel)80. Robert Grosvenor b. 1937, New York City, U.S.. Lives in East Patchogue, U.S.81. Aneta Grzeszykowska b. 1974, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw, Poland82. Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe b. 1971, Sheroana, Venezuela. Lives in Mahekototeri and Caracas, Venezuela83. Florence Henri b. 1893, New York City, U.S.–1982, Compiègne, France84. Lynn Hershman Leeson b. 1941, Cleveland, U.S. Lives in San Francisco, U.S.85. Charline von Heyl b. 1960, Mainz, Germany. Lives in New York City and Marfa, U.S.86. Hannah Höch b. 1889, Gotha, Germany–1978, Berlin, Germany87. Jessie Homer French b. 1940, New York City, U.S. Lives in Mountain Center, U.S.88. Rebecca Horn b. 1944, Michelstadt, Germany. Lives in Odenwald, Germany89. Georgiana Houghton b. 1814, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain–1884, London, U.K.90. Sheree Hovsepian b. 1974, Isfahan, Iran. Lives in New York City, U.S.91. Tishan Hsu b. 1951, Boston, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.92. Marguerite Humeau b. 1986, Cholet, France. Lives in London, U.K.93. Jacqueline Humphries b. 1960, New Orleans, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.94. Kudzanai-Violet Hwami b. 1993, Gutu, Zimbabwe. Lives in London, U.K. Biennale College Arte95. Tatsuo Ikeda b. 1928, Saga, Japan–2020, Tokyo, Japan96. Saodat Ismailova b. 1981, Tashkent. Lives in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Paris, France97. Aletta Jacobs b. 1854, Sappemeer, the Netherlands–1929, Baarn, the Netherlands98. Geumhyung Jeong b. 1980, Seoul. Lives in Seoul, South Korea99. Charlotte Johannesson b. 1943, Malmö, Sweden. Lives in Skanör, Sweden100. Loïs Mailou Jones b. 1905, Boston, U.S.–1998, Washington, D.C., U.S.101. Jamian Juliano-Villani b. 1987, Newark, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.102. Birgit Jürgenssen 1949–2003, Vienna, Austria103. Ida Kar b. 1908, Tambov, Russia–1974, London, U.K.104. Allison Katz b. 1980, Montreal, Canada. Lives in London, U.K.105. Bronwyn Katz b. 1993, Kimberley, South Africa. Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa106. Kapwani Kiwanga b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada. Lives in Paris, France107. Kiki Kogelnik b. 1935, Graz, Austria–1997, Vienna, Austria108. Barbara Kruger b. 1945, Newark, U.S. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.109. Tetsumi Kudo b. 1935, Osaka, Japan–1990, Tokyo, Japan110. Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill b. 1979, Comox, Canada. Lives on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil- Waututh peoples111. Louise Lawler b. 1947, Bronxville, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.112. Carolyn Lazard b. 1987, Upland, U.S. Lives in New York City and Philadelphia, U.S.113. Mire Lee b. 1988, Seoul, South Korea. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands114. Simone Leigh b. 1967, Chicago, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.115. Hannah Levy b. 1991, New York City. Lives in New York City, U.S.116. Tau Lewis b. 1993, Toronto, Canada. Lives in New York City, U.S.117. Shuang Li b. 1990, Wuyi Mountains, China. Lives in Berlin, Germany and Geneva, Switzerland118. Liliane Lijn b. 1939, New York City, U.S. Lives in London, U.K.119. Candice Lin b. 1979, Concord, U.S. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.120. Mina Loy b. 1882, London, U.K.–1966, Aspen, U.S.121. Antoinette Lubaki b. 1895, Bukama, Congo Free State (present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo)–?122. LuYang b. 1984, Shanghai. Lives in Shanghai, China123. Zhenya Machneva b. 1988, Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg), Russia. Lives in Saint Petersburg, Russia124. Baya Mahieddine b. 1931, Fort de l’Eau (present-day Bordj El Kiffan), Algeria–1998, Blida, Algeria125. Maruja Mallo b. 1902, Viveiro, Spain–1995, Madrid, Spain126. Joyce Mansour b.1928, Bowden, U.K.–1986, Paris, France127. Britta Marakatt-Labba b. 1951, Idivuoma, Sápmi/Northern Sweden. Lives in Övre Soppero, Sápmi/Northern Sweden128. Diego Marcon b. 1985, Busto Arsizio, Italy. Lives in Milan, Italy129. Sidsel Meineche Hansen b. 1981, Ry, Denmark. Lives in London, U.K.130. Maria Sibylla Merian b. 1647, Frankfurt am Main, Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany)–1717, Amsterdam, Dutch Republic (present-day the Netherlands)131. Vera Molnár b. 1924, Budapest, Hungary. Lives in Paris, France132. Delcy Morelos b. 1967, Tierralta, Colombia. Lives in Bogotá, Colombia133. Sister Gertrude Morgan b. 1900, LaFayette, U.S.–1980, New Orleans, U.S.134. Sandra Mujinga b. 1989, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lives in Oslo, Norway, and Berlin, Germany.135. Mrinalini Mukherjee b. 1949, Bombay (present-day Mumbai), India–2015, New Delhi, India.136. Nadja b. 1902, Saint-André-lez-Lille, France–1941, Bailleul, France137. Louise Nevelson b. 1899, Pereiaslav, Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine)–1988, New York City, U.S.138. Amy Nimr b. 1898, Cairo, Egypt–1974, Paris, France139. Magdalene Odundo b. 1950, Nairobi, Kenya. Lives in Farnham, U.K.140. Precious Okoyomon b. 1993, London, U.K. Lives in New York City, U.S.141. Meret Oppenheim b. 1913, Berlin, Germany–1985, Basel, Switzerland142. Ovartaci b. 1894, Ebeltoft, Denmark–1985, Risskov, Denmark143. Virginia Overton b. 1971, Nashville, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.144. Akosua Adoma Owusu b. 1984, Alexandria, U.S. Lives in New York City and Cambridge, U.S.145. Prabhakar Pachpute b. 1986, Sasti, India. Lives in Pune, India146. Eusapia Palladino b. 1854, Minervino Murge, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (present-day Italy)–1918, Naples, Italy147. Violeta Parra b. 1917, San Fabián de Alico, Chile–1967, Santiago, Chile148. Rosana Paulino b. 1967, São Paulo. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil149. Valentine Penrose b. 1898, Mont-de-Marsan, France–1978, Chiddingly, U.K.150. Elle Pérez b. 1989, New York City. Lives in New York City, U.S.151. Sondra Perry b. 1986, Perth Amboy, U.S. Lives in Newark, U.S.152. Solange Pessoa b. 1961, Ferros, Brazil. Lives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil153. Thao Nguyen Phan b. 1987, Ho Chi Minh City. Lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam154. Julia Phillips b. 1985, Hamburg, Germany. Lives in Chicago, U.S. and Berlin, Germany155. Joanna Piotrowska b. 1985, Warsaw. Lives in Warsaw, Poland and London, U.K.156. Alexandra Pirici b. 1982, Bucharest. Lives in Bucharest, Romania157. Anu Põder b. 1947, Kanepi, Estonia–2013, Tallinn, Estonia158. Gisèle Prassinos b. 1920, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey)–2015, Paris, France159. Christina Quarles b. 1985, Chicago, U.S. Lives in Los Angeles, U.S.160. Rachilde b. 1860, Cros, France–1953, Paris, France161. Janis Rafa b. 1984, Athens. Lives in Athens, Greece and Amsterdam, the Netherlands162. Alice Rahon b. 1904, Chenecey-Buillon, France–1987, Mexico City, Mexico163. Carol Rama 1918–2015, Turin, Italy164. Paula Rego b. 1935, Lisbon, Portugal. Lives in London, U.K.165. Edith Rimmington b. 1902, Leicester, U.K.–1986, Bexhill-on-Sea, U.K.166. Enif Robert b. 1886, Prato, Italy–1974, Bologna, Italy167. Luiz Roque b. 1979, Cachoeira do Sul, Brazil. Lives in São Paulo, Brazil168. Rosa Rosà b. 1884, Vienna, Austria–1978, Rome, Italy169. Niki de Saint Phalle b. 1930, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France–2002, La Jolla, U.S.170. Giovanna Sandri 1923–2002, Rome, Italy171. Pinaree Sanpitak b. 1961, Bangkok. Lives in Bangkok, Thailand172. Aki Sasamoto b. 1980, Kanagawa, Japan. Lives in New York City, U.S.173. Augusta Savage b. 1892, Green Cove Springs, U.S.–1962, New York City, U.S.174. Lavinia Schulz and Walter Holdt b. 1896, Lübben (Spreewald), Germany–1924, Hamburg, Germany 1899–1924, Hamburg, Germany175. Lillian Schwartz b. 1927, Cincinnati, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.176. Amy Sillman b. 1955, Detroit, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.177. Elias Sime b. 1968, Addis Ababa. Lives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia178. Marianna Simnett b. 1986, London, U.K. Lives in Berlin, Germany179. Hélène Smith b. 1861, Martigny, Switzerland–1929, Geneva, Switzerland180. Sable Elyse Smith b. 1986, Los Angeles, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.181. Teresa Solar b. 1985, Madrid. Lives in Madrid, Spain182. Mary Ellen Solt b. 1920, Gilmore City, U.S.–2007, Santa Clarita, U.S.183. P. Staff b. 1987, Bognor Regis, U.K. Lives in London, U.K. and Los Angeles, U.S.184. Sophie Taeuber-Arp b. 1889, Davos, Switzerland–1943, Zürich, Switzerland185. Toshiko Takaezu b. 1922, Pepeekeo, U.S.–2011, Honolulu, U.S.186. Emma Talbot b. 1969, Stourbridge, U.K. Lives in London, U.K.187. Dorothea Tanning b. 1910, Galesburg, U.S.–2012, New York City, U.S.188. Bridget Tichenor b. 1917, Paris, France–1990, Mexico City, Mexico189. Tecla Tofano b. 1927, Naples, Italy–1995, Caracas, Venezuela190. Josefa Tolrà b. 1880–1959, Cabrils, Spain191. Tourmaline b. 1983, Boston, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.192. Toyen b. 1902, Prague, Austro-Hungarian Empire (present-day Czech Republic)–1980, Paris, France193. Rosemarie Trockel b. 1952, Schwerte, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany194. Wu Tsang b. 1982, Worcester, U.S. Lives in Zürich, Switzerland195. Kaari Upson b. 1970, San Bernardino, U.S.–2021, New York City, U.S.196. Andra Ursuta b. 1979, Salonta, Romania. Lives in New York City, U.S.197. Grazia Varisco b. 1937, Milan. Lives in Milan, Italy198. Remedios Varo b. 1908, Anglès, Spain–1963, Mexico City, Mexico199. Sandra Vásquez de la Horra b. 1967, Viña del Mar, Chile. Lives in Berlin, Germany200. Marie Vassilieff b. 1884, Smolensk, Russia–1957, Nogent-sur-Marne, France201. Cecilia Vicuña b. 1948, Santiago, Chile. Lives in New York City, U.S.202. Nanda Vigo 1936–2020, Milan, Italy203. Marianne Vitale b. 1973, East Rockaway, U.S. Lives in New York City, U.S.204. Raphaela Vogel b. 1988, Nuremberg, Germany. Lives in Berlin, Germany205. Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller b. 1877, Philadelphia, U.S.–1968, Framingham, U.S.206. Laura Wheeler Waring b. 1887, Hartford, U.S.–1948, Philadelphia, U.S.207. Ulla Wiggen b. 1942, Stockholm. Lives in Stockholm, Sweden208. Mary Wigman b. 1886, Hanover, Germany–1973, Berlin, Germany209. Müge Yilmaz b. 1985, Istanbul, Turkey. Lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands210. Frantz Zéphirin b. 1968, Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti211. Zheng Bo b. 1974, Beijing, China. Lives on Lantau Island, Hong Kong212. Unica Zürn b. 1916, Berlin, Germany–1970, Paris, France213. Portia Zvavahera b. 1985, Harare. Lives in Harare, Zimbabwe
      The Venice Biennale’s 59th International Art Exhibition, “The Milk of Dreams,” will be on view at the Giardini della Biennale, C. Giazzo, 30122 Venice, April 23–November 27, 2022.
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      in Exhibitions

      After a False Start in 2019, Kazakhstan Has Announced Plans for Its First-Ever Venice Biennale Pavilion

      by

      Kazakhstan is taking a second try at launching a pavilion during the Venice Biennale in April.
      The plans were announced at an in-person press conference on Tuesday at the A. Kasteyev Museum of Arts in the city of Almaty, which has also been the site of bloody protests in recent weeks.
      The pavilion’s new organizers are taking an optimistic tone in spite of ongoing social unrest. They have chosen art collective ORTA to represent the Central Asian country with a project inspired by the Almaty artist and polymath Sergey Kalmykov.
      The 2019 pavilion was called off just two months before the opening of the 57th edition of the biennale in spring 2019. The cancelation—announced by officials over Facebook—caught the exhibition’s two hired organizers, curator Nadim Julien Samman and Roza Abenova, the former head of contemporary art at the National Museum, by surprise. (Samman was informed that he would not be paid for his work in the comments section.)
      Meruyert Kaliyeva, the commissioner of this year’s Kazakhstan pavilion, told Artnet News that 2022 marks a “fresh start” for the country. “It’s hard to compare to previous years as it’s a completely different commissioning body for 2022, and our team had no involvement in the 2019 pavilion,” she said.
      One of the biggest changes is that, this year, the commissioner will not accept funding from the government. Instead, the pavilion will receive support from the Saby Charitable Foundation, the Nurlan Smagulov Foundation, the clothing distributor G&G, and the Marusya Assaubayeva Foundation. The pavilion will maintain official support from Kazakhstan’s Culture Minister Dauren Abayev.
      News of the new pavilion comes after a month of deadly protests, the largest uprising in the country’s 30-year history. In early January, what began as a peaceful demonstration against government corruption amid rising oil prices devolved into violence and reports of abuses by security forces; the Russian military was called in for “peacekeeping.”
      The country’s Venice pick, the art collective ORTA, was founded in 2015 by director Rustem Begenov and actor Alexandra Morozova. They will consider the work of surrealist avant-garde artist and inventor Sergey Kalmykov who, despite dying in obscurity, was hugely influential to contemporary artists in and around Kazakhstan .
      In a statement about the show, curators noted that Kalmykov’s oeuvre fits well with the theme of this year’s Biennale group exhibition, which is entitled “The Milk of Dreams” after a book by Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington.
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