With prolific careers in and outside Cuba, visual artists Alexis Leyva (Kcho) and Rafael Villares today stand out among the creators whose work will honor the 59th edition of the Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy.
Scheduled from April 23rd to November 27th, the event will host the Terra Ignota project signed by Kcho and Villares, curated by Nelson Ramírez de Arellano and Norma Rodríguez Derivet as curators.
The sample, which will be available from the first day of the event, fits into the proposals of the pavilion of the largest of the Antilles, which has had the island of San Servolo as its stage since 2013, although the Cuban participation in Venice goes back a little further , in the mid-20th century.
Coming from the Caribbean nation, the work of Belkis Ayón also stands out, whose work is shaped by the exploration of Afro-Cuban traditions to describe an imaginary matriarchal society and will be seduced by the galleries of the Arsenale Pavilion.
Likewise, local participants will combine their talent with creators from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Spain, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, who also have exclusive spaces at the event.
Under the principles of environmental sustainability, the gathering will articulate the work of 213 artists from 58 countries around themes such as efficient use of resources, integration of a circular economy, collaboration and social issues.
One of the peculiarities of this edition is the existence of a majority of women and non-binary or gender fluid artists “for the first time in their 127 years” to reconsider the centrality of men in art history and contemporary culture , refers to the event’s website .
As the heart of the Biennial, visitors will be captivated by the exhibition The Milk of Dreams, featuring contemporary pieces and new projects conceived especially for the occasion, presented in dialogue with historical works from the 19th century as a dialogue between past and present . (Latin press)