Country Pavilions

Arsenale

Half way through the galleries at Arsenale there is a natural break at a cafe & restaurant. This conveniently separates Viva Arte Viva & the country pavilions. After some food & a wander the first country pavilion I came to was Italia.

Immediately this pavilion was un-nerving as there was a health & safety warning at the entrance bringing attention to mould spores that may be in the air. Then on entraining the cool dark space there is a huge inflatable poly tunnel. The kind you see in si-fi films where there is a bio hazard or quarantine. The rest of the space has tables with sculpted or excavated shapes on them & some machinery sits off to the perimeter of the space. Entering the poly tunnel explains more. On each side of the main tunnel corridor are separate domed spaces with bodies inside they are just smaller in scale than a human. Some are on the floor & some on tables. They looked decayed or damaged through excavation in various poses with parts missing. Some are fragile & have foam protection around them. As the tunnel progresses the spaces become warmer, the final space is the warmest. Here the bodies are consumed with mould & at a closer look the surface is writhing with flies. Time for a quick exit. This space was truly stomach turning but leaving it for the next section was still difficult as the wall at the end was illuminated showing more bodies & parts. Affixed to a wall was a scene akin to something biblical. This space also contained more tables with bodies & body parts plus a huge chrome furnace lit from within with a dim orange glow. This space was very uneasy as it confronts the audience with strong visual messages of mortality. These bodies weren't real but seemingly dug up or experimented on.

"detail that was so subtle but added such

class to the piece."

The next Pavilion of note for me was Ireland & the multi media installation/performance work of Jesse Jones, Tremble Tremble. It would be safe to say this is my absolute top pick from the biennale, I would relive this every day if it were possible. If you are yet to go to the Biennale & read this prior, I urge you to spend time here. The work takes a while to complete a cycle but the audience can join at any time. You will be thrilled & thoroughly rewarded for staying.

The space was high, dark & airy. 2 large projection screens on different walls show a witch who addresses the audience. She flicks back & forth to the different screens as she bewitches the space. On these screens the cinematography is fantastic. There is wonderful use of scale both from the screen size & the action taking place. The white haired woman appears distorted as she peers down to us from up high. Then in a twist of perspective we are looking down on her as she struggles with a rope & mass that seems to me hanging from her but is also above her. She taunts the audience asking if we have had enough, using riddle & rhyme to hex, confuse & scare us.

During certain moments the space becomes alive as stage hands appear & pull huge translucent curtains through the space. The 2 curtains each have an image of a hand & arm on it across the length of its horizontal centre, placing the image about halfway up the space. A track in the ceiling allows each curtain to weave & meander through the space dividing it & shuffling the audience. They also pass in front of the screens & between 2 sculptures in the space that resemble bones. Staged to move at certain parts of the work the hands on the light fabric delicately glide in the space with the sound of the rollers as the movement happens on the tracks. All coming together seamlessly yet purposefully causing the audience to move out of the way. Anyone in the centre of the space is spinning & looking up as though possessed by the witch herself as they take in the sudden movement.

At one breathtaking moment the space comes to a crescendo. The Witch's mouth sideways on the screen riddles out to the audience as the 2 curtains head towards each other. To the sound of their wurring movement on the rails they settle behind one of the sculptures, overlapping they create clasped hands. This moment paired with the imagery & sound was magnificent. It was followed by another detail that was so subtle but added such class to the piece. As the talking in the space began to wind down the two hands began to move apart. On the second screen the witch was talking & one of the hands that was backing out of the space passed in front of her then made a turn back toward her before finally disappearing behind her. The curtain moved back behind the screen. A simple detail that had such visual power on the audience who had been utterly drawn into the spell of Jesse Jones creation.

Werken by Bernardo Oyarzun in the Chilean pavilion was a surprising space to enter. All of the work was in the centre of the room forming a circle. Hundreds of wooden masks on poles all facing outward were there to greet the viewers.

Argentina's space is one that seems to have become popular on social media. The work here has a quality that is impressive, relatable & easy to understand as a photograph. I certainly saw images of this before even knowing I was going to the exhibition. A giant white horse being calmed by a quiet white lady. This image has instant impact. It is however paired with a second human figure suggesting a wider narrative. Here the woman & the horse represent machinery, animal power & an uncontrollable wild urge. There is a second figure of a boy crouched on his phone not seeing the other event despite being only metres away. Seemly wrapped up in a digital world he is unaware of the power & history leading up to this point.

As always there is so much more at this Biennale but I have narrowed down my highlights. Also I had planned to add all of the country pavilions here but there are too many. So I will leave this post & start a new one for the Giardini site.