Page 12 - Únete. Join us (Bienal de Venecia, 57 edición)

12 ¡ÚNETE! JOIN US! JORDI COLOMER
The International Art Biennale in Venice is, probably, the most transcendental event for contemporary art. Ever since its foundation in 1895, La Biennale di Venezia has become a mandatory reference due to its international nature, counting with the participation of dozens of countries through their national pavilions and its receptiveness to several avant-garde propositions.
An arena for the dialogue and the acknowledgement of new languages, La Biennale di Venezia has also supported the consolidation and enshrinement of numerous artists.
Its latest edition, the 57th International Art Exhibition, currently lands to be celebrated in its most characteristic sites: the Giardini della Biennale and the Arsenale. As it has traditionally been done, a central exhibition (which, in this occasion, is entitled Viva arte viva, and curated by Christine Macel) will be accompanied by each country’s artistic proposal, throughout the national pavilions; a total of 85 countries and 120 artists are represented this year.
Spain attends, one more year, to its appointment with La Biennale; as it was back in 1895 and to every edition since then, being a minor exception the period after the Civil War. The country counts with its own pavilion, inaugurated in 1922. And our presence, an endeavor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1952, has thoroughly allowed displaying the vigor of our artists, every so often inspired by the richness of a cultural and artistic heritage that constitutes one of our main identity features.
There have been represented in the Spanish Pavilion many artists, recognized beyond our borders, pioneers in wandering through new paths of expression, to which they have arrived due to a deep understanding of their predecessors. Artists that embody the dialogue between tradition and avant-garde, and the insertion to international circuits: two characteristics that, apart from diversity, define the evolution of our country and its creative context. Among them, there could be mentioned: Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies, Susana Solano, Miquel Barceló, Santiago Sierra or Lara Almárcegui.