Field Trip: Latin American Pavilions At The 56th Venice Biennale
By Inti Guerrero
For the 56th Venice Biennale, the national pavilions at the Giardini are, in general, of lower quality than those from recent previous editions. A certain “return to order” could be sensed, with more formalist artist-projects’ representing countries that, in previous years, had presented more ambitious and experimental proposals at Venice. This new global conservatism is perhaps less present at the Latin American pavilions in the Giardini, which, instead, are faced with their own specific issues of representation, including ties to state ideology, or “banana republic” corruption in governmental cultural policies.
Historically, Latin America’s presence at the Giardini has taken place since the mid-20th century, with Venezuela’s pavilion opening in 1954, Uruguay’s in 1960, and Brazil’s modernist gem erected in 1964. In this year’s Biennale, all three of these countries are showing projects that attest to the diversity and complexities that, in fact, differentiate the Latin American regions. As a reaction to its current political turmoil, the Brazilian pavilion presented a thoughtful group show featuring Antonio Manuel (b. 1947), Berna Reale (b. 1965) and André Komatsu (b. 1978), three artists from different generations and cities within the continent-sized country. Curated by Luiz Camillo Osorio and Cauê Alves, the exhibition emerged from a critical standpoint in reaction to the country’s current anxieties over its economic future and political leadership.
