National pavilions highlighted as best at the 61st Venice Biennale
Updated
Updated · Art Newspaper · May 6
National pavilions highlighted as best at the 61st Venice Biennale
4 articles · Updated · Art Newspaper · May 6
The Art Newspaper's picks span Brazil, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Congo, Singapore, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Korea, France and Ireland, plus an unofficial Belarus show in Venice.
The selections emphasise colonial trauma, diaspora, war, activism, ecology and communication, with tactile and performance-led works standing out, including Japan's 208 dolls, Bosnia's touch-based installation and Austria's flooded dystopia.
The roundup also notes Congo's first successful national pavilion debut and Saudi artist Dana Awartani's cracked clay mosaics recreating destroyed sites, underscoring how this Biennale links historical memory with present conflict.
Amid global conflict, does the Biennale’s 'truce in the name of art' legitimize aggressor states?
When heritage is destroyed, can artistic reconstructions like Saudi Arabia's pavilion offer more than symbolic resistance?
Does the first Japan-Korea pavilion collaboration signal a new path for art in historical reconciliation?