A unique edition. First time curated by Adriano Pedrosa. “I am honored and humbled by this prestigious appointment, especially as the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition, and in fact the first one based in the Southern Hemisphere”, Pedrosa commented.
Adriano Pedrosa and the New Global Imagination
Your horizon finishes exactly where you traveled. Physically or metaphorically. Being European, especially in Central Europe, often means a limited exposure to cultural diversity. Traditional education rarely ventures beyond the canonical—how many of us have truly explored early-century art from Vietnam, Congo, or Venezuela? These lessons, though absent from our schoolbooks, are worth catching up on later in life.
The beauty of discovering art from different locations, shaped by events as influential as the époque de beaux arts in Paris, is a real gift. While Degas was exploring his style, artists in Morocco or China were forging their own paths, often unrecognized by Western narratives. The 2024 Venice Biennale, with its theme "Foreigners Are Everywhere," finally brings these parallel histories into a shared light, challenging the boundaries of our cultural horizons.
Adriano Pedrosa: A Curatorial Milestone
This year’s Biennale marks a historic shift with the appointment of Adriano Pedrosa as curator—the first Latin American and the first curator based in the Southern Hemisphere to lead the International Art Exhibition in its 129-year history. Pedrosa, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1965, is currently the artistic director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP), where he has built a reputation for exhibitions that foreground marginalized histories and identities, from Afro-Atlantic Histories to Women’s Histories, Feminist Histories.
Pedrosa’s vision for the Biennale is deeply rooted in his commitment to pluralism and the de-centering of Eurocentric narratives. As he stated upon his appointment:
“I am honored and humbled by this prestigious appointment, especially as the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, and in fact the first one based in the Southern Hemisphere. The Biennale is certainly the most important platform for contemporary art in the world, and it is an exciting challenge and a responsibility to embark on this project. I look forward to bringing artists to Venice and realizing their projects, as well as to working with the Biennale’s great team.”
President Roberto Cicutto highlighted Pedrosa’s “competence and originality” and his “vision open to the contemporary, working from an observation point of the world that cannot disregard the nature of its place of origin”. This global perspective is precisely what makes the 2024 edition so vital.
Looking ahead
As a specialist in the social context of symbols, colors, and visual communication, I see the 2024 Biennale as a masterclass in the branding of identity and the semiotics of belonging.
The 2024 Venice Biennale is more than an exhibition—it is a manifesto for a new kind of global cultural dialogue. By appointing Adriano Pedrosa, the Biennale has signalled a willingness to break with Eurocentric tradition and embrace a broader, more inclusive vision of art. As Pedrosa himself notes, this is both an “exciting challenge and a responsibility”
Pieces of art by order that must be mentioned:
1. Aref El Rayess
Oil on canvas paintings (untitled) from the series Deserts, 1988
2. Jeffrey Gibson
The space in which to place me by at the US Pavilion
Roberto Montenegro
Majorcan Fisherman, c. 1915
4. Sénèque Obin
Reception Marriage Interieur
5. Sénèque Obin
Eglise Sacre-Coeur, Cap-Haitien, c. 1959
