Installation view of "Boob Trap" by Buchanan Studio at exhibition "Breasts", 18 Apr - 24 Nov 2024.
The Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art events, sees the canal city burst with bold, bright and beautiful art. The main exhibition and historic national pavilions are centered in the Arsenale—once Venice’s colossal shipyard—and the Giardini nearby.
But the ever-expanding list of national participants—Benin, Ethiopia and Morocco are making their debut this year—and the extensive roster of collateral exhibitions means that all over the city, art is waiting to be stumbled upon. These experiences are worth seeking out both for the high-quality shows and the chance to peek inside lavish palaces or hidden gardens normally closed to the public. Plus, most are free.
Here are three exhibitions you shouldn’t miss if you are in Venice this summer.
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Breasts
From a miniature Renaissance painting of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding to a gilded chest plate, this exhibition is dedicated—as the name implies—to breasts.
You enter through Booby Trap, a corridor lined with pink drapes rosy-lit by breast-shaped lamps on the ceiling. There are then five rooms beginning with a look at the way breasts have been represented in historical art.
The second gets surreal with a stool featuring breasts and a Salvador Dali drawing of a woman with breasts morphing into snails. As you make your way through the exhibition, you see abstract, humorous and hopeful depictions of breasts.
For curator Carolina Pasti, the show aims to touch on topics including motherhood, empowerment, sexuality, body image and illness. The exhibition will donate 30% of catalogue funds to an Italian cancer research foundation and strives to promote awareness of breast cancer through the art.
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