Okwui Enwezor appointed as director of the Visual Arts Sector for the 56th Biennale di Venezia

MUNICH.- The Board of Directors of la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, after thanking and expressing its gratitude to Massimiliano Gioni for the excellent results of the 55th International Art Exhibition, appointed Okwui Enwezor Director of the Visual Arts Sector. Enwezor has been granted the specific responsibility of curating the 56th International Art Exhibition, to be held in 2015 (Venice, Giardini and Arsenale, May 9 – November 22, 2015).

At the end of the meeting of the Board, President Baratta stated: “We have closed an extraordinary research exhibition, which was brought to term with great success by Massimiliano Gioni, and had the record number of visitors, particularly young visitors. This success demonstrates the ever-widening range of people that directly enjoys the cultural and the emotional experience that the Biennale can provide. For the next edition, we now turn to a person who has a great many experiences to his name, with an ample history of activities and studies in a wide range of topics concerning art. Enwezor has investigated, in particular, the complex phenomenon of globalization in relation to local roots. His personal experience is a decisive starting point for the geographic range of his analysis, for the temporal depth of recent developments in the art world, and for the variegated richness of the present.”

Okwui Enwezor. Photo Andreas Gebert, 2011

In response, Okwui Enwezor has stated: “No event or exhibition of contemporary art has continuously existed at the confluence of so many historical changes across the fields of art, politics, technology, and economics, as la Biennale di Venezia. La Biennale di Venezia is the ideal place to explore all of these dialectical fields of reference, and the institution of la Biennale itself will be a source of inspiration in planning the Exhibition.”

“I congratulate Okwui Enwezor on his appointment, which is an extraordinary recognition of his work, and which reflects on the international value that Okwui Enwezor’s activities and influence bring to Haus der Kunst,” said Ludwig Spaenle, the Bavarian State Minister for Education, Science, and the Arts, commenting on the appointment.