Exhibitions to See in July and August 2024 in Italy and Beyond
Still in the post-pandemic ecstasy, the world storms out to see art exhibitions that aren’t laid flat on their computer screens. Artists had time to craft visual and spatial gems in their spare time, and it’s fortunate because our screentime-pale faces are eager to experience art like never before.
Summertime, July and August, is high time to visit The 60th International Art Exhibition, the most prominent contemporary art event, taking place every two years in the romantic atmosphere of Venice, Italy. The overflow of visitors may make it challenging to be entirely at peace in this highly touristic city, but the number of fantastic art shows is worth it. Also, you can always hide in the narrow calle, callette or calleselle — which, in Venice, stands for a “street”.
This year’s leading exhibition’s title, “Foreigners Everywhere,” was inspired by the work of the Paris-born and Palermo-based Claire Fontaine collective. As our tolerance for screens and everything flat is close to exhaustion, special attention is paid to the outdoor projects, both in the Arsenale and in the Giardini, as well as a performance program, meaning real humans doing stuff in front of our eyes.
Apart from the collective exhibitions curated by Adriano Pedrosa, la Biennale hosts 88 international participations. Yes, it means you won’t see them all during one weekend. The US shows Jeffrey Gibson’s “The Space in Which to Place Me,” which draws from America, focusing on Indigenous and queer histories, with references to popular subcultures, literature, and global artistic traditions.
Moreover, it’s worth seeing numerous collateral events (this guide will lead you the way), and legendary Venice-based art destinations, such as Fondazione Prada, where you can see an immersive “Monte di Pietà'” by Christoph Buche, a fictitious bankrupt pawnshop based on the original layout of the Monte di Pietà of Venice, spread through three floors. Around the corner, don’t miss Pierre Huyghe’s large group of works, including a selection from the Pinault Collection, at Palazzo Grassi, Punta della Dogana, open until the end of November 2024.
Interior and architecture enthusiasts should also visit Venice on the upcoming 19th International Exhibition of Architecture, opening May 10th (pre-opening 8-9 May) through November 23rd, 2025. It seems far from now, but you better book your Airbnb now, as spots are limited in this one-of-a-kind city.
Still in Italy, Milan is known for its inclination towards fashion, design, and architecture. From April to September 2024, the Milanese Triennale hosts “Inga Sempé. The imperfect house.” French designer focuses her research on everyday household objects and their industrial production. In the same exhibition space until January 2025, visitors will come across the first bona fide retrospective devoted to Gae Aulenti, whose 60-year career ranged from urban design to exhibition design, landscape architecture, interior decoration, furniture design, graphics, and set design. The exhibition’s itinerary comprises a sequence of rooms reproduced on a 1:1 scale, with the aid of original materials (drawings, photographs, models) from the architect’s Milanese archive.
From Milan, it’s just a jump to Florence, where Anselm Kiefer, one of the most influential artists working today, ignites a unique dialogue with the marvelous Renaissance-era Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. The German artist’s monumental work references history, mythology, philosophy, and literature. He has profoundly interrogated the history of the Third Reich and reflected on Germany’s post-war identity. His paintings, sculptures, and installations are not only deep in meaning but also diverse and rich in material elements, such as tree roots and burned books. The exhibition “Angeli Caduti” (“Fallen Angels”) is available to see until July 21st, 2024.
Love it or hate it, Barbie’s fiver reached the contemporary art world. “Barbie®: The Exhibition” opens July 5th and will last until February 3rd, 2025, at the Design Museum in London, UK. Explore the design evolution of the world’s most famous doll, browsing through 250 remarkable objects from 1959 to the present. If you are around in October and go wild for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” you can’t miss “The World of Tim Burton” exhibition at the same London Design Museum.
London has a knack for creating outstanding multi-leveled experiences. “Mirror Infinity Rooms” by 94-year-old Yayoi Kusama, one of the most famous Japanese artists, is open until April 28th, 2024, at Tate Modern in London. Her work may not be thought-provoking, but if you consider The Japan Times has acknowledged her as “the world’s top-selling female artist,” you may be more willing to immerse yourself in her work at least once.
Screams of joy in Miami, The Bass Museum of Art presents “Nam June Paik: The Miami Years,” an exhibition featuring works by the Korean American visual artist that explores his connection to Miami Beach and the surrounding South Florida community, open until August 11th, 2024. What would a pioneer in the development of electronic moving images and digitized compositions as a creative medium be excited about in Miami? The exhibition unveils the little-known history of the artist’s life in Miami Beach while exploring the innovative ways he used communication and media technologies in his work.
Step into the past with MoMa’s ‘Before Technicolor. Early Color on Film’ exhibition, on display until 21.07.2024. This showcase features the earliest color films dating back to 1895 when synthetically produced dyes revolutionized the nature of color in mediums such as postcards, magic lantern slides, and fabrics. Explore films produced in the United States and France from the mid-1890s through the mid-1930s, including the legendary ‘Butterfly and Serpentine’ dance films, ‘L’Antre Infernal’ (1905) and ‘La voix du rossignol’ (1923), among other early cinema wonders.
Text by: Dobroslawa Nowak
Cover image credits: Gianluca Di Ioia
