(ENG) Somalia: First National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Arte

This article was meant to be a roundup of the eight debuting national pavilions, but instead became a close-up on just one. Other new representations—the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Guinea, the Republic of Nauru, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Qatar, the Republic of Sierra Leone, and El Salvador—are scattered across Venice and beyond, reaching as far as Isola di San Servolo, which turned out to be, I admit, one of the logistical reasons the original plan proved difficult to carry out.

Also, the visit to the Somalia pavilion reminded me once more how crucial it is to experience exhibitions before reviewing them, rather than simply studying them in theory, even in the most conceptual contexts. There is always something that cannot be grasped without physical presence. This exhibition is a vivid example: I didn’t expect to enter a Somali apartment, brought to Venice as a life-size reconstruction of a domestic interior, and I managed to experience it to the fullest.

The journey began at the graceful double entrance set into the narrow façade of the aristocratic residence, Palazzo Caboto, illuminated by strong sunlight washing over the building. The experience is further shaped by its proximity to a Venetian canal, where the sound of water splashing and people chatting, gathering near the water, can still be heard. At the threshold, the scent of Somali incense accentuates the presence in the here and now.

Past the door, the creaking wooden stairs led to the first floor: a full-size Somali living room with a television flickering and buzzing and a large black backpack left nonchalantly on the sofa, later explained to me as a reference to the nation’s nomadic culture. It genuinely felt as if someone had left it only a minute earlier, having stepped into the bathroom or the kitchen to make a sandwich before heading out again. Interestingly, the idea of travel sits at the core of the location itself, as Palazzo Caboto takes its name from Giovanni Caboto, the Venetian navigator who sailed for England in 1497 and reached the coasts of North America.

Displayed across three floors of the exhibition are literary works by Warsan Shire, textile pieces by Ayan Farah, and film and installation works by Asmaa Jama, turning Saddexley into a triadic poem.

Warsan Shire’s first pamphlet, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth, was published in 2011, and her debut poetry collection, Bless The Daughter Raised By A Voice In Her Head, was published in 2022. She also wrote the short film Brave Girl Rising, which highlights the voices of Somali girls in Africa’s largest refugee camp. In the exhibition, the artist’s texts are presented on several panels throughout the rooms, in a simple font, white letters on a black background. This essential form contrasts with the intensity of the poems. Each one strikes when we least expect it.