Art that speaks to the times
by Enayetullah Khan
The Venice Biennale is widely accepted as the art worlds greatest show. One of its most distinct features throughout the three centuries it has spanned since the late 19th century, is that it has very often been reactive to the present, in the words of Okwui Enwezor, the artistic director of this years Biennale. This has meant that it has always retained its relevance even amid massive upheavals in the art world, and indeed the wider world.
I had the privilege to attend the opening week as this years event kicked off this month, with the theme Enwezor chose for its central exhibition, All the worlds futures, reflecting his own preoccupation with the state of things - in a world where war and destruction has not only not spared art, but in which art as part of our cultural heritage is under attack in a very targeted sense. One has to merely recount the incidents of the Taliban blowing up the Bamiyan Buddha statues, or the looting of Iraqs great heritage from its museums, or the so-called Islamic States wanton destruction of various artistic assets in the areas it has managed to bring under its control. Clearly, in the vision of Enwezor, the first African director of the extravaganza in its 120-year history, this is not the time for art as an object of contemplation or delight, or worse, a market commodity. Even though the Biennale is increasingly shored up, financially and practically, by art dealers, collectors and private foundations.
This years Biennale is made up of over 80 national shows and a central exhibition curated by the artistic director. Titled All the Worlds Futures, Enwezors exhibition included work by 136 artists from 53 countriesmuch of it concerned with the politics of the image, as The Economist described it. In keeping with his reputation as a darling of the left, the entire project swirls around Das Kapital, Karl Marxs critique of the effects of the Industrial Revolution and its reliance on exploitation of workers. Daily readings from the tome are featured in the arena designed by the architect David Adjaye at the Central Pavilion of the Giardini, the public park that contains the art-filled national pavilions.
The Iranian pavilion, hosted at the Calle San Giovanni, is one of the national pavilions attracting a lot of attention this year - perhaps another reflection of how the Biennale speaks to the times. The lifting of sanctions by the Western powers in return for a halt to its alleged nuclear bomb-making activities, all subject to a deal set to be signed in the summer, is expected to herald the return of Iran into the international fold from its present by-and-large pariah status, and the contributions of the Iranian artists to the Biennale seem to reflect this, framing their future through the past. So one of the exhibitions in the pavilion, entitled The Great Game, takes its inspiration from the 19th century battle for influence over the lands of Central Asia between the Great Powers. The second, entitled Iranian Highlights, offers a select mix of four Iranian contemporary artists who have forged very varied careers on the international stage over the past 50 years.
One of the more individualistic exhibitions that has people talking this year in Venice happens to be Frontiers Reimagined, curated by Calcutta-born Sundaram Tagore, that has brought together some 70 works of art by 44 artists from 25 countries. Yet the highlight of the exhibition, which is housed in an elegant 16th-century palace, the Museo di Palazzo Grimani, at least for me is that it includes paintings by Rabindranath Tagore. Sundaram, who now owns galleries in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, is the great-grandson of the fourth brother, Hemendranth Tagore but does not brag about being a descendant of the poet. Included are a bust of Tagore by Jacob Epstein that comes from Sundarams own collection, plus three paintings on loan from Nirmalya Kumar, a professor at the London Business School but now based in Mumbai as head of strategy at the Tata group.
Bangladesh took part in the previous two editions of the Venice Biennale, with very different results. In 2011 (the very first time Bangladesh had done so) with a group of five artists belonging to Britto, the organisation managed and led by Tayeba Begum Lipi and Mahabub Rahman, who were themselves participating artists. In 2013 though, it all turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, as an excessively large number of artists were invited to participate, and the Bangladeshi pavilion, with its 10 walls filled by works of 20 artists, 3 each. That sort of regimented showcase is the very antithesis of Venice, which is above all about a vision, and through your chosen exhibition, making a statement to support your vision. Most countries choose to hand over their pavilion to the vision of just one artist, which is admittedly difficult in the way we choose to do things in Bangladesh, but even 5 artists, as in 2011, gives you a chance at least. In 2013, in the words of the Italian ambassador, the worst thing was not even the criticism that was levelled at the Bangladeshi pavilion, as much as the general indifference to what was on display.
This year therefore, Bangladesh doesnt have a presence in this greatest of the art worlds many events. The next Biennale will be held in 2017, and we hope Bangladeshi art community can get its act together to truly give itself a chance of capturing the worlds imagination, the next time that the art worlds great and good descend upon Venice.
Enayetullah Khan, Chairman Gallery Cosmos, Cosmos Atelier 71
