Australian pavilion explained

The Australian pavilion is a structure that houses Australia's national representation during the Venice Biennale arts festival. Although Australia has been represented at the festival since 1954, the first pavilion was only built in 1987, and replaced by a permanent structure in 2015.

Background

Formal participation by Australia in the Venice Biennale began in 1954. From 1978, the Australian Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia), managed and supported the national representation in the festival. In 2019 the Australia Council took over the commissioning of the works, which it does by open call for proposals.[1]

there are 29 national pavilions built over a long period of time within the Giardini della Biennale (Biennale Gardens).[1]

Buildings

Original pavilion (1987)

The Australian pavilion was designed in 1987 by the Australia Council's Design Arts Board and constructed by 1988. The two-level single exhibition space includes a veranda-style entrance with a courtyard constructed around a pre-existing tree. This connection between internal space and landscape was designed to relate to architectural themes in Australia. The curvature of the pavilion's sheet metal roof is meant to invoke a wave.

The original Australian Pavilion, designed by Philip Cox to be a temporary structure of fiber cement and steel,[2] was opened in 1988 at the western edge of the Giardini.[3] Italian-born Australian industrialist Franco Belgiorno-Nettis had previously lobbied so successfully that in 1988 Australia beat 16 other countries to the last site on which to build a permanent pavilion in the Giardini.[4] Cox and other generous donors gifted the pavilion to the Commonwealth Government.[5] The pavilion was not heritage-protected because of its temporary status.[6]

New pavilion (2015)

A new, permanent pavilion was designed by architectural practice Denton Corker Marshall and completed in 2015.[7] [1] [8] Built from concrete and steel, the two-storey structure contains of exhibition space, and the exterior is covered in black granite from Zimbabwe.[9] [10]

Although Australia's participation at the Venice Biennale was being managed by the Australia Council, funded by the Commonwealth Government, all of the million originally needed for the new building had to be raised from the private sector.[7] Eventually, the pavilion cost $7.5 million to build, $1 million of which was funded by the Australia Council; the rest was donated by 82 private Australian donors, including actress Cate Blanchett[9] and producer Santo Cilauro.[11]

The pavilion has won several architectural awards:[8]

Representation by year

Before the pavilion was built

In the first Australian Pavilion

In the new Australian pavilion

Further reading

45.4284°N 12.359°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australia at the Venice Biennale . Creative Australia . 12 March 2024 . 20 April 2024.
  2. Barbara Graustark (May 7, 2015), Australia's Black Box At The Biennale New York Times.
  3. Martino, Enzo Di. The History of the Venice Biennale. Venezia: Papiro Arte, 2007.
  4. Jeremy Eccles (December 13, 2013), Banker Simon Mordant on the new Australian pavilion in Venice Financial Times.
  5. http://venicebiennale.australiacouncil.gov.au/venice-biennale/australian_pavilion The Australian Pavilion
  6. Janelle Carrigan (May 6, 2015), Australian Politics at the Venice Biennale New York Times.
  7. Louisa Buck (June 27, 2012), Australia's new Venice pavilion to be built with private money The Art Newspaper.
  8. Web site: Australian Pavilion Venice . Denton Corker Marshall . 20 April 2024.
  9. Nadja Sayej (May 6, 2015), Venice Biennale: Cate Blanchett and George Brandis open $7.5m Australian pavilion The Guardian.
  10. Dark Star: Australia Reinvents the Black Box for the Venice Biennale . Town & Country . May 2015 . en. mdy-all . May 12, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181115101700/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-417020536.html . November 15, 2018 . dead .
  11. Katya Wachtel (May 6, 2015), The New Australia Pavilion Opens at the 56th Venice Biennale Broadsheet Melbourne.
  12. Roderick Conway Morris (June 14, 2015), Pushing boundaries at Venice Biennale New York Times.
  13. Dylan Rainforth (December 15, 2015), Indigenous artist Tracey Moffatt to represent Australia at 2017 Venice Biennale The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. News: Searle . Adrian . Tracey Moffatt review – horrible histories from Australia's Venice envoy . . 2017-05-10 . en-GB . 0261-3077 . mdy-all .
  15. Web site: Russeth . Andrew . Australia Picks Angelica Mesiti for 2019 Venice Biennale Pavilion . . 2018-03-09 . en-US . 2018-06-19 . mdy-all .
  16. Web site: Story . Hannah . Venice Biennale 2022: Marco Fusinato takes over Australia Pavilion with 200 days of guitar performance and spectacle . ABC News . . 16 May 2022 . 15 May 2022.
  17. Alex Greenberger (November 1, 2019), Australia Picks Sound Artist Marco Fusinato for 2021 Venice Biennale Pavilion ARTnews.
  18. Alex Greenberger (8 February 2023), Archie Moore Becomes the Second-Ever First Nations Artist to Represent Australia Solo at the Venice Biennale ARTnews.
  19. Web site: Allam . Lorena . ‘Very totemic and very Aboriginal’: Australia’s entry at Venice Biennale is a family tree going back 65,000 years . . 17 April 2024 . 20 April 2024.
  20. Web site: Stone . Tim . First Nations artist Archie Moore to represent Australia at 2024 Venice Biennale . The Art Newspaper - International art news and events . 7 February 2023 .
  21. Web site: Harris . Gareth . Archie Moore's Australian Pavilion wins Venice Biennale's coveted Golden Lion for best national exhibition . . 20 April 2024 . 20 April 2024. registration. https://web.archive.org/web/20240420113217/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/04/20/archie-moores-australia-pavilion-wins-venice-biennales-coveted-golden-lion-for-best-national-exhibition. 20 April 2024.

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