Established in 1895 the Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is the oldest and most prestigious event on the international contemporary visual arts calendar. Every two years, Venice becomes the world stage for the international visual arts community, with the attention of the world’s arts media focused on the Biennale over a six-month period.
Australia’s participation at the Venice Biennale is managed by the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body.
The Venice Biennale provides Australian artists with critical international coverage, exposing them to key new audiences, markets and contexts. This exposure helps build the profile of Australian contemporary visual arts and facilitates the establishment of significant international cultural links, networks and dialogue for individual Australian artists. The Biennale also represents a significant platform on which the Council can promote contemporary Australian visual arts more widely.
The Venice Biennale comprises a curated show at the Giardini and Arsenale, alongside more than 70 national exhibitions in 29 pavilions within the Giardini and other locations throughout the city.
The event attracts over 30,000 international curators, critics, collectors and artists to the three-day Vernissage period alone. In 2011, the Biennale attracted 440,000 visitors, including many school groups and young adults, to the six-month exhibition.
Simryn Gill will represent Australia at the 55th International Art Exhibition from 1st June to 24th November, 2013.
