The 58^th Venice Biennale starts on May 11 and will run until November 24, 2019. It has the following title: “May you live in interesting times.” What will the iconic international art forum present this year? Here is what you need to know about the Venice Biennale 2019.

Photo credit: The Venice Biennale/labiennale.org

The International Art Exhibition in the picturesque Venice, held for the first time in 1895, was genuinely successful: it gathered 224 thousand visitors. After 122 years, in 2017, was set a record of the popularity of the event: the 57^th Venice Biennale attracted the interest of about 615 thousand art admirers.

At the 57^th Venice Biennale, “Golden Lion” for the best national pavilion was awarded to Anne Imhof, a contemporary artist from Germany, who presented a 5-hour performance titled “Faust.” It took up all the space through which the audience walked on glass platforms raised above the marble floor on steel supports.

The 58^th International Art Exhibition in Venice, otherwise known as the Venice Biennale, will be held from May 11 to November 24, 2019; private events are scheduled from May 8 to May 10. The Biennale has a rather exciting opening: lavish receptions are arranged in the Central and national pavilions, with plenty of glamorous parties, famous artists, gallery owners, and art dealers, actors, and directors. All this accompanies the opening of the most renowned exhibition of modern art of 2019.

The central event of the Venice Biennale is the award ceremony, which takes place in early June. The main prizes are awarded, such as the “Golden Lion,” and awards to the best artist and the best project presented in the national pavilions. There is also the “Silver Lion” and a special jury prize.

Photo credit: The Venice Biennale/labiennale.org

Curator of the 58^th International Art Exhibition is Ralph Rugoff, currently the director of London’s Hayward Gallery, art and literary critic.

Seventy-nine artists from all over the world, who decided to ship their artworks to Venice Biennale, will take part in the famous contemporary art exhibition. There will be 91 exhibitions of national participants – in the Giardini gardens, in the Arsenale, and the historical center of Venice. This year, five countries will participate in the Venice Biennale for the first time: Algeria, Ghana, Madagascar, Malaysia, and Pakistan, while the Dominican Republic will present the exposition in the new national pavilion for the first time.

The main events of the Venice Biennale are traditionally held in two main venues: the Giardini gardens and the Arsenale.

The Giardini gardens represent a green park area located in the historic part of the city near the San Marco Square and the Doge’s Palace, which was created by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. Since 1895, Giardini gardens have become a permanent venue for the Venice Biennale.

Photo credit: The Venice Biennale/labiennale.org

Once the Arsenale was the largest industrial center of Venice, a symbol of the economic, political and military power of the city. In 1980, during the first International Architecture Exhibition, the Arsenale became the exhibition venue of the Venice Biennale – and so it remained.