While we could spend all our time amid the works in the Venice Biennale, there are numerous superb popup exhibitions outside the International Pavillions. Below is a roundup of three shows that caught our eye.
Juszkiewicz painted the works between 2019- 2024 in her signature portrait style which obscures the faces of her sitters using plants, fruit, fabric, or their own hair. The seductive large-scale paintings are rendered in sumptuous jewel tones, and serve as a commentary on the historical representation of women in Western Art: what exactly are our collective expectations of the female sitter?
Flora, Fabric, and Fruit
“Ewa Juszkiewicz: Locks with Leaves and Swelling Buds” at Palazzo Cavanis. April 20–September 1, 2024. Fondamenta Zattere Ai Gesuati, 920 30123 Venice.
Lyra artist Ewa Juszkiewicz’s painting “Untitled (after Ernst Thelott)” from 2019 is featured in “I’m Not Afraid of Ghosts,” so we were excited to check out Juszkiewicz’s 15 additional paintings– 5 of which are brand new– on view at the Palazzo Cavanis. Juszkiewicz painted the works between 2019- 2024 in her signature portrait style which obscures the faces of her sitters using plants, fruit, fabric, or their own hair. The seductive large-scale paintings are rendered in sumptuous jewel tones, and serve as a commentary on the historical representation of women in Western Art: what exactly are our collective expectations of the female sitter? The collection of works curated by Guillermo Solana is characteristic of the artist’s larger oeuvre, which subverts traditional conventions of female beauty, exhibiting a tension between what we desire and what we are permitted to consume.
Ewa Juszkiewicz, “Untitled (After François Gérard),”
2023;
©Ewa Juszkiewicz; Courtesy of the Artist and Almine Rech
The Aesthetics of Improvisation
“In Praise of Black Errantry” at Palazzo Pisani S. Marina. April 17- June 29, 2024. Calle de le Erbe, 6104 30121 Venice.
London-based gallery Unit traveled to Venice for a group show in celebration of black radical imagination, featuring several artists representing the Afro-diaspora. “In Praise of Black Errantry” is an exhibition that embraces the improvisational, the spontaneous, and the experimental, presenting a selection of artists whose work pushes up the traditional constraints of their chosen medium. Curator Indie A. Choudhury and assistant curator Kelsey Corbett have selected standout works from Hank Willis Thomas, Charmaine Watkiss, Paul Dash, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as a jaw-dropping fiber work by Anya Paintsil consisting of woven cotton, alpaca, and human hair.
Anya Paintsil "Nose bleeds, no back teeth and no eyebrows. I'm a slow learner apparently. Except for knitting, picked that up in seconds,"
2023.
Image courtesy and © Anya Paintsil
Staying Abreast
“Breasts” at ACP Palazzo Franchetti. April 18- November 24, 2024. Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti San Marco 2842 30124 Venice
We couldn’t leave the city without checking out this cheeky show. For “Breasts,” Curator Carolina Pasti brings together 30 emerging and established artists to explore the myriad ways breasts have been depicted through history to speak to broader issues of motherhood, sexuality, illness, and feminism. The exhibition situates us within the period of the Renaissance Masters, before moving across culture and media to the present day. This is a killer exhibition, with evocative works by Teniqua Clementine Crawford, Louise Bourgeois, Marcel Duchamp, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Laure Prouvost. A portion of sales of the exhibition catalog will go towards breast cancer research.
Laure Prouvost, “The Hidden Paintings Grandma Improved, In Deepth,”
2023
© Laure Prouvost