2019 Catalan Pavilion at Venice Biennale Foretold Monument Debates

Following George Floyd's death in 2020, worldwide protests sparked renewed discussions regarding public monuments, resulting in the dismantling of statues representing colonial and racist figures across the globe. In the United States, statues of Christopher Columbus in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Jefferson Davis in Virginia were brought down. Meanwhile, in Bristol, UK, the removal of Edward Colston's statue elicited a reaction from Banksy. In Italy, the group I Sentinelli is advocating for the removal of the Indro Montanelli monument in Milan. These occurrences resonate with the themes presented in Pedro Azara's 2019 exhibition at the 58th Venice Biennale, "Catalonia in Venice—To Lose Your Head (Idols)," which scrutinized public attitudes towards monuments. Azara criticized the destruction of statues as a grave mistake that hinders historical understanding and critical discourse.