Angelica Mesiti presents ASSEMBLY for Australia at 2019 Venice Biennale

Angelica Mesiti will represent Australia at the 2019 Venice Biennale with a 25-minute multiscreen video-and-sound installation titled ASSEMBLY. The work, set inside a small amphitheatre, explores social group dynamics through translations from text to musical score using polyphony, cacophony, harmony, and dissonance. Mesiti collaborated with an ensemble of Australian performers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to create an immersive experience. While acknowledging the honor of selection, she questions whether any single artist can truly represent a nation, instead focusing on pluralism in her approach. The installation incorporates ideas, objects, performances, and choreographies from various cultures within a senate chamber setting found in democracies worldwide. Mesiti views the Australian Pavilion as a crucial platform to overcome the 'tyranny of distance' that often isolates Australian art from international audiences. She recalls being mesmerized by Carlo Scarpa's garden in the Italian pavilion during a previous visit. For the 2019 edition, she anticipates discovering new artists and artworks, particularly looking forward to Ralph Rugoff's exhibition and performances throughout the city. The Venice Biennale runs from May 11 to November 24, 2019, with Australia's pavilion located in the Giardini.