Biennale di Venezia's Contemporary Archive Model Expands with New Acquisitions and 2026 Arsenale Move

La Biennale di Venezia is advancing its contemporary archive initiative through the Centro Internazionale della Ricerca sulle Arti Contemporanee, which was established in the fall of 2021. The inaugural research cycle includes collaboration with four universities and two higher education institutions, engaging 120 students and faculty members. Recent additions encompass the Fondo Lorenzo Cappellini and partnerships with Fondazione Luigi Nono and Fondazione Luca Ronconi. By 2026, the ASAC will relocate from Porto Marghera to the Arsenale, supported by a €40 million budget from the PNC. A design-build tender for the new ASAC facility concluded on March 20, 2023. President Roberto Cicutto and ASAC director Debora Rossi presented plans for a geopolitical arts map, an online platform, and global partnerships, while the new site will increase research stations to 30 and include residency studios, restoration labs, and exhibition spaces. Established alongside the first Art Biennale, the ASAC currently houses 190,000 volumes, with 12,000 from the 'Bibliografia della mostra' project, and has concentrated on critical documentation of all seven Biennale disciplines since 2009.