Caterina Avataneo on Lithuania's 2019 Venice Biennale Win
Caterina Avataneo, who serves as the associate curator at Arcade and the DEMO Moving Image Festival, was instrumental in the Lithuanian Pavilion's triumph at the 58th Venice Biennale. Her journey with Lithuania began in 2015 during the Creature Performance Art Festival. In 2018, she collaborated with Jonas Mekas for a screening in London, where she met curator Lucia Pietroiusti. The Pavilion showcased 'Sun & Sea (Marina)' by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė, and Lina Lapelytė in a Navy warehouse, marking its inaugural public opening. The performance featured singers on a simulated beach. Åbäke designed the catalog, which was produced by a cooperative that hires inmates. Avataneo attributes the Pavilion's success to local ties and an all-female team, especially given the funding difficulties in performance art.
Key facts
- Caterina Avataneo was assistant curator for the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019.
- The pavilion won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation.
- The performance 'Sun & Sea (Marina)' was created by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė, and Lina Lapelytė.
- The pavilion was located in a Navy warehouse near the Arsenale, the first time the Italian Navy opened to the public.
- The catalog/vinyl was designed by Åbäke and produced by Grafiche Veneziane and MaleFatte – Rio Terà dei Pensieri, a cooperative employing prisoners.
- Avataneo first visited Lithuania in 2015 for the Creature Performance Art Festival in Kaunas.
- She met Lucia Pietroiusti at a Jonas Mekas event in London in 2018.
- Before winning the Golden Lion, the team considered ending the performance due to financial constraints.
Entities
Artists
- Caterina Avataneo
- Lucia Pietroiusti
- Jonas Mekas
- Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė
- Vaiva Grainytė
- Lina Lapelytė
- Robertas Narkus
- Augustas Serapinas
- Anastasia Sosunova
- Rosalind Krauss
- Dorothea von Hantelmann
- Åbäke
Institutions
- Arcade
- DEMO Moving Image Festival
- Serpentine Galleries
- Lithuanian Cultural Institute
- Cinema Peckhamplex
- Marina Militare (Italian Navy)
- Grafiche Veneziane
- MaleFatte – Rio Terà dei Pensieri
- CAC (Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius)
- Rupert
- Nida Art Colony
- Editorial
- Autarkia
- Artribune
Locations
- Lithuania
- Kaunas
- London
- Venezia (Venice)
- Arsenale
- Santa Maria Maggiore prison