Fallen Fruit's Austin Young transforms Venetian palace with immersive installation for 2024 Biennale

For the 60th Venice Biennale, Austin Young of the Fallen Fruit collective presents a site-specific installation at Palazzo Cesari Marchesi, opening April 18, 2024. Titled 'Marriage of the Sea (The Rape of Venice),' the solo show is organized by THE POOL NYC gallery, which has a Milan location since 2017. Young created a wall covering of veiled curtains and fabric using his own photos and archival images, exploring Venice's ancestral relationship with the sea. The installation critiques mass tourism and the city's loss of cultural capital. A performance by Irene Marchetti on opening night will invite visitors to 'marry the sea,' referencing the historical Ascension Day ceremony where a gold ring was thrown into the Adriatic. The exhibition runs until June 30, 2024. Young, who has worked with David Allen Burns since 2004, previously created immersive installations in Italy at Palermo's Orto Botanico, Palazzo Butera for Manifesta 12, Rome's Chiostro del Bramante, Bergamo's Accademia Carrara, and a mural for Feudi di San Gregorio winery.