Francis Alÿs to Represent Belgium at 2022 Venice Biennale

Francis Alÿs, born in Antwerp in 1959 and based in Mexico City, will represent Belgium at the 59th Venice Biennale Arte in 2022, postponed from 2021 due to the pandemic. The Biennale Arte will run from April 23 to November 27, 2022, while the 17th Biennale Architettura takes place from May 22 to November 21, 2021. Cecilia Alemani directs the 2022 edition. Alÿs previously participated in the 2017 Biennale Arte as commissioner of the Iraq Pavilion, titled "Archaic," curated by Tamara Chalabi and Paolo Colombo, which juxtaposed contemporary and modern artists with ancient artifacts. For the Belgian Pavilion, curated by Hilde Teerlinck, Alÿs will continue his exploration of war and displacement, drawing on his experiences in Iraq. From October to November 2016, he was embedded as an artist with the Kurdish army in Mosul, Iraq, documenting impressions in a diary. He has since returned to Iraq seven times. The project reflects on the role of the artist in times of catastrophe, questioning what it means to make art while cities like Nimrud and Palmyra are destroyed. Alÿs's work is noted for its integrity and respect for represented communities.