Julien Creuzet Launches French Pavilion Project in Martinique for Venice Biennale 2024

Artist Julien Creuzet, representing France at the 60th Venice Biennale (20 April – 24 November), launched his French Pavilion project in Martinique rather than Paris, challenging the Biennale's conventions. The project, supported by the Institut Français, was announced at a press conference in the garden of Édouard Glissant's former house. Creuzet, raised in Martinique, draws on the Négritude movement and the concept of creolisation. His multidisciplinary practice includes films, sculptures, performances, and poetry, often dominated by sound. Key works include 'Oh téléphone, oracle noir (…)' (2015) and 'Zumbi Zumbi Eterno' (2023). The trip included visits to the Cape 110 memorial, Absalon waterfall, and artist studios. Martinican president Serge Letchimy promised to make Creole an official language alongside French, a move opposed by prefect Jean-Christophe Bouvier. The article also covers Martinique's colonial history, the chlordecone pesticide scandal, and the 2020 toppling of a statue of Victor Schœlcher. Creuzet's pavilion remains under wraps.