Koen Vanmechelen's Venice Exhibition Explores Coexistence and Hybridity

During the 61st Venice Biennale, Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen opened "We Thought We Were Alone" at Palazzo Rota Ivancich. The exhibition features forty new works across three floors, merging sculpture, ecology, science, and philosophy to meditate on humanity's relationship with nature. Vanmechelen, known for his Cosmopolitan Chicken Project and LABIOMISTA cultural park in Genk, Belgium, describes Venice as an incubator for his hybrid environment. The show includes a walking egg sculpture with iron legs, a chandelier with feathers, and a cheetah installation protesting animal objectification. Vanmechelen emphasizes art as a comment on society that respects evolution's speed, not political reaction. LABIOMISTA, designed with architect Mario Botta on a former coal mine and zoo, functions as a living ecosystem combining architecture, animal habitats, and scientific experimentation. The artist views his practice as one ecosystem where art belongs to humanity, balancing order and chaos.