Mexico's 2015 Venice Biennale Pavilion Features Collaborative Work by Luis Felipe Ortega and Tania Candiani

Luis Felipe Ortega and Tania Candiani will present Mexico's national participation at the 2015 Venice Biennale with a collaborative installation in the Arsenale's Sala d'Armi. Their project, developed with curator Karla Jasso, explores connections between Venice and Mexico as amphibious cities while reflecting on Mexican pavilion history since 2007. Ortega describes the work as combining sculptural, sound, and video elements to create dialogue with diverse audiences. Candiani emphasizes the intensive collaboration process and site-specific nature of the Arsenale location. Both artists reject the term 'national representation,' preferring 'national participation' given Mexico's complex cultural landscape and current political crisis. Ortega hopes the biennale under Okwui Enwezor's direction will revive intellectual speculation about art's contemporary languages. Candiani's personal connection to the event stems from her 2007 visit when mentor Príamo Lozada curated Rafael Lozano Hemmer's Mexican Pavilion. The artists anticipate their work will provoke discussions about Mexican contemporary art while offering multiple layers of meaning accessible through an accompanying catalogue. Ortega notes the paradox of Mexico's participation given the country's extreme wealth disparities, while Candiani sees the pavilion as broadcasting the quality of Mexican art production internationally.