Nordic Pavilion Renamed Sámi, Simone Leigh and Zineb Sedira to Represent USA and France at 2022 Venice Biennale
The 59th Venice Biennale, running from April 23 to November 27, 2022, will feature politically charged pavilions. The Nordic Pavilion (Finland, Norway, Sweden) will be renamed the Sámi Pavilion for the first time, showcasing artists Pauliina Feodoroff, Máret Ánne Sara, and Anders Sunna, commissioned by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA). The United States will be represented by Simone Leigh, the first Black woman to do so, who will create a bronze sculpture and collaborate with Spelman College. France selected Zineb Sedira, the first artist of Algerian origin to represent the country, with curators Yasmina Reggad, Sam Bardaouil, and Till Fellrath of artReoriented. The Biennale addresses themes of ethnic identity, racism, and feminism.
Key facts
- 59th Venice Biennale runs from April 23 to November 27, 2022.
- Nordic Pavilion renamed to Sámi Pavilion, a first in Biennale history.
- Sámi artists: Pauliina Feodoroff (born 1977), Máret Ánne Sara (born 1983), Anders Sunna (born 1985).
- Commissioner for Sámi Pavilion: Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA).
- Simone Leigh is first Black woman to represent USA at Venice Biennale.
- Leigh born in Chicago in 1967, resides in New York.
- Leigh's project includes bronze sculpture and collaboration with Spelman College.
- Zineb Sedira is first artist of Algerian origin to represent France.
- French Pavilion curators: Yasmina Reggad, Sam Bardaouil, Till Fellrath (artReoriented).
- Sedira and Reggad co-founded AIR (artist residency in algiers) in 2012.
Entities
Artists
- Pauliina Feodoroff
- Máret Ánne Sara
- Anders Sunna
- Simone Leigh
- Zineb Sedira
- Martin Puryear
- Mark Bradford
- Laure Prouvost
Institutions
- Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA)
- New Museum
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Spelman College
- Institut français
- Ministère de la Culture (France)
- Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères
- artReoriented
- AIR (artist residency in algiers)
- Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
- Gwangju Museum of Art
- Taymour Grahne Gallery
- Le Monde
- Artribune
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Finland
- Norway
- Sweden
- Russia
- United States
- Chicago
- New York
- France
- Algeria
- Algiers
- Doha
- Qatar
- South Korea
- Gwangju
- Atlanta