OBOE: New Academic Journal on Exhibitions as Communicative Acts Launches

A new peer-reviewed academic journal called OBOE has been launched, focusing on artworks as communicative acts and the context of exhibitions. The editorial team is led by director Angela Vettese and researchers Clarissa Ricci (University of Bologna) and Camilla Salvaneschi (IUAV and Aberdeen). The journal has an international network of supporters including Bruce Altshuler, Joan Jonas, and Dora Garcia. The first issue is entirely dedicated to the Venice Biennale, with a call for papers already open for the next issue. Vettese, a professor at IUAV for twenty years, explains the project's genesis from a 2010 conference on the Venice Biennale, which led to the publication "Starting from Venice" (Et./al, edited by Clarissa Ricci). The journal aims to study exhibitions as complex, layered events that communicate to both specialists and the general public, bridging heritage and contemporary experimentation. OBOE is not solely about biennials but about exhibitions as symphonic acts. The first issue features Caroline Jones as a special guest. Vettese also discusses the evolution of the Venice Biennale, recalling her first experience at age sixteen with the Ambiente/Arte exhibition curated by Celant and Einstein on the Beach by Robert Wilson. She expresses concern about populist pressures to reduce culture in Venice and hopes the Biennale survives post-COVID. The journal is published in partnership with the University of Aberdeen and the Biennial Foundation.