Okwui Enwezor's 2015 Venice Biennale Highlights African Context Amid Controversy

The 2015 Venice Biennale, curated by Okwui Enwezor, significantly increased visibility for artists from marginalized regions. This focus followed Angola's 2013 Golden Lion win for best national pavilion during its debut appearance. A review titled 'Unrecounted: Historical Amnesia in Germany and Namibia' examined a related event held from May 4-9, 2015, at the Conservatorio Benedetto Marcello in Palazzo Pisani, Venice. However, the Kenyan pavilion became a major controversy when its government disowned the selection, as the chosen artists were predominantly Chinese, repeating a similar issue from 2013. The review was published by ARTMargins Online in November 2015 and authored by Elisa Schaar from Oxford. Enwezor's overall curatorial direction was central to shifting the Biennale's emphasis.