Richard Mosse's Infrared Film 'The Enclave' Premieres at Irish Pavilion in Venice Biennale

Richard Mosse represents the Republic of Ireland at the Venice Biennale with a new multi-channel film titled The Enclave, shot in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo using discontinued military infrared film that produces psychedelic visuals. The installation occupies the Fondaco Marcello pavilion with six custom-built steel screens replicating an Arriflex SR-2 camera gate, arranged around columns to create a labyrinthine viewing experience. Mosse collaborated with musician Ben Frost, cinematographer Trevor Tweeten, and writer John Holten on this project, marking a departure from his usual solitary practice. He describes representing Ireland as a 'problematic honour,' critiquing national pavilions while noting historical connections between Ireland and Congo through figures like Roger Casement and UN peacekeeping missions. The artist recalls his first Venice visit during Goldsmiths MA studies, involving excessive drinking and a romantic encounter. Mosse anticipates works by Marwa Arsanios, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Phyllis Galembo, Ragnar Kjartansson, Michael Schmidt in Massimiliano Gioni's curation, and pavilions from Chile (Alfredo Jaar), UK (Jeremy Deller), United States (Sarah Tze), Australia (Simryn Gill), Denmark (Jesper Just), Lebanon (Akram Zaatari), Italy (Luigi Ghirri), and Cyprus (Constantinos Taliotis).