Set Up! 2020: Three Days of Music and Performance at Punta della Dogana

The third edition of Set Up! took place on February 7-8, 2020, at Punta della Dogana in Venice, a venue owned by François Pinault and renovated by Tadao Ando. The event featured a diverse lineup of international artists spanning rap, dance, classical, and electronic music across three spaces: the Cubo and two naves. The concept emphasized horizontality between visitors and performers, with artists often performing amidst the audience. On Friday, the evening began with Greener Grass (indie polyphonic group), followed by avant-pop duo WOWAWIWA, and Nora Chipaumire, a Zimbabwe-born, New York-based performer presenting her show #PUNK 100%POP *NIGGA. The latter part featured electronic acts: duo Ätna, Awesome Tapes From Africa's tape DJ set, and British DJ Kelly Lee Owens. Saturday's program included Marco Scipione, a saxophonist with a strong experimental bent and first soloist in Mario Biondi's band, performing with Simone Giorgi as Toy Tokyo. Next was the MK group, winners of the Silver Lion at the 2014 Venice Biennale, presenting Bermudas, a 45-minute continuous dance performance. Moor Mother followed with her Afrofuturist Dark Rap, engaging the audience aggressively on themes of money and inequality. The evening concluded with Syrian artist Omar Souleyman, known for mixing dabke with electronics, and Palestinian DJ Sama', who brought techno to Ramallah and uses DJing as political resistance, performing until 2 AM.