Xavier Veilhan Transforms French Pavilion into Musical Recording Studio for 2017 Venice Biennale

Xavier Veilhan is representing France at the 2017 Venice Biennale, which runs from 13 May to 26 November. His installation will convert the French pavilion in the Giardini into a wooden grotto housing a functional recording studio. Over the Biennale's seven months, around 80 musicians will create new musical works there, with the public invited to witness the creative process. Veilhan views this project as a celebration and his most significant to date, citing the scale and national representation aspects as key factors. He acknowledges the Biennale's special status as the first and most important biennial, noting its historical impact, such as the 1960s shift toward the United States exemplified by Robert Rauschenberg. While he questions the concept of national representation, Veilhan sees it as a point of view shaped by geography and culture rather than identity. He prioritizes the respect of the professional community over casual visitors but designs the pavilion for an arbitrary individual's perspective. Veilhan has visited previous Venice biennales, recalling Roman Ondak's 2009 Slovak pavilion as the best he has seen and a boat ride from a Pinault dinner to the Lido as a fond memory. He hopes the exposure will benefit his work and is planning to tour the show after Venice. He looks forward to seeing proposals from other pavilions and Christine Macel's curatorial vision.