Far from the teeming corridors of San Marco, the largely residential island of Giudecca harbours a quietly dazzling side of Venice. This wasn’t always the case: once home to grand palazzos, gardens and monasteries, the area bristled with factories and shipyards in the early 20th century before its decline into an industrial slum after the Second World War. In recent years, Giudecca has given way to artisans’ studios and ateliers, transforming into a thriving destination for contemporary art and an upscale escape for the well-heeled (Miuccia Prada is among its famous residents). The island is now set to take up a new mantle as the city’s first official permanent art quarter, launching at the 2019 Venice Biennale in May.
Led by Venetian art directors Paolo Scelsi and Valentina Gioia Levy, the Giudecca Art District will encompass 11 art galleries in addition to the national pavilions of Iceland, Estonia and Nigeria during the 58th Biennale. The newly minted Giudecca Art District Gallery and Garden will complement spaces from Studiolacitta, Chiesa delle Zitelle, Starak Foundation, Spazio Bullo, Spazio Raunich and Spazio Silos, with further galleries to be announced. The initiative builds upon Giudecca’s notable artistic legacy, having hosted Marina Abramović’s first performance in 1976, Damien Hirst’s debut Venice show and Ai Weiwei’s 2013 Biennale survey at Zuecca Project Space.
RELATED STORY
Over 60 artists will take part in 20 inaugurating exhibitions across the Giudecca Art District. Polish artist Aleksandra Karpowicz’s video triptych with October Collective will form the centrepiece of the opening. An exploration of identity, migration, self-discovery and the meaning of home, Body As Home traces various protagonists in London, Warsaw, New York and Cape Town. Other major exhibitions include the Voltaire-inspired ‘Take Care of Your Garden’, with works by eight international artists to be staged in a vast 1,900 sq m garden.
Information
Venice Biennale 2019 runs from 11 May – 24 November. For more information, visit the Giudecca Art District website
-
‘I'm endlessly fascinated by the nude’: Somaya Critchlow’s intimate and confident drawings are on show in London‘Triple Threat’ at Maximillian William gallery in London is British artist Somaya Critchlow’s first show dedicated solely to drawing
-
North Studio’s Rahul Bhushan: ‘I’m just a simple boy with a big dream – to make the world a better place’North Studio, from the Himalayan region of Himachal in India, tells us about its vision of ‘low-impact environments’ and inspiring architecture
-
Year in review: top 10 audio acquisitions of 2024, as chosen by Wallpaper’s Jonathan BellThe best audio technology of 2024, from pocketable earbuds to room-filling speakers
-
Louis Fratino leans into queer cultural history in ItalyLouis Fratino’s 'Satura', on view at the Centro Pecci in Italy, engages with queer history, Italian landscapes and the body itself
-
Don't miss Luxembourg's retro-futuristic lab pavilion in VeniceAs the Venice Biennale enters its last few weeks, catch 'A Comparative Dialogue Act' at the Luxembourg Pavilion
-
Portrait of a modernist maverick: last chance to see the Jean Cocteau retrospective in Venice‘Cocteau: The Juggler’s Revenge’, celebrating the French artist's defiance of artistic labels, is in its final week at Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
-
‘Everything human-made is of interest to me’: Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir in VeniceArtist Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir explores consumerism at the Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2024
-
‘Personal Structures’ in Venice is about ‘artists breaking free’‘Personal Structures 2024: Beyond Boundaries’ reveals a rich tapestry of perspectives on the challenges of our time, from culture to climate and identity
-
Enter the immersive world of film noir at a disused hospital in VeniceFondazione In Between Art Film returns to Venice with ‘Nebula’, by curators Alessandro Rabottini and Leonardo Bigazzi
-
‘I just don't like eggs!’: Andrea Fraser unpacks the art marketArtist Andrea Fraser’s retrospective ‘I just don't like eggs!’ at Fondazione Antonio dalle Nogare, Italy, explores what really makes the art market tick
-
Alternate worlds and end of days: Pierre Huyghe in VenicePierre Huyghe delves into dystopia with 'Liminal', at Palazzo Grassi’s Punta della Dogana in Venice
