Namibia to u2018direct new beginningu2019 with Venice Biennale debut
Namibia to u2018direct new beginningu2019 with Venice Biennale debut

Namibia to ‘direct new beginning’ with Venice Biennale debut

Cindy Van Wyk
FRANK STEFFEN



WINDHOEK

Namibia’s first-ever participation at the La Biennale di Venezia – the Venice Biennale - creates huge opportunities for the country as well as the world, which can learn from Namibia and vice versa. This is according to Dr Marco Furio Ferrario, the curator of what is termed the Namibian pavilion, which is in fact the La Certosa island on the shore of the historic Italian city.

Namibian art will be represented at the international showpiece in a comprehensive exhibition on the mysterious ‘Lone Stone Men of the Desert’, stone sculptures found in Kaokoveld by an unknown artist.

When the president of the biennale, Roberto Cicutto, in his opening address challenged the world to engage in ‘Dialogue Through Art’, he essentially reiterated what Ferrario envisages for the Namibian pavilion.

A new beginning

Ferrario’s love for Namibia is evident: “When I see these unique Namibian sculptures, the ‘Lone Stone Men of the Desert’, I see people from all walks of life coming together in Namibia to attend a gathering, which they want to attend as equal partners with the aim of reassessing the human role in this world of ours. “Accepting that they have to come together to discuss the way forward in an attempt to reverse the damage that humans have caused to this planet, what better place is there than this remote but beautiful place in the desert where a new beginning is to be determined?”

He mentioned an international trend where “art in itself is more important than the artists as persons”, which – in principle - has applied to the stone men of Kaokoveld for many years. “People, whose sole aim is to find out the name of the artist or who know it and announce it, do not understand the true form of art that is bent on sending a message.

“They ignore the wish of the artist to not stand in the way of the message they have created.”

Ferrario is excited about this new approach, where art is but a part of a bigger surrounding. “It does not have a name yet and might lead to a new art genre.”

Cultural exchange

The biennale will include 80 participants in the historic pavilions at the Giardini, Arsenale and other prominent sites in the Venice city centre. Five countries will be participating for the first time: Namibia, Nepal, Cameroon, Oman and Uganda.

Visited by millions of visitors each year, it is through the biennale’s cultural exchange that Ferrario expects Namibia to be welcomed into the fold of countries promoting sociopolitical ties and understanding cultural tourism.

The Venice Biennale will officially kick off on Saturday, 23 April, and will run until Sunday, 27 November.

Ferrario has been actively involved in raising funding for an exhibition which is set to be very costly and will see sculptures being recreated, other stand-alone sculptures being built to a height of five metres as well as other visual and sensorial exhibitions.

For more information on the Namibian pavilion, visit biennalenamibia.art.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-23

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