Venice Biennale: Seven talking points from the great art showcase

Of course there were a few exhibitions that underwhelmed, but many of the pavilions at the 2022 Biennale contain hugely-impressive art, and the event has also made huge strides in addressing gender balance among the artists 

Visitors to the Venice Biennale 2022, which runs until November. Pictures courtesy of Venice Biennale

The German author Thomas Mann once described Venice as “half fairytale, half tourist trap.” It is never more so than during the Biennale, the world’s greatest showcase of the visual arts, which sprawls across two huge dedicated spaces, the Giardini and the Arsenale, as well as a number of venues around the old town, and regularly attracts half a million visitors.

Most attending this year’s Biennale, the 59th in its 127-year history, would agree that the standard is exceptional. This may be due to the postponement of the event from 2021 to 2022, which gave the participating artists more time to realise their projects, or the fact that curator Cecilia Alemani has ensured there is a higher than usual representation by female artists, or it may simply be a reflection on how the artists have responded to the social and political turbulence of the past few years.