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The Venice Biennale 2022: An Insider's Guide with Dr. Alison Bracker
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Many nations showcase their artists in pavilions in either the Giardini—created by Napoleon in the early 19th century and the Biennale's original venue—or Venice's historic Arsenale. Other countries rent palazzos across the city to showcase their artists. Traversing the Giardini to Giudecca, visitors often find themselves dazzled but overwhelmed.
This seminar offers those planning to visit the 59th Biennale and curious virtual world travelers alike a hand-picked guide to its must-see pavilions. We will discover Venice's most exciting pavilions as we view the best that the Giardini, the Arsenale, and Venice's other exhibits provide. Through photos and videos, we get an insider's view of the Biennale and the magical city of Venice.
Led by Dr. Alison Bracker, an art historian specializing in contemporary art, this conversation introduces participants to the 59th Biennale's highlights. Those traveling to Venice will know what not to miss and which off-the-beaten-track exhibitions are worth seeking out. Designed to inform curiosity and future travels, you'll gain an increased understanding and appreciation of the always-intriguing Venice Biennale.
Dr. Alison Bracker is an independent art historian specializing in modern and contemporary art. She is an expert in the conservation of unusual materials in contemporary art and co-editor of Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas, and Uncomfortable Truths (Elsevier, 2009), praised as "one of the most significant books in the field of heritage conservation." Alison held a six-year post-Doctoral fellowship at the Royal College of Art and Victoria & Albert Museum before taking over the Royal Academy of Arts' Events and Lectures Program, which she ran for eight years. She continues to lecture and publish on modern and contemporary art and artists, including Hugo Wilson, Lenz Geerk, Ai Weiwei, Anselm Kiefer, Édouard Manet, and David Hockney. After a childhood in Los Angeles and 25 years in England, Alison moved to Nice, France, where she now lives and works.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
Great talk - really engaging and full of information.
This tour was absolutely engaging. Dr. Bracker is very knowledgeable and I particularly enjoyed her explanation of all of the exhibitions and pieces she highlighted. It is not always apparent to me when I look at modern art what is meant to be conveyed, and her explanations and background, both on the Exhibitions and the artist, were wonderful. It was almost like being there as the photos and videos were so well shot and presented.
Our visit to the Biennale will be greatly enhanced with the background and insight provided by Dr Bracker. Her passion for Venice in general and the Biennale in particular, combined with her expertise and experience in the field, make for a powerful presentation.
This was my first Context Conversation and I was truly impressed. Dr. Bracker is an extremely knowledgeable speaker on the subject of contemporary art not to mention how articulate she is. Given the vastness of the Biannale , Dr. Bracker provided us with her highlights which will serve all well who will be attending the Biannale in person. Interwoven throughout the lecture were personal photographs of the pavilions and associated arts all of which were a very high quality and added greatly to the interest of the presentation.
My wife and I loved Dr. Bracker's Biennale presentation! Although we've been to Italy nearly a dozen times, she made us feel like we were there, navigating Bella Venezia. The only downside is that we still have to wait nearly 5 months until we'll be there to see her highlights in person. The conversation was a perfect blend of scholarship, helpful information, and video and photos of the art, the pavilions and the cityscape. It was a fun, fabulous lesson.