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3/6/2009

Padiglione Scozzese

Palazzo Pisani , Venezia

Visual artist Martin Boyce has been selected to represent Scotland at the 53rd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, the world’s largest and most prestigious showcase for contemporary visual arts.

The exhibition, No Reflections is curated by Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) and will be presented at the Palazzo Pisani (S.Marina) from 7 June – 22 November 2009. Representing the fourth Scottish presentation at Venice by Scotland and Venice, a partnership between the Scottish Arts Council, National Galleries of Scotland and the British Council Scotland, No Reflections builds on the critical success of previous projects which have promoted artists including Turner Prize winner Simon Starling and Turner Prize nominees, Cathy Wilkes and Jim Lambie.

In a series of new works developed specifically for presentation in Venice, Martin Boyce has devised a lyrical installation for seven inter-connected rooms of the second floor of the 15th- century Palazzo Pisani (S. Marina). The artist transforms the fading grandeur of this palace with suspended, geometric chandeliers, sculptural autumn leaves, stepping stones, brass letters, tables and benches - all altered from the everyday into an atmospheric, poetic landscape. Boyce has set out to ‘delve into the city’s interior landscape’ and with this exhibition he conflates the internal and external and echoes the labyrinthine nature of Venice, creating a heightened sense of displacement and abandonment.

The palazzo is a charged location for this solo presentation of Boyce’s work, and the relationship between his art and the building recalls the modernist work of Venetian architect, Carlo Scarpa and the way it complements and contrasts with the historical. The concept for No Reflections makes reference to a starting point in Boyce’s work - a photograph of four concrete trees created by Joël and Jan Martel for the 1925 ‘Exposition des Arts Décoratifs’ in Paris. These trees, Boyce says, “represent a perfect collapse of architecture and nature”, visualising oppositional elements of urban existence: the natural versus the constructed, the populated versus the uninhabited, old versus new.

Commenting on his appointment Martin Boyce said: “It is a very exciting situation to be invited to represent Scotland for the Venice Biennale. The Biennale is one of the biggest and most important art events and has an incredible history. I am delighted to be selected and to work on a project that will be seen by masses of people from every part of the world. “The Venice Biennale is legendary, my favourite artists in the world have all shown there and so to be part of that history is a great honour to me.” Boyce has developed new work for Venice in close collaboration with the DCA curatorial team of Judith Winter, Deputy Director/Head of Arts Programme and Graham Domke, Exhibitions Curator.

Discussing their selection the curators stated: “Artists are at the heart of DCA and as a production based venue we have considered the curatorial approaches to the Biennale since 2003. We began with the premise of developing a curatorial approach that evolves through direct collaboration between artist, curators and context. We feel that Martin’s approach to transforming gallery or specific locations to create an interface between design, architecture and daily life works for both Venice and in relationship to DCA.”

Following the Venice presentation, the work will return to Scotland in December 2009 to be presented at a special exhibition at Dundee Contemporary Arts marking the culmination of the venue’s 10th anniversary year. The exhibition runs from 12 December 2009 – 14 February 2010.

For further information please contact: Wendy Grannon, Press Manager,
Scotland+Venice 2009. T: +44 (0) 7916 137 632
e: press@scotlandandvenice.com

The official Scotland+Venice 2009 Press View will take place on Thursday 4 June from 2pm– 3pm (accredited press only).
Opening Reception from 5.30pm – 7pm (invite only).

Palazzo Pisani (S.Marina)
Calle delle Erbe, Cannaregio 6103
10am-6pm (closed Mondays).
Vaporetto: Rialto.

stampa

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