15 must-see art exhibitions during Venice Biennale 2024

As April unfolds, anticipation builds for the 60th Venice Art Biennale, (20 April - 24 November 2024) in Italy. Regarded as the foremost global art event, the Biennale transforms Venice into a vibrant hub of contemporary international art every two years, during the Biennale's six-month duration. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, this year's theme, "Foreigners Everywhere," promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of the human experience across diverse boundaries. Featuring the works of 332 artists, both living and deceased, the exhibition will delve into topics such as national borders, as well as intangible realms like sexuality and gender, offering a profound reflection on the interconnectedness of humanity.

Alongside the Venice Biennale, a plethora of art exhibitions by galleries, museums, and foundations run concurrently. From exploring the representation of breasts throughout art history to delving into themes of culture, freedom, and resistance, discover our selection of must-see exhibitions during the Venice Biennale.

But first, who will represent Britain at the Venice Biennale?

John Akomfrah will present Listening All Night To the Rain for the British Pavilion.

John Akomfrah at his London studio, 2016. © Smoking Dogs Films; Courtesy Smoking Dogs Films and Lisson Gallery. 

This exhibition marks a continuation of Akomfrah’s exploration into themes of memory, migration, racial injustice, and climate change, with a renewed focus on listening and the sonic experience. The installation features eight interlocking multi-screen sound and time-based works, challenging visitors to engage with the space in new ways. Through the lens of acoustemology, Akomfrah encourages the idea of listening as activism, while reinterpreting the British Pavilion’s neoclassical building to interrogate colonial histories. The exhibition's open-ended structure and non-linear storytelling reflect Akomfrah’s interest in forming critical and poetic connections across different geographies and time periods, reshaping the role of art in writing history.

Osman Yousefzada: WELCOME! A PALAZZO FOR IMMIGRANTS at Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti

Welcome! A Palazzo for Immigrants, a solo exhibition by Osman Yousefzada, will be presented by Fondazione Berengo in collaboration with the Victoria & Albert Museum. Curated by Nadja Romain and Amin Jaffer, the exhibition at Palazzo Franchetti responds to this year's Biennale theme of human experiences. Yousefzada's works, including handcrafted textiles and sculptures, transform the historical Palazzo into a surreal landscape. Collaborating with Berengo Studio, Yousefzada reimagines his pieces within Venice, continuing his artistic investigations into displacement, migration, class, and climate change.

Date: 17 April – 7 October 2024. Location: Fondazione Berengo, Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti San Marco 2847, 30124 Venezia, Italy.

Migrant Godxx II + Cermaics by Osman Yousefzada. Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2024. Camden Arts Centre. January 2024.

Ernest Pignon-Ernest: Je Est Un Autre at Espace Louis Vuitton

Fondation Louis Vuitton presents an exhibition exclusively dedicated to the French artist Ernest Pignon-Ernest. Titled Je est un autre (I is another), curated by Suzanne Pagé and Hans Ulrich Obrist in collaboration with Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, the exhibition will take place at Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia, near St. Mark's Square. As part of the ‘Hors-les murs’ programme, the exhibition showcases Pignon-Ernest's profound exploration of "the foreigner," featuring his iconic life-size portraits of poets and marginalised individuals displayed through sketches, drawings, stencils, and collages.

Date: 20 April – 24 November, 2024. Location: Espace Louis Vuitton Calle Ridotto 1351 30124 Venezia, Italy.

Jean Cocteau: The Juggler’s Revenge at Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection will showcase Italy's largest retrospective of the influential French artist, Jean Cocteau. The Juggler’s Revenge, curated by Kenneth E. Silver will display Cocteau's versatility through over one hundred and fifty works, spanning drawings, films, and more. Despite facing criticism and personal struggles, Cocteau's impact on twentieth-century art is undeniable. His ability to challenge societal norms while embracing various art forms solidified his legacy as a modern-day Renaissance man.

Date: 13 April - 16 September 2024. Location: The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni Dorsoduro 70. I-30123 Venice. Price: from €16.00. Book now.

Philippe Halsman, Jean Cocteau, New York, 1949 © Philippe Halsman : Magnum Photos.

Double Take at A plus A Gallery

Double Take, curated by the 2024 participants of the School for Curatorial Studies Venice, invites viewers to reconsider artworks and delve deeper into their hidden meanings. In an age of information overload and surveillance capitalism, the exhibition challenges artistic boundaries and encourages resistance to conformity. Featuring artists Paolo Cirio, Jesse Darling, Simon Denny, Kasia Fudakowski, Enej Gala, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Eva & Franco Mattes, Ahmet Öğüt, and Barbara Prenka.Jesse Darling, Simon Denny, Kasia Fudakowski, Enej Gala, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Eva & Franco Mattes, Ahmet Öğüt, and Barbara Prenka.

Date: 16 April 2024 - 15 July 2024. Location: A plus A Gallery, San Marco 3073 30124 Venezia Italy. Website: aplusa.it.

Breasts at ACP Palazzo Franchetti

Breasts examines the portrayal of the female form in art, focusing on depictions of breasts from the 16th century to the present. Curated by Carolina Pasti, the exhibition features works by over thirty artists, spanning painting, sculpture, photography, and film. It explores how breasts have been represented across cultures and traditions, touching on themes like motherhood, empowerment, sexuality, body image, and illness. By using breasts as a lens to discuss socio-political realities and challenge historical norms, the exhibition aims to promote awareness of breast cancer through the medium of art.

Date: 19 April – 24 November 2024. Location: ACP Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, S. Marco, 2847, 30124 Venezia, Italy. Website: breastsartexhibition.com.

Laure Prouvost, The Hidden Paintings Grandma Improved, In Deepth, 2023, Oil on canvas, 200 x 175 x 3.5 cm, 78 3:4 x 68 7:8 x 1 3:8 in © Laure Prouvost.

Cosmic Garden at Salone Verde

The Cosmic Garden by Paola Ugolini and Maria Alicata, showcases the collaborative work of acclaimed Indian artists Madhvi Parekh and Manu Parekh, along with Karishma Swali of the Chanakya School of Craft. It celebrates India’s rich artisanal heritage and indigenous art traditions. The collection challenges traditional art hierarchies by merging contemporary reinterpretations with age-old techniques, including hand-embroidery. Manu Parekh’s art reflects a fusion of Indian culture with Western modernism, while Madhvi Parekh’s pieces depict powerful female deities inspired by Indian mythology. With the collaboration of 320 artisans, including highly skilled craftspeople from Chanakya, the exhibition redefines the boundaries between art and craft through meticulous needlework and the use of organic materials.

Date: 20 April – 24 November 2024. Location: Salone Verde Art & Social Club, Calle Regina, 2258 30135 Venice Italy. Website: chanakya.school.

Willem de Kooning and Italy at Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia

Willem de Kooning and Italy presents the largest exhibition of the artist's works in Italy to date. Featuring 75 pieces, the showcase explores the Dutch American Abstract Expressionist's connection with Italy and its impact on his art between 1959 and 1969. Through drawings, landscapes, and sculptures inspired by his time in Italy, the exhibition provides insight into de Kooning's artistic development.

Date: 17 April – 15 September 2024. Location: Galleria dell’Accademia, Calle della Carità, 1050, 30123 Venezia, Italy. Website: gallerieaccademia.it.

Willem de Kooning in his East Hampton Studio, New York, 1971. Photograph by Dan Budnik © 2024 The Estate of Dan Budnik. All Rights Reserved.

Pierre Huyghe: Liminal at Punta della Dogana

Liminal, an exhibition by Pierre Huyghe in collaboration with curator Anne Stenne, features new creations alongside works from the last decade, including pieces from the Pinault Collection. Huyghe explores the human-non-human relationship, viewing his works as speculative fictions unveiling alternative world modalities. The exhibition transforms Punta della Dogana into a dynamic environment inhabited by evolving subjectivities shaped by captured memories. It's a ritual of unpredictability, inviting viewers to embrace alternative realities from an inhuman perspective

Date: 17 March - 24 November 2024. Location: Punta della Dogana - Pinault Collection, Dorsoduro, 2, 30123 Venezia, Italy. Price: from €18. Concessions available.Book now.

Julie Mehretu: Ensemble at Palazzo Grassi

Ensemble at Palazzo Grassi is Julie Mehretu's largest European exhibition to date. Curated by Caroline Bourgeois, it features over fifty works spanning 25 years, including recent pieces. The showcase highlights Mehretu's collaborations with artists like Nairy Baghramian and David Hammons, exploring their collective influences. The exhibition invites viewers to delve into Mehretu's artistic journey and the collective dimension of her work.

Date: 17 March – 1 June 2024. Location: Palazzo Grassi. Campo San Samuele 3231 30124 Venezia Italy. Price: from €18. Concessions available. Book now.

Duncan Campbell with Samer Barbari: Nothing Impossible, 2018. Project to restore and repaint a 1987 Peugeot 405. © Photo by Emily Jacir. Courtesy of the artists.

SOUTH WEST BANK. Landworks, Collective Action and Sound at Magazzino Gallery

Curated by Jonathan Turner, SOUTH WEST BANK: Landworks, Collective Action and Sound brings together artists, collectives, and allies from the southern West Bank in Palestine. Through a diverse range of mediums including photographs, installations, archival images, videos, and discussions, the exhibition delves into themes of land, agriculture, heritage, and resilience against conflict. The artworks capture the essence of traditional practices and collective identity, intertwining farming methods, indigenous knowledge, and sensory resistance. Additionally, the exhibition emphasises the connection between sound, vegetation, and nature, highlighting the significance of poetry, resistance, and sustenance. With participants such as Issa Amro, Emily Jacir, Michael Rakowitz, its a multifaceted exploration of the evolving landscape and cultural identity of the region.

Date: 20 April - 24 November 2024. Location: Magazzino Gallery, Palazzo Contarini Polignac adSestiere Dorsoduro, 874, 30123 Venezia, Italy. Website: artistsandallies.art.

Maria Kreyn: CHRONOS in St. George’s Anglican Church 

The Ministry of Nomads Art Foundation (MON) will present Maria Kreyn's solo exhibition, CHRONOS, at Venice's St. George's Anglican Church. Kreyn's ten monumental oil paintings, curated by Maria Vega and MON Art Foundation, prompt viewers to reflect on time, weather, and our connection to nature. Inspired by Greek mythology and the climate crisis, Kreyn's works blend vibrant landscapes with symbolic motifs, encouraging contemplation of renewal in the face of environmental challenges.

Date: 15 April - 22 June 2024. Location: St George's Anglican Church Venice Campo San Vio, 30123 Venezia Italy.

Ewa Juszkiewicz: Locks with Leaves and Swelling Buds at Palazzo Cavanis

The Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso presents Locks with Leaves and Swelling Buds by Ewa Juszkiewicz, curated by Guillermo Solana. Over the span of a decade, Juszkiewicz has reimagined portraits of women from European art history, ingeniously distorting faces with elements like mushrooms and flowers. Through her meticulous technique, she challenges the traditional essence of portraiture, offering a profound reflection on the condition of women under patriarchy. In her work, Juszkiewicz blurs the boundaries between portraiture and still life, inviting viewers to ponder the intricate interplay between identity and nature.

Date: 20 April 2024 - 1 September 2024. Location: Palazzo Cavanis, Dorsoduro 920 30123 Venezia, Italy. Website: alminerech.com.

Anya Paintsil, Nose bleeds, no back teeth and no eyebrows. I’m a slow learner apparently. Except for knitting, picked that up in seconds, 2023, Image courtesy and © the artist.

In Praise of Black Errantry at Palazzo Pisani S. Marina

Unit London will present In Praise of Black Errantry, a group exhibition curated by Indie A. Choudhury. This celebration of the Black radical imagination brings together the works of 19 modern and contemporary Afro-diasporic artists. Inspired by Édouard Glissant's concept of errantry as a form of freedom and resistance, the exhibition explores errantry as a poetic expression that defines the Black diaspora. It delves into how artists have embraced errantry as a radical strategy, defying boundaries and advocating spontaneity and experimentation. Through themes of cultural production, the exhibition raises critical questions about the aesthetic and political dimensions of Black dissent and artistic freedom within the diaspora.

Date: 17 April – 29 June 2024. Location: Palazzo Pisani S. Marina, Calle de le Erbe, 6104 30121, Venezia, Italy. Website: unitlondon.com.

Sarah Sze at Victoria Miro Venice

Victoria Miro presents Sarah Sze's first exhibition at Victoria Miro Venice. In this exhibit Sze explores the construction of images and memories through two immersive environments. In one, a moving-image installation transforms the gallery space with ever-changing projections, questioning the singularity of images. In another, Sze presents a suite of new paintings within a simulation of the space they were created, challenging viewers' perception and engagement with the works. Incorporating traditional and digital techniques, these paintings reward attentive observation and echo the experience of Venice itself.This exhibition marks a return to Venice for the artist who represented the United States with her exhibition Triple Point in the 2013 Biennale.

Date: 16 April – 16 June 2024. Location: Victoria Miro Venice, Calle Drio la Chiesa, 1994, 30124 Venezia, Italy. Website: victoria-miro.com.

Arne Quinze: Are We The Aliens_? at San Francesco della Vigna

Belgian artist Arne Quinze collaborates with American music producer Swizz Beatz to present an immersive exhibition combining Quinze's site-specific sculptures with soundscapes by Swizz Beatz. The show, titled Are We The Aliens_? questions humanity's role within nature, inviting visitors to reexamine their connection to the environment.

Date: 20 April – 24 November 2024. Location: Calle S. Francesco, 2786, 30122 Venezia, Italy. Website: arnequinze.com.

For more information about collateral events at 60th Venice Art Biennale visit labiennale.org.

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