Who?
Catharine Thompson: Head of Individual Giving British Council
Professional Background
I've worked in fundraising for arts institutions for the past five years, first at Tate, then at Serpentine, and now at the British Council, where the focus is on 'culture, with a significant emphasis on the arts. Prior to this, I was an art advisor for nine years working for various commercial London galleries, it was pretty cut-throat and I felt myself becoming increasingly disillusioned, so the transition into fundraising enabled me to do what I love – to connect with people through art, while also helping to keep great art accessible to everyone by generating funds that the creative institutions in the UK so need.
Specific Contribution to this Venice Biennial
The British Council receives only 15% of its funding from the UK government, which means we're responsible for generating the rest ourselves, and projects like the Venice Biennale are made possible through the generosity of individual philanthropists, corporate sponsors, and Trusts and Foundations. I work specifically with individual philanthropists who support our work, including but not limited to, Sir John Akomfrah's commission for the British Pavilion.
As a thank you for their generosity, we organise a programme of events and activities for our supporters to bring them closer to the artist and the commission. A few highlights include an intimate tour with Sir John Akomfrah (the artist commissioned for the British Pavilion), early access to the Biennale on Press Day (the day before preview day), as well as special receptions and glamorous parties throughout the week.
As a team, our main challenge this year has been the amount we have needed to raise due to increases in costs over the last couple of years. We have been tremendously lucky to have the generous support of individuals such as Aarti Lohia, the British Council's Ambassador for the Venice Bienne, Dr Paul Ettlinger & Raimund Berthold, the Co-Chairs of the British Council’s UK Circle, Luma Foundation, and our amazing Venice Board, led by Ebele Okobi, but it’s not been easy. We have recently launched the British Council's UK Circle, Global Circle, and Ambassador Circle as a way of funding important projects like the Venice Commission in future years, which also enables philanthropists to get a deeper understanding of the British Council’s wider work.
The Proposal - Exhibition
“Listening All Night To The Rain” continues artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah’s investigation into themes of memory, migration, racial injustice, and climate change with a renewed focus on the act of listening and the sonic. The exhibition, conceived as a single installation with eight interlocking and overlapping multi-screen sound and time-based works, is seen as a manifesto that encourages the idea of listening as activism and positions various progressive theories of acoustemology: how new ways of becoming are rooted in different forms of listening.
Left: Portrait of Julia Marchand. Right: Nikoloz Koplatadze,Conjunction, 2021.© Nikoloz Kapanadze.Courtesy of the artist. Photo credit: George Shioshvili.
Who?
Julia Marchand: Curator of the National Georgian Pavilion
Professional Background
I am a Goldsmiths MFA CURATING graduate (2014!). I am both an institutional curator with a focus on modern and contemporary art as well as a more experimental one. Besides my nearly nine-year role as a curator at the Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles, I run more underground projects with Extramentale.
Specific Contribution to this Venice Biennial
The specificity is about mixing epochs, medium, and even nationalities for a national pavilion! The Georgian Pavilion revolves around astronomy and the order of poetry with a strong focus on archival materials from a Georgian editor and poet (Iliazd, 1894 - 1975) who spent fifty years of his life in France. I invited French and Georgian emerging artists to expand the scope of his art.
The Proposal - Exhibition
The Georgian Pavilion will host “Art of Seeing—States of Astronomy”, a collaborative project presented by a team of Georgian and French curators and artists. The exhibition, curated by Julia Marchand with research curator Davit Koroshinadze, will be held at Palazzo Palumbo Fossati. It is inspired by 65 Maximiliana or the Illegal Practice of Astronomy, a 1964 work by Georgian artist, poet and editor Ilia Zdanevich (1894–1975) and Max Ernst (1891–1976). Presenting the work along with its related archives as well as contemporary works by Nikoloz Koplatadze, Grigol Nodia, Juliette George, Rodrigue De Ferluc and Wilhelm Ernst Tempel.
Left: Franck Houndégla. Photo: F. Roure. Right: Chloé Quenum, La Grande Place, 2020. Photo : Tadzio.
Who?
Franck Houndégla: scenographer, member of the curatorial team of the Benin Pavilion
Professional Background
I’m a scenographer, spatial designer, curator, researcher in architecture, and professor at the Fine Arts School of Bordeaux. I hold a Master’s and a Postgraduate in Design (Fine Arts School of Lyon) and a PhD in Architecture (University Paris-Est - ENSA Paris-Belleville).
Author of fiction and poetry, I also publish research articles on design and architecture. As a scenographer, I have designed exhibitions for contemporary art, science, history, culture, and heritage in different countries. I was the curator and scenographer of the exhibition “Singulier Plurielles. In the Contemporary Africas” presented as a part of the Biennale Design Saint-Etienne (France) in 2022. At the same time, I am the coordinator of “Liaisons urbaines/Urban Connections” a programme which focuses on redeveloping common-use spaces in African cities through permanent interventions that combine art, design, architecture, urban planning, and heritage. As a teacher, I like to set up projects exploring the role of design in the mediation of science (hard and human science) as well as experimentations at the intersection between design and living arts (dance, circus, performance).
Specific Contribution to this Venice Biennial
As the scenographer of the pavilion and member of the curatorial team, this experience is extremely rich and valuable as it is at the crossroads of conceptual, artistic and technical issues. Day after day, the work takes place in an organic and transversal way, in cross-discussions with the curators, artists, and people responsible for organisation and production. It is also an honour to participate in this great adventure that is the first Benin pavilion during this 60th Venice Art Biennale.
The Proposal - Exhibition
The famous curator, Azu Nwagbogu, and his curatorial team - curator Yassine Lassissi and scenographer Franck Houndégla - have selected four major artists to represent Benin for this 60th edition: Chloé Quenum, Moufouli Bello, Ishola Akpo, and Romuald Hazoumè.
Entitled “Everything Precious Is Fragile” this exhibition will explore the rich history of Benin, touching on themes such as the slave trade, the Amazon motif, spirituality, and the Vodun religion. It also delves into the contemporary realm with the Gèlèdé philosophy, focusing on “rematriation” a feminist interpretation of restitution that advocates not only the return of objects but also Beninese philosophy and ideals predating the colonial era.
Left: Nathalie Lesure. Photography by Marie Therese Truong-von Rohr. Right: Luxembourg Pavilion, A Comparative Dialogue Act © Andrea Mancini and Every Island, 2024.
Who?
Nathalie Lesure: Assistant Curator Luxembourg Pavilion
Professional Background
Assistant curator of performance and moving image at MUDAM Luxembourg and holds a Master’s degree in Exhibition and Production of Contemporary Art (University of Lille).
Specific Contribution to this Venice Biennial
My work for the Luxembourgish pavilion was focused on the organisation of the residency programme. Over the duration of the Biennale, four performance artists are invited to active the exhibition space. The complexity of this project requests accompanying the creators during each step and to coordinate the exhibition’s internal activities.
The Proposal - Exhibition
"A Comparative Dialogue Act", a project by the Luxembourgish artist Andrea Mancini and the multidisciplinary collective Every Island, has been conceived as an infrastructure for the transmission of sound – a shared production space challenging the entrenched notion of individual artistic authorship.
Left: Dina Bizri © Heun Jung Kim. Right: Mounira Al Solh working on the Lebanese Pavilion. Photo: © Sfeir Semler Gallery Beirut / Hamburg © LVAA.
Who?
Dina Bizri: Associate curator of the Lebanese Pavilion.
Professional Background
I am of Lebanese origin and I have been working for the past ten years in galleries in New York. Five years ago, I decided to work independently with an aim to break away from traditional gallery walls and create new experiences through interdisciplinary art projects.
Specific Contribution to this Venice Biennial
It is quite a challenging mission to put in place such a project in the midst of the ongoing regional crisis as well as the multiples human, social, and economic difficulties Lebanon has been facing in the past few years. However, it was really important for me to take part in reaffirming Lebanon's significance as a hub for artistic innovation on the global scene.
The Proposal - Exhibition
Mounira Al Solh intertwines myth and reality in her diverse multimedia installation, “A Dance with her Myth.” Through the seamless integration of painting, drawing, sculpture, embroidery, and video, Al Solh invites visitors to explore the essence of ancient Phoenicia through contemporary artistic techniques. This immersive experience, set against the backdrop of enduring Greco-Phoenician myth, offers a fresh perspective on present-day events shedding light on the challenges faced by women in our contemporary world.
Left: Karishma Swali © Hashim Badani, 2022. Right: Karishma Swali, Madhvi and Manu Parekh in conversation, 2023 © Sahiba Chawdhary. Post production: Daniele Zoico - Danto Production Courtesy of Chanakya Foundation.
Who?
Karishma Swali: Creative director and Founder of Chanakya
Professional Background
Karishma Swali has worked across craft and design for almost 30 years, partnering with fashion designers such as Dior and noted artists like Barthelemy Toguo. Since 1998, she has served as Artistic Director of Chanakya International, a global textile house dedicated to the pursuit of savoir-faire. After many years of working amongst artisans, Karishma Swali realised there was a need to actively preserve these global treasures, many of which are a part of Indian cultural identity. In 2016, she co-founded the non-profit Chanakya School of Craft, which has since educated over 1,000 women through a curriculum rooted in female expression across 300 ancestral craft techniques. For her work, Swali was the recipient of the 2023 Elle Impact Award for Fashion, recognised as a Cultural Ambassador by Asia Society India Centre, honoured by Vogue India Forces of Fashion, and has been a member of the BoF500 since 2022. She resides in Mumbai with her husband and daughter.
Specific Contribution to this Venice Biennial
To celebrate Indian artisanal heritage, and affirm this innovative creative practice on a global stage, the Chanakya Foundation and Karishma Swali present the exhibition Cosmic Garden, a Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. The Foundation worked closely with the artists to realise this exhibition, which features several crafted works created by Karishma Swali, the master artisans of the Chanakya Ateliers, and graduates of the Chanakya School of Craft. The exhibition features a range of works, from handcrafted pieces using embroidery and crochet techniques in monumental sizes, including up to 3 metres by 5 metres, to sculptures made in papier mache that have been embedded with crafted threads. Firmly rooted in collective cultural histories, many of the works utilise a range of techniques, bringing together various textile traditions for today.
The Proposal - Exhibition
The Chanakya Foundation celebrates Indian artisanal heritage and women’s creative energy with the exhibition Cosmic Garden, a Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia.
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