Carrington, a british born woman who settled in Mexico, has often been overlooked by the general public, sometimes only remembered for her short relationship with Max Ernst, a well known fellow surrealist.
Her works, ranging from painting to plays to drawings and sculpture, present a fantastical world of alchemy between people and nature, creating a world filled with strange scenery where the lines between man and beast are often blurred. Carrington was one of the oldest surrealists, dying in 2011 at the age of 94, much later than many of her counterparts.
Choosing to pay homage to Carrington and her legacy is no coincidence as the theme of the exhibition will be focused around the relationship between humans, nature, technology and a changing world. The global pandemic that affected everyone, with artists taking the brunt of the hit, has led to changes in art, changes that are to be captured by the art displayed at the 2022 biennale.
Cecilia Alemani, the Venice biennale artistic director, said "The questions that kept emerging seem to capture this moment in history, when the very survival of the species is threatened, but also to sum up doubts that pervade the sciences, arts, and myths of our time. How is the definition of the human changing? What constitutes life, and what differentiates animals, plants, humans, and non-humans? What are our responsibilities towards the planet, other people, and the other organisms we live with? And what would life and the Earth look like without us?"
