A Bridge towards the future


Another signature Harald Szeemann Biennale. Certain key characteristics which distinguish this presentation were already evident in the last edition: the enormous participation of young artists—noted internationally though not, as yet, consecrated into the star system—the focus on video and photography, and the attention to geographical areas that have been somewhat marginalized in comparison to the West. China was the star of the last show, while this year there is a conspicuous presence of nations from both the former Soviet block, Scandinavia (with particular emphasis on Finland), and Latin America.

Szeemann is a committed and recognized idealist; an intellectual with a profound spirituality that compels him to look at work for a value beyond mere aesthetics, in search of actual ethics. He prefers what he defines as the “giving artists”: those who pay particular attention to existential, philosophical, and social concerns as opposed to those who merely value the visual aspects.

This Biennale, like that of last year, is thus guided by his vision, which could be described as being more cosmopolitan than internationalist. The amalgam of his humanistic spirit and anarchic streak has resulted in the juxtaposition of young, and sometimes unknown, artists with icons of the art world, without any distinctions in the display made either on the basis of age, country of origin, fame or by the gallery that represents them, which would be the most sad. Whatever opinion one may hold regarding Szeemann’s curatorial choices, it must be recognized that the best of the new generation of artists is amply represented in this show: some are indeed already being courted by museums and galleries all over the world, but there are also others that cannot boast of such prestigious contacts and are, thus far, more or less unknown. The striking merit of this Biennale is the focus on the multi-faceted Zeitgeist of today in which we find ourselves confronted with a significant value crisis in contemporary society…


The full text is published in "tema celeste" No. 86, Summer 2001.




Simona Vendrame