Installation shot from 'The Collectors'
The Danish & Nordic Pavilions, 2009
53rd International Art Exhibition
la Biennale di Venezia
Photographer: Anders Sune Berg
The Office for Contemporary Art Norway (OCA) are delighted to announce that artist duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset have received a Special Mention for their curatorial work in 'The Collectors', the exhibition presented by the Danish and Nordic Pavilions for the 53rd edition of the Venice Biennale. The Special Mention 'Curating Worlds' recognises the artists' re-imagining of 'national pavilions' as a collaborative universe, bringing together the work of 24 artists and collectives within the two pavilions.
'The Collectors' transforms the two buildings into fictional collectors' houses, their architecture modified into domestic environments where art and design define two different personalities and two ways of relating to art. Through this setup, the project questions the system of national representation that dominates the pavilions in the Giardini, as well as the distinction between the public and the private.
The artists and collectives included, both Scandinavian and international, are Thora Dolven Balke, Massimo Bartolini, Hernan Bas, Guillaume Bijl, Maurizio Cattelan, Elmgreen & Dragset, Pepe Espaliú, Tom of Finland, Simon Fujiwara, Han & Him, Laura Horelli, Martin Jacobson, William E. Jones, Terence Koh, Jani Leinonen, Klara Lidén, Jonathan Monk, Nico Muhly, Norway Says, Henrik Olesen, Nina Saunders, Vibeke Slyngstad, Sturtevant and Wolfgang Tillmans.
The exhibition has been coordinated as a joint venture by the Danish Arts Council, commissioners of the Danish Pavilion, and the Office for Contemporary Art Norway. The Danish Arts Council Committee for international Visual Art is chaired by Christine Buhl Andersen; the Nordic Committee consists of representatives from the organisations responsible for the Nordic Pavilion – Marta Kuzma (Director, Office for Contemporary Art Norway), Ann-Sofi Noring (Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Moderna Museet) and Marketta Seppälä (Director, FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange). Marta Kuzma is also the commissioner of the Nordic Pavilion in 2009.
Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, curators of 'The Collectors'
We are generally not too fond of competitions, especially when it is between very diverse artistic practices. However, we like the idea that they had to
invent a Special Mention, it makes us feel very special, and understand that it is not meant for us, but for all the artists included in this collaborative
project. At the end of the day, the real reward has been the big crowds coming through the spaces during the opening days, and their enthusiasm.
Marta Kuzma, director of OCA and co-commissioner of 'The Collectors'
I am honoured and delighted to learn that Elmgreen & Dragset's curatorial work for 'The Collectors' has been recognised with a Special Mention, as
this exhibition project constitutes a historical collaboration between the Nordic and Danish Pavilions. This collaboration, set up by the Danish and Nordic
Committees, provided a platform that the curators and artists had to develop, and with this project Elmgreen & Dragset have shown an innovative and
profound understanding of artists and the artistic process, as well as the international nature of art. On behalf of the Nordic Commission, I would really
like to thank them and all the artists involved for making this possible.
The United States Pavilion, presenting 'Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens', received the Golden Lion for the Best National Participation. Tobias Rehberger was awarded the Golden Lion for the Best Artist of the main exhibition 'Fare Mondi // Making Worlds…'. Other Special Mentions were Ming Wong for the Singapore Pavilion and Lygia Pape and Roberto Cuoghi for their contributions to 'Fare Mondi // Making Worlds…'.
The International Jury was composed of Jack Bankowsky (USA), Homi K. Bhabha (India), Sarat Maharaj (South Africa), Angela Vettese (Italy, president) and Julia Voss (Germany).
The 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will remain on view through 22 November 2009.
Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset have been collaborating as an artist duo since 1995, and have exhibited in art institutions around the world, including Tate Modern and the Serpentine Gallery in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main and the Palais de Tokyo and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, both in Paris.
For press images and additional information on the artists and the exhibition, please visit
www.danish-nordic-pavilions.com.
For press enquiries related to the Nordic and Danish Pavilions, please contact the following:
For Norwegian press: Marthe Tveitan marthe.tveitan@oca.no.
For international press: Brian Phillips/Black Frame at bphillips@framenoir.com.