Inside the box

By Fiammetta Rocco

For centuries the giant ships that powered the Venetian republic were built in the Arsenale. Now this brick hall over 1,000 feet long, with its high ceilings and huge windows, is the launching point for a very different kind of international venture. Every two years it hosts the Venice Biennale, the world’s most significant gathering of contemporary art and artists.

In 2019 the shipyard featured everything from human figures dipped in black latex, to tartan-walled installations, a crocheted coral reef and a giant, rusting migrant boat by the dock. Amid the morass of form and colour, one installation stood out: nine television monitors, mounted in rows of three to mimic the squares of an Instagram profile. A succession of black-and-white images flashed up in each box for a second, creating a disjointed cinematic narrative.