Expected surprise: the winners of the Golden Lions

The 2022 Golden Lions honor the often overlooked historical significance of Black women. The US-American Simone Leigh (*1967) wins the prize as best artist in the main exhibition The Milk of Dreams, the British Sonia Boyce (*1960) for the best pavilion. The winners themselves have African-American and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds, respectively, and their work also deals with the history of black women.

Leigh's formally reduced sculptures draw on pre-colonial art history and highlight their strength and integrity. Leigh wins the Lion for her sixteen-foot-tall bronze bust of a Black woman titled Brick House. Boye transformed the British pavilion into a radiant disco. Five Black female singers can be seen and heard performing a-cappella-improvisations on multiple screens. The collaborative creative work transcended the stardom so prevalent in the commercial music world.

Not to be forgotten is the Silver Lion for best emerging talent and honorable mentions: Lebanese Ali Cherri can enjoy the Silver Lion, Lynn Hershman Leeson and Shuvinai Ashoona their mentions in the main exhibition. Among the pavilions praised were France and Uganda, which participated in the Biennale for the first time. The French pavilion was previously considered one of the favorites for the prize.