Opening of the Venice Biennale

This year's Venice Biennale is dominated by three major themes: the representation of bodies and their metamorphoses, the relationship between humans and technology, and humans and the earth. From today, April 23, through November 27, Venice will be all about The Milk of Dreams, the title of the 59th Biennale. It is a quote from a book by surrealist artist and author Leonora Carrington (1917-2011), describing a world in which everything can transform. In times of uncertainty and instability, a fitting leitmotif chosen by director Cecilia Alemani − the first woman in this position − for one of the world's most important art events.

213 artists from 58 countries will participate in the 2022 Biennale, 180 of them for the first time. While such exhibitions traditionally allow mainly male artists to present themselves, in 2022 there are less than 10 percent artists who identify as male. On display will be a total of nearly 1,500 works of art that deal with the coming transformation of the world as we know it, which, unlike in recent decades, is being consciously perceived.

Tonight, the Golden Lions for Best Pavilion and Best Artist and the Silver Lion for Most Promising Emerging Artist will be awarded. These awards are among the most coveted art prizes in the world. Already awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement are Katharina Fritsch and Cecilia Vicuña.