"The United States is at the Venice Biennale with yet another example of Donald Trump's cultural offensive: with an unexpected artist who was chosen after a fraught selection process, and with the pavilion in the hands of an individual with no experience in the art world but well-connected to the president's inner circle. The major contemporary art event is itself also surrounded by political tensions sparked by the participation of Russia and Israel."
"The artist chosen to represent the U.S. is Alma Allen, a 55-year-old who is virtually unknown in the art world, and who is presenting around 20 abstract sculptures made from natural materials. However, it is not his art, with its rather innocuous formalism, that has generated controversy, but rather the opaque selection process that brought him to the Italian city."
"As it does every two years, the State Department organized an open call for artists aspiring to represent the U.S. at this Biennale, an honor typically reserved for creators with undeniable artistic recognition and maturity. However, this time, the Trump administration removed all references to values such as diversity, inclusion, and equity from the open call, replacing them with a different requirement to reflect and promote American values, such as innovation and exceptionalism."
"Against all odds, the chosen artist was this sculptor who was born into a Mormon family in Salt Lake City, and from which he broke away during his youth. Allen is a self-taught artist—the first one to represent his country in Venice—who went from selling wooden figurines on the streets of New York's SoHo district to exhibiting in a group show at the Whitney Museum in 2014. Even so, to date he has only had one major retrospective, at the Palm Springs Art Museum in 2018."
The United States participates in the Venice Biennale with a U.S. pavilion shaped by political controversy. Alma Allen, a 55-year-old sculptor with limited recognition in contemporary art, was chosen after a fraught selection process. The State Department ran an open call, but references to diversity, inclusion, and equity were removed and replaced with requirements to reflect and promote American values such as innovation and exceptionalism. Allen presents about 20 abstract sculptures made from natural materials. The controversy centers on the opacity of the selection rather than the sculptures’ formal qualities. The Biennale itself faces political tensions due to participation by Russia and Israel.
#venice-biennale #us-cultural-diplomacy #alma-allen #art-selection-controversy #geopolitical-tensions
Read at english.elpais.com
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