Mapplethorpe. The Black Body and the Architecture of Desire
By Arianna Maria Leva There are exhibitions that scandalize, and then there are exhibitions that leave behind a more difficult kind of unease. It does not arise from provocation, which by now has become almost predictable, but from something in the image that remains unresolved, the feeling that the photographs themselves contain a knot that […]
At the Venice Biennale, Caroline Gueye’s Architectures of Vision for the Senegal Pavilion
by Alessia D’Introno Observing an artwork from every angle, only partially, or from a certain distance places us in relation to a perception that inevitably changes. The availability of our gaze, the point from which we observe, the light, time, and space all play a major role in shaping our interpretation.This concept is not so […]
Shaping the fire. The Pavilion of the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Venice Biennale
By Alessia D’Introno The high quality of international contributions from Africa to the 61st International Exhibition of the Venice Biennale is already evident in the very act of presenting, within a global institution, their own ways of relating, identifying, and speaking about themselves. Among the plausible explanations for continuing to maintain national pavilions in an […]
Amoako Boafo at Palazzo Grimani: The Power of Blackness in Portraiture
By Alessia D’Introno Amoako Boafo’s portraiture is striking for its colour, the intensity of his subjects’ gazes, and their self-assurance. At the Palazzo Grimani Museum, this time, it is above all the textures of the garments he paints that surprise us. The Ghanaian artist, in Italy for the first time with It Doesn’t Have to […]
In Minor Keys – The Venice Biennale Curated by Koyo Kouoh: From the Arsenale to the Giardini
By Alessia D’Introno The 61st International Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh, took place against the backdrop of a turbulent and unsettled global historical landscape. The protests against the opening of certain national pavilions, such as Russia’s, carried out by Pussy Riot during the opening ceremony, and the mass resignation of the […]
In Minor Keys: Koyo Kouoh’s Final Symphony for the 2026 Venice Biennale
By Alessia D’Introno Following the recent passing of curator Koyo Kouoh (1967–May 10, 2025), who had been appointed by President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco to curate the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 2026, the art world has responded with deep sorrow and a sense of loss. One of the main questions concerned the […]