Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz per la Svizzera

Swiss Presence at the 2019 Venice Biennale: Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz to exhibit at the Pavilion of Switzerland and Céline Eidenbenz to curate the «Salon Suisse» 2019 The curator of the Swiss Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia,Charlotte Laubard, appointed by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, has announced she is developing an exhibition with artists Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz. Curator and art historian Céline Eidenbenz is responsible for next year’s «Salon Suisse» at the Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi. The 58th International Art Exhibition will be held in Venice from 11 May to 24 November 2019. Pavilion of Switzerland at the Giardini della Biennale, Venice, built by architect Bruno Giacometti in 1951/52 © Pro Helvetia

Charlotte Laubard notes about her collaboration with Pauline Boudry / Renate Lorenz: “Challenging notions of gender, Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz question the norms that govern our representations and our life in society. What lends their work such force is that it moves beyond mere criticism or deconstruction. Their installations, films and performances are conceived as dispositifs capable of inventing other ways of being in the world, ones no longer split by categories of identity and binarisms. Their practice of “denormalisation” has led them to question the “agency” of artistic objects or gestures in their relationships to those who experience them. Their interest in these modalities of action is intimately linked to their desire to find a position towards the situation of withdrawal and antagonism that we are currently experiencing.” Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi © Pro Helvetia. Organised by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the «Salon Suisse» runs concomitantly to the exhibition at the Swiss Pavilion and is now in its eighth year. The programme consists of a series of lectures, talks and cultural events, and, over several long weekends, aims to provide a meeting point for the entire duration of the Biennale. It offers an opportunity to discuss art and the Biennale in a relaxed and stimulating atmosphere. Céline Eidenbenz, Director of the Valais Art Museum, will develop the programme for the «Salon Suisse» 2019 and will host all events as Salonnière. Curated by Ralph Rugoff, the 58th International Art Exhibition will take place in Venice from 11 May to 24 November 2019 (preview from 8–10 May 2019) at the Giardini and at the Arsenale, as well as at various venues in the city.