leonor antunes represents portugal at the 58th venice biennale

Pre-opening: 8 May 2019Public inauguration: 11 May 2019

Curator: João Ribas

Portugal PavilionPalazzo Giustinian LolinSan Marco, 2893 30124, Venice

The Official Portuguese Representation at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia presents Leonor Antunes: a seam, a surface, a hinge, or a knot, a new project by the artist at the Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, curated by João Ribas.

Engaging with histories of art, architecture, and design, Leonor Antunes’ work reflects on the functions of everyday objects and their potential to be translated into abstract sculptures. The exhibition’s point of departure is Antunes’ significant research into key figures in the cultural history of Venice, such as the architects and designers Carlo Scarpa, Franco Albini and Franca Helg, as well as the legacies of the patronage of Savina Masieri and architecture of Egle Trincanato, who were both active in the city in the post-war period.

Working with traditional makers from the region, Antunes will link these cultural histories by looking at the intersection between Scarpa’s work and various forms of craftmanship from Italy, Japan and Portugal. The exhibition will also draw attention to the lesser-known contributions of Masieri, such as her commissioning of Frank Lloyd Wright and Carlo Scarpa, and Trincanato, who was not only the first female student at the Royal Institute of Architecture and an author of a pioneering study of popular Venetian architecture from the XIII to the XVIII century, but also director of Palazzo Ducale and president of Querini Stampalia. a seam, a surface, a hinge, or a knot will explore how both these women played a pivotal role in shaping a conception of Venice as a ‘modern’ city.

Antunes was selected by curator João Ribas via a competition promoted by the Directorate-General of Arts. The Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, on the Grand Canal, is considered one of the first independent works of architect Baldassare Longhena, best known for the Palazzo Pesaro, the Palazzo Rezzonico, and the Church of Santa Maria Della Salute.

The Pavilion of Portugal was commissioned by the Government of Portugal – Ministry of Culture – Directorate-General for the Arts. The pre-opening will take place on 8 May and the public inauguration will take place on 11 May, with the exhibition remaining open until 24 November, 2019.

Leonor Antunes (b.1972, Lisbon) lives and works in Berlin. Her recent solo exhibitions include Leonor Antunes, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, Italy (2018); the frisson of the togetherness, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2017); discrepancies with G.G., Tensta konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden (2017); a spiral staircase leads down the garden, SFMOMA San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA (2016); the pliable plane, CAPC Musée D’art Contemporain de Bordeaux, France (2015); I Stand Like a Mirror Before You, New Museum, New York, USA and KIOSK, Ghent, Belgium (2015); Leonor Antunes, Pérez Art Museum, Miami, USA (2014); a linha é tão fina que o olho apesar de armado com uma lupa, imagina-a ao invés de vê-la II, Kunsthalle Lissabon, Portugal (2013); the last days in chimalistac, Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland (2013); le hasard est l’ennemi de tous les mètres, Maus Hábitos, Porto, Portugal (2012); villa, how to use, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany (2012); casa, modo de usar, Fundação de Serralves - Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto, Portugal (2011); discrepancies with M.G., Museo Experimental El Eco, Mexico City, Mexico (2011); walk around there. look through here, Museu Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain (2011).

Her work has been presented in recent group exhibitions such as: Civilized Caves, Ladera Oeste, Guadalajara, Mexico (2017); Condemned to be Modern, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG), USA (2017); Potência e Adversidade - arte da América Latina nas coleções em Portugal, Galerias Municipais de Lisboa: Pavilhão Branco, Pavilhão Preto, Lisbon, Portugal (2017); Ficciones y territorios: Arte para pensar la nueva razón del mundo, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain (2016); Conversas: arte portuguesa recente na coleção de Serralves, Fundação de Serralves - Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto, Portugal (2016); Function Follows Vision, Vision Follow Reality, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria (2015); Slip of the Tongue, Punta della Dogana, Venice, Italy (2015); Beyond the Supersquare,The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, USA (2014); Attention Economy, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria (2014); Decorum, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (2013); Phoenix vs Babel, Fondation d’entreprise Ricard, Paris, France (2008); Acquisitions récentes, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (2007); among others.

Image on previous page:DISCREPANCIES WITH C.P. LEONOR ANTUNES. Exhibition view at Museo Tamayo. Courtesy of the artist and Museo Tamayo. Photo: Nick Ash

Escola das Artes – Universidade Católica Portuguesa | PortoINAIL Dipartimento Territoriale

com o apoiowith the support

organização e comissariado organization and commissioner

parceiros partners

Arturo and Vanessa FilioColeção Maria e Armando CabralLindsey and J. Patrick CollinsMercedes Vilardell

pavilhão de portugal portugal pavilion

curated by joão ribas

palazzo giustinian lolin fondazione ugo e olga levi11.05—24.11.2019

apoio à divulgaçãomedia partner

Antunes’ work was presented at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017); the Sharjah Biennale 12, United Arab Emirates (2015); the 8th Berlin Biennale (2014); the Singapore Biennale (2011); the 1st and 3rd Maia Contemporary Art Biennale, Portugal (1999 and 2003).

João Ribas is a writer and curator based in Porto. He was previously Director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto, where he also held the position of Deputy Director and Senior Curator (2014–2018). He was previously curator of the MIT List Visual Arts Center (2009–13) and of the Drawing Center, New York (2007–09). Ribas won four consecutive AICA awards for Best Exhibition (2008–2011) and the Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award (2010), and was Curator of the 4th Ural Biennial (2018). His texts have been published in numerous publications, such as Artforum, Afterall, Artnews, Art in America, Frieze, Mousse, The Exhibitionist, Spike, and The Guardian. His edited volume In the Holocene, published by Sternberg Press (2014), proposes art as a form of speculative science. Ribas has taught at Yale University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the School of Visual Arts in New York, and has been a professor and lecturer at institutions and universities around the world. He is currently a lecturer at the Portuguese Catholic University, and at the Lusófona University, Porto.

Notes to Editors:

Press preview: 8 May 2019, 10am – 12pmPre-opening: 8 May 2019Public inauguration: 11 May 2019

Portugal PavilionPalazzo Giustinian LolinSan Marco, 2893 30124, Venice

For further PRESS information, please contact:

International PressBelinda Bowring Rees & Co T.: +44 (0) 203 137 8776belinda@reesandco.com reesandco.com

Portuguese PressSílvia EscórcioCUCOT.: +351 913 683 645silvia.escorcio@thisiscuco.comthisiscuco.com

a seam, a surface,a hinge,or a knot

leonorantunes

Leonor Antunes représentera le Portugalà la 58e Biennale de Venise

Vernissage: 8 mai 2019Inauguration: 11 mai 2019

Commissaire: João Ribas

Pavillon PortugaisPalazzo Giustinian LolinSan Marco, 289330124 Venise

La Représentation officielle Portugaise présentera à la 58e Biennale de Venise Leonor Antunes: a seam, a surface, a hinge, or a knot. Cette exposition dont le commissariat est assuré par João Ribas prendra place au Palazzo Giustinian Lolin.

Dialoguant étroitement avec l’histoire de l’art, l’architecture et le design, le travail de Leonor Antunes s’intéresse à la fonction d’objets ordinaires ou du quotidien et à leur potentiel à être traduits en sculptures abstraites.

Le point de départ de cette exposition est la recherche significative menée par Antunes sur les figures clés de l’histoire culturelle de Venise comme Carlo Scarpa, Franco Albini et Franca Helg, ainsi que son intérêt pour la mécène Savina Masieri et son héritage, et pour le travail de l’architecte Egle Trincanato, toutes deux actives à Venise pendant l’après-guerre.

En travaillant intimement avec des artisans de la région vénitienne, Antunes fera le lien entre ces diverses aventures culturelles : au croisement entre le travail de Scarpa et de différentes formes d’artisanat venant d’Italie, du Japon et du Portugal.

Aussi, l’exposition attirera l’attention sur des contributions moins connues de Masieri, telles que ses commandes passées à Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa et Trincanato. Cette dernière était non seulement la première étudiante femme au Royal Institute of Architecture, ainsi que l’auteure d’une recherche pionnière sur l’architecture vénitienne du XIIIe au XVIIIe siècle ; mais aussi la directrice du Palazzo Ducale et la présidente de la Querini Stampalia.

a seam, a surface, a hinge, or a knot explorera comment ces deux femmes ont joué un rôle essentiel pour bâtir l’idée d’une Venise moderne.

Leonor Antunes a été nommée par João Ribas suite à un concours organisé par la Direction générale des arts.

Le Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, sur le Grand Canal, est l’une des premières œuvres de l’architecte Baldassare Longhena, connu notamment pour le Palazzo Pesaro, le Palazzo Rezzonico et l’église de Santa Maria Della Salute.

Le pavillon du Portugal est une commande du gouvernement du Portugal - Ministère de la culture - Direction générale des arts.

Le vernissage aura lieu le 8 mai et l’inauguration publique aura lieu le 11 mai. L’exposition durera jusqu’au 24 novembre 2019.

Leonor Antunes (née en 1972 à Lisbonne) vit et travaille à Berlin. Ses expositions personnelles récentes sont: the last days in Galliate, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, Italie (2018); the frisson of the togetherness, Whitechapel Gallery, Londres, Royaume-Uni (2017); discrepancies with G.G., Tensta konsthall, Stockholm, Suède (2017); a spiral staircase leads down the garden, SFMOMA, San Francisco, USA (2016); le plan flexible, CAPC, Bordeaux, France (2015); I Stand Like a Mirror Before You, New Museum, NY, USA et KIOSK, Gand, Belgique (2015); Leonor Antunes, Pérez Art Museum, Miami, USA (2014); a linha é tão fina que o olho apesar de armado com uma lupa, imagina-a ao invés de vê-la II,, Kunsthalle de Lisbone, Portugal (2013); the last days in chimalistac, Kunsthalle de Bâle, Suisse (2013); le hasard est l’ennemi de tous les mètres, Maus Hábitos, Porto, Portugal (2012); villa, how to use, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Allemagne (2012); casa, modo de usar, Fundação de Serralves, Porto, Portugal (2011); discrepancies with M.G., Museo Experimental El Eco, Mexico City, Mexique (2011); walk around there. look through here, Museu Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Espagne (2011).

Son travail a été présenté lors d'expositions collectives telles que: Civilized Caves, Ladera Oeste, Guadalajara, Mexique (2017); Condemned to be Modern, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG), USA (2017); Potência e Adversidade - arte da América Latina nas coleções em Portugal, Galerias Municipais de Lisboa: Pavilhão Branco, Pavilhão Preto, Lisbonne, Portugal (2017); Ficciones y territorios: Arte para pensar la nueva razón del mundo, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Espagne (2016); Conversas: arte portuguesa recente na coleção de Serralves, Fundação de Serralves, Porto, Portugal (2016); Function Follows Vision, Vision Follow Reality, Kunsthalle de Vienne, Vienne, Austriche (2015); Slip of the Tongue, Punta della Dogana, Venise, Italie (2015); Beyond the Supersquare,The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, USA (2014); Attention Economy, Kunsthalle de Vienne, Vienne, Austriche (2014); Decorum, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville

Image: DISCREPANCIES WITH C.P. LEONOR ANTUNES.Vue d’exposition, Museo Tamayo. Courtesy de l’artiste et du Museo Tamayo. Photo: Nick Ash

de Paris, France (2013); Phoenix vs Babel, Fondation d’entreprise Ricard, Paris, France (2008); Acquisitions récentes, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (2007); entre autres.

Le travail de Leonor Antunes a été présenté à la 57e Biennale de Venise (2017); à la Biennale de Sharjah 12, UAE (2015); à la 8e Biennale de Berlin (2014); à la Biennale de Singapour (2011); à la 1e et 3e Maia Contemporary Art Biennale, Portugal (1999 et 2003).

João Ribas est un auteur et commissaire d’exposition basé à Porto. Il a assuré la direction du Musée d’art contemporain de Serralves, Porto, où il avait précédemment été directeur adjoint et Senior Curator (2014–2018). Il a été commissaire d’exposition au MIT List Visual Arts Center (2009–13) et au Drawing Center, New York (2007–09). João Ribas a remporté à quatre reprises le prix AICA de la meilleur exposition (2008–2011) et le prix de l’exposition Emily Hall Tremaine (2010), et il a assuré le commissariat de la 4e Biennale Ural (2018). Ses textes ont été publiés dans différentes revues, telles que Artforum, Afterall, Artnews, Art in America, Frieze, Mousse, The Exhibitionist, Spike, et The Guardian.Son ouvrage « In the Holocene », publié par Sternberg Press (2014), présente l’art comme une forme de science spéculative. João Ribas a enseigné à Yale, à la Rhode Island School of Design, à la School of Visual Arts à New York, et il a également été professeur et conférencier dans des institutions et des universités à travers le monde. Il est actuellement conférencier à l’Université Portugaise Catholique et à l’Université Lusófona de Porto.

Vernisssage Presse: 8 mai 2019, 10h – midi, sur invitationVernissage: 8 mai 2019, sur invitationVernissage: 11 mai 2019

Portugal PavilionPalazzo Giustinian LolinSan Marco, 289330124, Venise

Presse:International PressBelinda BowringRees & CoT.: +44 (0) 203 137 8776belinda@reesandco.comreesandco.com

Portuguese PressSílvia EscórcioCUCOT.: +351 913 683 645silvia.escorcio@thisiscuco.comthisiscuco.com

Pavillon Portugaiscur. João RibasPalazzo Giustinian LolinFondazione Ugo e Olga Levi11.05—24.11.2019