the timeless grand narration of human existence in its time
I. A Cornucopia & Some Glue
It's hard to utter the title of this year's Venice Biennale without a smirk: 'Plateau of Humankind'; and its subtitle, 'The Timeless Grand Narration of Human Existence in Its Time', doesn't exactly roll off the tongue that easily either. Even though it was inevitable that the post-Postmodern would resurrect some old clangers (such as metaphysical truisms about essence and existence recycled but trying to act fresh) it was alarming to read so many of them in such a short space, and without a hint of irony. I am referring to the introductory catalogue essay by Harald Szeemann, Director of the 491h Biennale di Venezia, which introduces a somewhat perplexing series of such cobbled-together ideas that are very difficult to take seriously: With the 'Plateau of Humankind' we don't wish to illustrate a style, a theme, but to offer a possible opening: to give a connotation, sustain freedom against barriers erected by styles, nationalities and nationalisms, by the idea of age limits. To be outside ideologies and the stock exchange. L'imagination au pouvoir- to quote a motto from '68. To celebrate fragility again. In addition to Szeemann's desire to be on the side of 'freedom' against 'ideology' (but isn't 'freedom' just as much an ideology as ' nationalisms' ?) the scope of the Biennale is outlined in the following way:
The first exhibition in the 3rd millennium and of the twenty-first century, combined with the greatness of the Biennale of Venice, allows and suggests a look back on the twentieth century and also .. . a selective selection of its artists ... In my work towards spirituality at the service of the possible visualisation of... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline