National Participations and Collateral Events

　　The 52nd Exhibition constitutes the synthesis of a reconnaissance that reaches beyond the borders of world art: not only towards rapidly evolving artistic languages, but towards personalities, Countries and trends emerging in the lesser known areas of the globe, which otherwise remain on the margins of the more consolidated artistic scene. As a result, Artistic Director Robert Storr has chosen to host, at the Artiglierie in the Arsenale, the National Pavilion of Turkey and an exhibition that represents contemporary art in Africa (an almost symbolic pavilion which provides a tribute to an entire continent that is relatively unknown in artistic terms) 　 Check List Luanda Pop by the Sindika Dokolo African Collection of Contemporary Art (Luanda, Angola) 　 with a project selected by a panel of experts he himself presided.

　　This edition is also complemented by a selected program of 34 Collateral Events 　 a record participation set by the 52nd Exhibition 　 which, thanks to the active support of international cultural institutions, presents exhibitions, workshops, projects and artistic conferences hosted throughout the historic center of Venice, representing a hugely important cultural potential addressed to the entire world from the Biennale di Venezia. The venues are disseminated from the historic city center to the islands of San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Sant’Erasmo. If on the one hand most of the Events are promoted or represented by foreign promoters or artists, on the other there are many institutional and artistic presences from Italy, including the personal exhibition dedicated to the winner of the Premio Giovane Arte Italiana, the Young Italian Art Prize, organized by DARC 　 Direzione Generale per l’Architettura e le Arti Contemporanee of the Ministry of the Cultural Heritage and Activities in the Sala Marceglia at the Arsenale.

　　The National Participations and Collateral Events will be the subject 　 this is a new event in the vernissage of the 52nd Exhibition 　 of a cycle of encounters and press conferences which will take place in Venice from June 7 through 9 at the Teatro Piccolo Arsenale.

　　The 52nd Exhibition is also distinguished by another new event, an initiative that is emblematic of the spirit with which the Biennale di Venezia relates to the international art world. The Organization Section of the Biennale di Venezia, in 2006, began a forward-looking dialogue with Art 38 Basel, documenta 12, skulptur projekte münster 07 　 which, in a coincidence of timing that happens only once every ten years, will be inaugurated in chronological succession in June 2007 　 to create a partnership that will finally make it possible to exchange information concerning their respective organizational methodologies and to begin joint promotional actions in other areas of the world (such as the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America) to garner new audiences. The initiative that is most directly addressed to art lovers is the Grand Tour 2007, which allows the public to visit the three contemporary art exhibitions 　 each of which has a different schedule, Venice every two years, Kassel every five years, Münster every ten years 　 and the annual art fair in Basel.