Evolution of a Hybrid, Pavilion 0, Biennial of Venice

1/6-30/9

For Pavilion 0, Koen Vanmechelen was inspired by the theme of diversity, mutual curiosity and identity. During the Biennial of Venice, he will present ‘Evolution of a Hybrid – CC®P’ in this utopian setting.
The installation consists of a transparent container, lit by breeding lamps, which stores three 3D prints. They illustrate the DNA structures of three chickens. Two are inbreeds, the other one is a cross-breed. Fascinatingly, the latter is different and clearly stands out as an outsider in this group. It has outward peaks all over. The rough points on the chromosomes of the hybrid probably give more immunity. Reaching out, diminishing the distance, longing for the Other is dangerous, brave and ultimately rewarding. Koen Vanmechelen “Art is a Hybrid”.

Pavilion 0 is a transnational pavilion of a country which does not exist, of common future, of utopia.
On this year’s 55th Venice Biennale a record high number of national pavilions will be presented together with a big number of accompanying art events. This mutual curiosity and the need to learn about the neighbours within Europe has undoubtedly been and still is valuable, however, nowadays it may seem outdated. While searching for a vision of future, art should not be competing with science, statistics, banking or politics. It uses different research tools, reaching for different fields of experience. Its non-verbal, sensual language of communication inspires a totally different field of reflexion. Maybe the mission of art is not to explain anything but to reach the people in a way that releases his or her esteem for their individual existence, in a way that provokes questions regarding world’s integrity on all the different levels of existence.

Therefore, the exhibition organised by Mediations Biennale Foundation in partnership with Signum Foundation (Pozna) will not be a proclamation of any ideology, a futurist vision of what is to come, but a maze of intuitions pertaining to the constantly unravelling future.
We hope that since this year “Pavilion 0” will accompany the Venice Biennale as a regular, transnational art event – a space of dialogue of art and artists with reality, above all divisions. During the exhibition a Lion Award will be bestowed to the artist who exerts global influence. It will be a faithful copy of the lion from Palazzo Donà, manufactured in Murano glass workshop in Venice.

Curators: Tomasz Wendland (Mediations Biennale Foundation, Pozna) Grzegorz Musia (Signum Foundation, Pozna)
Venue: Signum Foundation Palazzo Donà Campo San Polo 2177 30125 Venezia Italy
List of artists: Andrzej Bednarczyk – Poland Dorota Chili ska – Poland Stephen Cornford – UK Clemens Fürtler – Austria Guy Goldstein/Ariel Efron – Israel Ma gorzata Goliszewska – Poland Nicolas Grospierre – Poland Dieter Jung – Germany Dariusz Kowalski - Austria/ Poland Takashi Kunitani – Japan Robert Ku mirowski – Poland Ryota Kuwakubo – Japan?Sang Nam Lee – South Korea Daniel Lergon – Germany Angelika Markul / Wojciech Pu - France/Poland Micha Martychowiec – Germany/Poland Renato Nicolodi – Belgium Yoko Ono – Japan Maciej Rudzin – Poland Saburo Teshigawara – Japan José Ángel Toirac – Cuba Koen Vanmechelen – Belgium Andrzej Wasilewski – Poland Li Xiaofei – China

Events: Inauguration of exhibition: 31st May 2013, 8 p.m., Palazzo Donà, Venice. Conference “Art between global and local” – 1st June 2013, 10.30 a.m. – 1.30 p.m., Palazzo Donà, Venice
Exhibition will be open for public from 1st June to 30th September 2013 (Closed on Mondays)
Practical: From June 1 till September 30
Location: Palazzo Donà Campo, San Polo, I-30125 Venice, 041 5289797