Gretchen La Roche, Creative New Zealand Photo: Supplied
“New Zealand cancels Venice Biennale pavilion, citing inadequate resources” ran the headline on leading international art news site Artnet this month. There were similar from New York’s Artforum International.
The headlines have caused ripples of concern through the arts community.
Perhaps, because Creative New Zealand’s own headlines about our participation at the ‘olympics of visual arts events’ have run quite differently. Their December 2022 statement started “Creative New Zealand makes long-term commitment,” followed by “The future is bright for New Zealand at the Venice Biennale.”
Yuki Kihara's Paradise Camp, New Zealand Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Photo: Luke Walker
Bill Culbert representing New Zealand at Venice at our pavilion in 2013. Photo: supplied
And indeed in terms of the future Creative New Zealand has confirmed there will be a national pavilion for 2026, 2028 and 2030. The Arts Council has adopted recommendations from a 2022 external review that found that the Venice Biennale creates an exceptional opportunity for our artists and the wider arts community.
Yet eight paragraphs down in the December 2022 statement was a more worrying line for those still reading. That our presence in 2024 would be “maintained through a programme aimed at long-term strengthening of New Zealand’s contemporary visual arts scene.”
Dane Mitchell, who represented New Zealand in 2019 Photo: supplied
As a press release this month has made clearer, that means no pavilion. Instead a new partnership has been announced with the Australia Council in an existing scheme enabling two artists from New Zealand and the Pacific to receive international development in 2024.
And there is some good news out this week: CNZ has confirmed on Friday that a record five New Zealand artists have been selected for the biennale's international group exhibition presenting their work at the Venice Biennale in 2024. Invited to participate in the international exhibition, Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere.
Joining Culture101’s Mark Amery to discuss is Creative New Zealand’s Senior Manager Arts Development Gretchen La Roche, followed by an artist who represented New Zealand at Venice in 2019, Dane Mitchell.
