THE MILk OF DREAMS: FROM CHILDREN’S BOOkS TO PREMIER ART ExHIBITION

Since the renaissance, the world has looked upon Italy as a leading source of inspiration for life’s cultural and creative sides. Italian life was surrounded by creativity and innovation from deep antiquity that made no secret of its deference to beauty and sensuality. Hence, it is no wonder that the Italian culture and her way of life still inspire other cultures and people worldwide. In their eyes, Italy projects imagination at its best to make life as exciting and fulfilling as it ever could be. Art in all its forms played a fundamental role in this Italian culture already from antiquity. Hence, the 59th edition of the “Biennale Arte 2022”, the international art exhibition in Venice, is precisely one of those events to provide inspiration to the world through its quiet leadership and visionary character.

“The Milk of Dreams”: Is the theme of this Biennale to provide a stimulus to the imagination of our universe that we share with the known entities and those beyond our understanding? It is indeed a title and theme that conjures visions of our planetary or solar system, the milky way and the endless expanse stretching beyond outer space. It is in many ways a challenging title, one that is certainly appropriate to the world’s leading Art exhibition. It is, however, a homage to the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington (1917 – 2011), who wrote a book with the very title. She led a troubled life, unable to conform to the strictures of a rigid world and its social order, which was increasingly coming under the yoke of technological development.

Italy’s premier international art exhibition runs from 23rd April to 11th November 2022 (pre-opening on 20th, 21st, 22nd April) in Venice at the Giardini (Central Pavilion) and the Arsenale, curated by Cecilia Alemani, the first Italian woman ever to curate the Venice Biennale. In her words, “The Milk of Dreams aspires to be an optimistic exhibition, which celebrates art and its capacity to create alternative cosmologies and new conditions of existence.” Her thoughts are elaborated by the President of the exhibition, Roberto Cicutto, “Today the starting point for the next Biennale Arte seems to be the reinvention of new and more sustainable relations between individuals and the world we live in.”

Perhaps, the exhibition is influenced partly by the all-pervasive fear of climate change and environmental crisis facing the globe and all living beings. Perhaps, it also reflects the massive international efforts to understand and explore the universe. Some people are desperately and urgently searching for solutions to the existential crisis posed by climate change and environmental degradation. Others are busy looking for places elsewhere in the universe for humans to inhabit. As Roberto Cicutto says, “Cecilia Alemani focuses her “imaginary journey through metamorphoses of the body and definitions of humanity” on a series of questions about the “doubts that pervade the sciences, arts, and myths of our time”.

The exhibition will showcase 213 artists from 58 countries from across the globe, with the various national participations housed at the historic pavilions at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and Venice’s city centre. Five countries are participating in the Biennale Arte for the first time: Republic of Cameroon, Namibia, Nepal, Sultanate of Oman and Uganda. This exhibition is undoubtedly for our times and is most certainly worth a visit, especially if one is looking for an escape from the fears of the pandemic.

Learn more about the Biennale from the website: www.labiennale. org/en/art/2022