Artful Venice Biennale 2024

Contemporary Art at the Venice Biennale

When it comes to global art events, the Venice Biennale is certainly one of the oldest and most respected. This year will be an extremely special biennale for VIA Art as the American pavillion has selected Jeffrey Gibson, Great Britain has selected John Akomfrah, and Nigeria has chosen Yinka Shonibare who are all VIA grantees! We expect many more to be announced. In addition, Adriano Pedrosa, curator from MASP, chose to focus on Foreigners Everywhere, a theme consistent with VIA's values. We are inviting Adriano to meet with our group.

Join VIA Art for this exclusive and intimate Venetian experience to discover the innovative and vibrant contemporary art scene in Venice between May 2nd-6th, 2024. VIA Director Brooke Davis Anderson and Director of Grantmaking and Curatorial Research Susan Thompson will lead this trip. (Do we keep this)During these days we will be transported in style door to door by water taxi to tour the Arsenale, Giardini, the most discussed and praised collateral exhibitions, super private collections, welcomed to cultural gems, and be received by directors and curators of major art institutions. Four days of immersive art experiences and special visits, topped with culinary adventures to experience the best of Venetian cuisine, including two Michelin star restaurants. You will be immersed in contemporary art, spoiled with italian food specialties, and surrounded by the friendship of VIA partners and guests. The trip will be filled with special private visits, including a curator led tour by Grazina Subelyte of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and an after-hours experience at St Mark's Basilica. In addition, you will be joined by art guests throughout the program.

Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere, the title of the 60th International Art Exhibition, is drawn from a series of works started in 2004 by the Paris-born and Palermo-based collective Claire Fontaine. The works consist of neon sculptures in different colors that render in a growing number of languages the words "Foreigners Everywhere". The phrase comes, in turn, from the name of a Turin collective who fought racism and xenophobia in Italy in the early 2000s: Stranieri Ovunque.

The 60th International Art Exhibition will be curated by Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa, the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition, and the first one based in the Southern Hemisphere. Adriano Pedrosa is currently the artistic director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand – MASP, and he has recently been appointed the 2023 recipient of the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence, that was presented to him by the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, New York.

The Biennale itself – an international event with numerous official participation by different countries – has always been a platform for the exhibition of works by foreigners from all over the world. Thus, the 60th International Art Exhibition will be a celebration of the foreign, the distant, the outsider, the queer, as well as the indigenous.

Enjoy your stay at the luxurious four-star Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal centrally located a few minutes walk from Piazza San Marco. A preferred hotels and resorts member, the hotel consists of 92 rooms, many of which have a view of the Grand Canal and the San Marco bell tower. Definitely worth discovering are the Grand Canal Restaurant with an internal dining room and a splendid outdoor terrace; the sumptuous Ridotto, a multipurpose room surrounded by intimate ambiance, perfect for organizing celebratory, convivial or corporate events. Your stay at the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal will be a perfect combination of tradition and innovation which will make for an unforgettable experience.

In creating this trip for you, we have focused on what we believe are the most important aspects of a memorable art experience—first class art, gracious hospitality and impeccable service. We aim to engage you in discussion about the art as you bond with old and new VIA partners and explore these art rich cities. Please click below to access the attached itinerary for a detailed description of the program. 

Guests should plan to arrive Thursday no later than 2pm at the latest so you have time to arrive at the hotel for 3pm check-in. Monday's departure is at your leisure with breakfast included and hotel check-out set at 11:00 am.

Your Artful tour contact is Latasha Thomas (latasha@artfuljaunts.com or 781-658-2270, office phone).

The VIA Biennale experience is priced at $8,100 per person in a double room sharing and $9774 for a single traveler and includes all transportation, lodging, and specific meals during your trip. This trip is limited to 20 guests and your booking is requested by October 6th, 2023 given high demand for hotel rooms. A minimum of 14 guests is required to operate this trip.

No refund will be provided for cancellations within sixty days of the trip's start date. If the museum has another patron to fill a spot a substitution will be allowed. After the trip has commenced, no refunds are available, even if the client does not partake in all of the trip's activities or leaves the trip early. We highly recommend trip insurance offered when booking.

All programming may change and is subject to availability of hosts, collectors and artists.