Prime Minister Edi Rama will exhibit at this year’s central exhibition of the 57th Venice Biennial. The international art event will open this year on May 13 and last until November 26. Leonard Qylafi will represent Albania at the National Pavilion in the Arsenale.
Prime Minister Rama and his frequent collaborator Anri Sala will be the only Albanian artists in the central exhibition, curated by Christine Macel. Macel and Sala also happen to be board members of the Center for Openness and Dialogue, the exhibition space hosted by Rama in the Prime Ministry.
The theme of the Biennale this year is “Viva Arte Viva.” Macel describes the project as follows:
In a world full of conflicts and jolts, in which humanism is being seriously jeopardized, art is the most precious part of the human being. It is the ideal place for reflection, individual expression, freedom and fundamental questions. It is a “yes” to life, although sometimes a “but” lies behind. More than ever, the role, the voice and the responsibility of the artist are crucial in the framework of contemporary debates.
It is yet uncertain whether Prime Minister Rama will address the “responsibility of the artist” through his wallpaper doodles, ceramics, or by painting a building blue.
