Legarda Announces Arsenale as the Venue of Phl Pavilion at the Art Venice Biennale 2017, Invites Curators and Artists to Submit Curatorial Proposals

Senator Loren Legarda announced that the Philippine Pavilion at the 57^th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia will be housed at the Arsenale, the largest pre-industrial production center of the world, where national pavilions of countries all over the world are located.

“When the Philippines re-entered the Venice Biennale in 2015 after 51 years of absence, we were housed in the beautiful Palazzo Mora, but we deserve a venue where we can directly converse with other pavilions, and where our artists and curators can freely exchange ideas with other countries,” Legarda, the project’s visionary stated.

Arsenale as a venue of the Philippine Pavilion comes on the heels of another milestone, that the country will once again participate at the Venice Art Biennale in 2017.

“The country’s participation in 2015 was not a one-shot deal. The vision is for the Philippines to participate in Venice Biennale consistently. As we promote our contemporary art through this platform, this could lead to invites to other art expositions,” Legarda said.

The Senator, who has been an advocate of both contemporary and traditional Philippine art, expounded the need for the government to support arts and culture, which is an integral pillar of diplomacy.

Curators, Artists are Invited to Represent the Country in 2017

Following the triumphant return of the Philippines to the Venice Biennale after 51 years, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, announces an OPEN CALL FOR CURATORIAL PROPOSALS for the Philippine participation at the 57^th Venice Biennale scheduled to open in May 2017.  As a result of the country’s notable return in 2015, La Biennale di Venezia has granted the Philippines its request to mount the Philippine Pavilion at the Arsenale, the historic exhibition space of the Venice Biennale art platform.

The CALL is open to all curators and contemporary Filipino artists residing in the Philippines and abroad. All curatorial proposals should be emailed on or before 21 July 2016 to[email protected].

Submitted proposals will be thoroughly reviewed and deliberated on by an esteemed panel of judges in the field of contemporary art.  The panel of judges will select only ONE curatorial proposal. The selected proposal will be mounted at the Philippine Pavilion and will officially represent the Philippines at the 57^th Biennale Arte of La Biennale di Venezia under the directorship of Christine Macel.

For more information check the NCCA website www.ncca.gov.ph orwww.philartvenicebiennale.com.

About The Arsenale[1]

The Arsenale is “the largest pre-industrial production center of the world.” Its surface area is forty-six hectares, and it can accommodate up to 2000 workers a day in full swing. A significant venue in Venice, the Serenissima fleet was built there and acts as a symbol of the military, economical and political power of Venice way back in history. The Arsenale underwent several changes due to the “naval and military needs of the Serenissima.” Through time, its military importance wavered, making it a more commerce-related site.

[1] Source: http://www.labiennale.org/en/venues/arsenale.html