The Venice Biennale is like the world championship of contemporary art. Every two years, dozens of countries display the work of one artist each at permanent national pavilions in the Giardini and at temporary exhibition spaces. Awards are made (Leoni d’Oro) to outstanding artists. The challenge was to create an identity that had intelligence and impact but didn’t overpower the art. We explored many ideas but kept returning to the simplest (and best). We love flags at SDL. And deconstructing the flags of all the nations at the Biennale into their different elements supplied us with a stockpile of abstract but still (just) recognisable forms that we assembled in surprising combinations on catalogue covers, posters, signs and notebooks suggesting new unities and associations.
Done in collaboration with 1:2:3; Axel von Friesen and Petter Törnqvist.
Director Daniel Birnbaums - “Making Worlds" presented, apart from all participating countries, artists like André Cadere, Gilbert & George, Nathalie Djurberg, Gutai, Yoko Ono, Miranda July, Carsten Höller, Lygia Pape, Wolfgang Tillmans, Gordon Matta Clark, Philippe Parreno and Tomas Saraceno.
The concept and inspiration for Making worlds was laid out on the floor in a large studio. An overall image was shot from above and then zoomed in and cropped for each page. Content ranging from Moderna Museet - Transform the world catalogue from 1969, Yoko Onos Instruction Pieces, Gutai images. Seth Price Dispersion, Aaltos Paimio No. 41 chair to Carsten Höller in real life.
Kazimir Malevitj
