ArtReview sent a questionnaire to artists and curators exhibiting in and curating the various national pavilions of the 2022 Venice Biennale, the responses to which will be published daily in the leadup to and during the Venice Biennale, which runs from 23 April to 27 November.
Latifa Echakhch is representing Switzerland; the pavilion is in the Giardini.
ArtReview What can you tell us about your exhibition plans for Venice?
Latifa Echakhch It will be an exhibition that I worked on as if I was myself a musician, and not only a visual artist. I worked on it with Francesco Stocchi and Alexander Babel, to be able to reach my wish of sharing with the audience the experience of a concert, of time, music and memories, like the one we have after hearing and seeing a concert. We use for that all the building as it is, and make a total immersion in what is music… but without sound.
AR Why is the Venice Biennale still important?
LE It was and is still one of the main venues for art exhibition projects, it gives the tempo of our time. The involvement of each artist, curator and actor, each giving their best to do every two years a statement about what art is now. That’s its importance, the desire and the responsibility of this event.
AR Do you think there is such a thing as national art? Or is all art universal? What is misunderstood or forgotten about your country’s art history or artistic traditions?
LE When you put things in a frame, you also by this way requisition this frame. We cannot avoid this national representation, but in a way we do not need to say too much about that, art can be bigger than just political territories.
AR Which other artists from Switzerland have influenced or inspired you?
LE So many, if I can name a few: Meret Oppenheim, Giacometti, Tinguely, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Jean-Luc Godard, Miriam Cahn, Ugo Rondinone, Christian Marclay, Shirana Shahbazi, Shahryar Nashat, Mai-Thu Perret, Valentin Carron, Andro Wekua, Franz Guertz, Paul Klee, Cathy Josefowitz…
AR How does having a pavilion in Venice make a difference to the art scene in Switzerland?
LE It gives a strong visibility of my ‘Swissness’? [laughs]
AR You’ve been to the biennale before. What’s your earliest or best memory from Venice?
LE The part of the Arsenale curated by Gabriel Orozco, in 2003, and particularly the installation of severals works by Jean-Luc Moulène, it was all about photography, grains and light, but with no photos, only object in the floor with a simple gesture… I learn so much experimenting with that!
AR What else are you looking forward to seeing?
LE I am looking forward to seeing the French Pavilion by Zineb Sedira, the UK one by Sonia Boyce, the Belgian one by Francis Alÿs, the Canadian one by Stan Douglas, the Ghana group exhibition, the Australian representation by Marco Fusinato and the Japanese one by Dumb Type. It will be a great biennale, but also like always, a lot of surprise around the city!
