Australia's New Pavilion
Venice Biennale 2013-2015

The Nelson Meers Foundation is delighted to have contributed to the redevelopment of the Australian Pavilion in Venice. Established in 1895, the Venice Biennale is the oldest and most important event on the international contemporary visual arts calendar. Australia has been consistently represented in the Venice Biennale for more than three decades. The Biennale regularly attracts a quarter of a million visitors over its five months. Fiona Hall: Wrong Way Time, the inaugural exhibition in the new Australian Pavilion in 2015, attracted 287,690 visitors, the highest attendance at an Australian exhibition in Venice. 

Australia has had a site in the prestigious Giardini location since 1988 – one of only 29 countries to have a permanent national presence. The new pavilion, designed by Denton Corker Marshall, is the first 21st century building in the historic Biennale Gardens. Significantly, all capital funds for the redevelopment were sourced from the private sector

Why we funded this project: Every two years, Venice becomes the world stage for the international visual arts community, with the attention of the world's arts media focused on the Biennale over a six-month period. The Venice Biennale provides Australian artists with critical international coverage, exposing them to key new audiences, markets and contexts. This exposure helps build the profile of Australian contemporary visual arts and facilitates the establishment of significant international cultural links, networks and dialogue for individual Australian artists. Within this context, we believe that it is extremely important that Australian artists have the opportunity to showcase their work in the best possible architectural environment.

Click here to read more about the Australian Pavilion.

AUSTRALIAN ART HAS A NEW HOME AT VENICE BIENNALE
BY KATRINA STRICKLAND
AFR MAGAZINE 26 FEBRUARY 2015

http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/strategies-and-frameworks/venice-biennale/