The 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, launched on Saturday April 20, 2024, is taking place this year under the artistic direction of Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa, the first Latin American to direct this event, which has existed for 130 years.

Pedrosa wanted to create an exhibition open to the world. He selected 331 artists, the majority of whom, little or not known, come from Africa, America and the Middle East.

The theme chosen for this biennial is "Foreigners Everywhere".

Two Haitian painters, Philomé OBIN and Sénèque OBIN from the Art Center, are among the 331 artists participating in the Venice Biennale this year. Their works are exhibited at the Central Pavilion, one of the main sites of the Biennale.

Curator Rodrigo Moura, on the Venice Biennale website, describes Philomé Obin as a chronicler of social dynamics in public space. "He has a wide range of themes and a recognizable and influential style of complex narrative compositions."

Pholomé Obin born in Limbé in 1892 and died in 1986 in Cap-Haïtien at the age of 94

As for Seneca, Moura sees in his work a mirror "from which to understand the arts in the Americas in the mid-20th century. His work exposes the contradictions of the modernization process, challenging labels like 'self-taught', 'naive', and 'primitive' often applied to artists of color, like himself. Through a myriad of themes, motifs, and iconographies, Obin visually articulated various aspects of Haitian culture."

Sénèque Obin was born in Limbé in 1893 and died in 1977 in Cap-Haitien at the age of 84

The 2024 Venice Biennale will end on November 24, 2024.

HL/ HaitiLibre