### Stranieri Ovunque: Indigenous Artists Take Center Stage at Venice Biennale
The 60th edition of the prestigious Venice Biennale, renowned as the world’s largest art exhibition, marked a significant shift this year under the leadership of its first South American curator. The exhibition, titled “Stranieri Ovunque” (“Foreigners Everywhere”), broke social barriers by featuring an unprecedented number of indigenous artists representing major pavilions.
Among the groundbreaking artists was Jeffrey Gibson, an American Mississippi Choctaw-Cherokee artist, who led the United States pavilion. Gibson’s exhibition, titled “This Is the Day,” challenged the foundations of American mythology and explored the displacement and identity issues faced by indigenous communities. His vibrant and chromatic sculptures, paintings, and film installations intertwined intertribal aesthetics with European modernity, envisioning a future where indigenous art and cultural expressions are central to the human experience.
Another notable artist was Sir John Akomfrah, a Ghanaian-born, British-raised artist whose moving films probe into memory, racial injustice, and the experiences of migrant diaspora communities. Akomfrah transformed Great Britain’s pavilion into a sensorial reflection that subverted post-colonial narratives. His exhibition, titled “The Unfinished Conversation,” juxtaposed images of Holbein drawings from the Tudor period with scenes of modern-looking humans in mythological garbs, accompanied by a haunting soundscape of water and various bodies of water.
Glicéria Tupinambá, a Brazilian indigenous artist, presented her work in the Hãhãwpuá pavilion, which marked the first time an exhibition at the Biennale had been curated and presented solely by indigenous artists. Tupinambá’s exhibition, titled “Retrato do Brasil (Portrait of Brazil)” explored the resilience and resistance of indigenous peoples in Brazil, addressing themes of human rights and the climate emergency.
Archie Moore, an Australian artist of Bigambul-Kamilaroi heritage, delved into his family tree to retrace over 64,000 years of Aboriginal histories in the Australian pavilion. His exhibition, titled “Continuum,” used fragile chalk drawings on blackboards to record the names of thousands of deceased Aboriginal people, emphasizing the gaps in knowledge and the consequences of these gaps for future generations.
The Venice Biennale, held across the city in national pavilions and auxiliary events, has become a platform for indigenous artists to share their perspectives, challenge historical narratives, and envision a more inclusive future. Their presence at the Biennale reflects a growing recognition of the importance of indigenous voices in contemporary art and a shift towards a more equitable and diverse art world.
