Venice Biennale: A Form of Cultural Heritage?
Venice Biennale: A Form of Cultural Heritage?

A Dialogue from and within a Unique Urban Context

Summary/Abstract: The Venice Biennale is arguably the world’s most important art exhibition, with the 2022 edition attracting over 800,000 visitors. The rich artistic offer of the event stands against the backdrop of a UNESCO World Heritage city whose historical, cultural and artistic values are both its blessing and its curse—a place like no other, where the murmur of water echoing along the canals is often drowned by the sound of swarms of tourists, much to the despair of locals, who are driven to leave their city. How does an event like the Biennale juxtapose with such a setting? To what extent, considering its environment (or not), does it become a form of cultural heritage in itself? How does it address the tension between the attempt to capture the essence of relevant contemporary social issues and the duty to upkeep a certain legacy? And how could this reflect on the city, its heritage or its inhabitants? This paper aims to open a discussion at the intersection of cultural heritage and arts.

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