Kapwani Kiwanga will represent Canada at the 60th International Venice Biennale from April 20 to November 24, 2024, according to an announcement from the National Gallery of Canada (NGC).
Kiwanga is one of the country’s most acclaimed modern artists, whose research-driven work is inspired by marginalized or forgotten histories and expressed in a variety of forms such as sculpture, installation, video, and performance. Gatane Verna, Executive Director of the Wexner Center for the Arts, will curate her presentation in Venice.
The artist was selected by experts in contemporary Canadian art comprised of Daisy Desrosiers, Director and Chief Curator, Gund Gallery at Kenyon College; Heather Igloliorte, Concordia University Research Chair and Co-Director, Indigenous Futures Research Centre; Michelle Jacques, Head of Exhibitions and Collections/Chief Curator, Remai Modern; Adelina Vlas, Head of Curatorial Affairs, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery; and Tania Willard, Assistant Professor of Creative Studies and Visual Arts, University of British Columbia, Okanagan.
With over 80 participating countries, the Venice Biennale is the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary art show. The National Gallery of Canada commissioned and produced the exhibitions on display at the Canada Pavilion in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts. The National Gallery of Canada Foundation is funding the Canadian representation in 2024.
For more over 60 years, the Canada Pavilion has showcased the work of Canada’s most accomplished artists.