King's College London

Three King’s alumni from the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries – Armen Yesayants (MA Arts and Cultural Management, 2019), Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir (MA Arts and Cultural Management, 2021) and Chang Chan (MA Arts and Cultural Management, 2022) – are participating in the 60th International Art Exhibition in Venice. The exhibition titled Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere is organised by La Biennale di Venezia and runs from 20 April to 24 November 2024.

Armen Yesayants, Curator of the Armenian National Pavilion

Armen Yesayants is an art historian, curator, cultural manager and lecturer based in Yerevan, Armenia. Since 2016, he has served as the Director of Exhibitions at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. Over the years, Armen has curated or contributed to the organisation of nearly forty exhibitions and has extensively written on Armenian art. In 2019, Armen graduated from King’s with an MA in Arts and Cultural Management as a Chevening scholar. In 2023, he was selected as the curator of the National Pavilion of the Republic of Armenia at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

‘Reflecting on it now, I realise that my studies at King's College London laid a solid foundation for this journey, a fact I may not have fully appreciated at the time. While this role represents a pinnacle in my career, I view it as another step forward, embracing the continuous evolution of my professional journey and looking forward to further contributing to the international understanding and appreciation of Armenian art and culture, but not limited to that,’ says Armen.

The Armenian National Pavilion

At the Biennale Arte 2024, the Armenian National Pavilion, presented by the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, draws on concepts inspired by the Armenian medieval cultural heritage and diverse spiritual universal principles, reimagined by a Paris-based Armenian artist Nina Khemchyan.

The Echo by Nina Khemchyan features two major installations. The central component comprises eleven blue ceramic spheres. Each of these spheres is adorned with golden incrustations, which represent a specific selection of Armenian sharakans, eleven chants of repentance, written by Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, philosopher, theologian, priest and poet. The installation is supplemented by a capella performance of the hymns by Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan.

The Armenian National Pavilion also features Seven Deadly Sins, another work by Nina Khemchyan. This 50-meter single-piece paper roll artwork is divided into seven parts, each representing one of the sins: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust. The choice of black ink on white paper symbolises the polarity of morality and immorality, inherent to the concept of sins.

The exhibition does not leave viewers with the idea of sins and redemption only. It gives a space for contemplation, where they can witness themselves in solitude. This path mirrors a deep spiritual trilogy between the Earth and Heaven, uniting self, universe, and essence, guiding toward profound insight. The golden sphere at the end of the exhibition rises as a symbol of purification, light and eternity.

Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir, Producer and Project Lead of the Icelandic Pavilion

Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir is an art historian, theorist and curator. She organised the artist-run biennial Sequences and the Icelandic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale as project manager of international projects at the Icelandic Art Center. Þórhildur Tinna will soon begin her new role for the Cultural Office in one of the major municipalities in the East of Iceland, the region from which she originates, to lead the upheaval of art and cultural events. Since 2015, Þórhildur Tinna has been one of the main organisers of the LungA Art Festival, presented annually by a group of young cultural practitioners for the local youth. Þórhildur Tinna received her BA in Art History and Theory from the University of Iceland. In 2020-2021, she studied Arts and Cultural Management at King’s, focusing on curatorial studies and art theory.

‘It is important to have sustainable production methods as the backbone in such major projects; not only environmentally, but also financially and emotionally. The journey is just as valuable as the final product, and I would encourage people in the field to keep that in mind, do their best in creating safe spaces and lead with compassion and care when working in the demanding field of visual art on a global scale. It goes a long way!’ says Þórhildur.

The Icelandic Pavilion

The Icelandic Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition features That’s a Very Large Number – A Commerzbau by Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir. This exhibition, curated by American curator Dan Byers, presents a selection of new sculptures and installations, which animate the relationships formed between us and our world of mass-produced objects.

In That’s a Very Large Number – A Commerzbau, Birgisdóttir fills the gallery space with her appropriations of the materials, products and language of mass production. She creates an immersive environment, inspired by the tradition of the ‘Merzbau’, pioneered by German dada artist Kurt Schwitters, which involved a walk-in, abstract collage made from scavenged materials and objects. Schwitters began using the term ‘Merz’ in his work, after discovering a fragment of newspaper printed with the end of the word ‘Commerz’. Birgisdóttir reintroduces the ‘com’, creating a ‘commerzbau’ from commercial fabrications and castaways of commerce, tailored to the architecture of the pavilion.

Chang Chan, Curator of Above Zobeide, Exhibition from Macao, China

Chang Chan is an independent curator based in Macao and London. She graduated from King's College London with an MA in Arts and Cultural Management in 2022. Chang’s personal experience draws her attention to the psychic and existential crises of contemporary neoliberal capitalism. She attempts to use curating as an intervention, raising questions and exploring the possibilities of healing through art. Chang's recent curatorial projects include Dwelling On the Cloud in London, which featured the works of 23 artists from around the world. Her first exhibition in Macao, The Secret of the Golden Flower, was selected for the Local Curatorial Project for the Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2023.

Above Zobeide

Organised by the Macao Museum of Art under the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Above Zobeide is presented as a Collateral Event of the 60^th International Art Exhibition. The exhibition features large-scale art installations and digital prints created by the young Macao artist Wong Weng Cheong.

The work draws inspiration from the Italian writer Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, in which the fictional city Zobeide is mentioned. The story revolves around men of various nations driven by an identical dream to build a city of desire. ‘In the process of globalisation, the construction of large-scale cities driven by desires is a common phenomenon. The prevalence of an insatiably materialistic society has become a reality in our contemporary world,’ the curatorial statement explains.

Upon entering the exhibition, each visitor, an ‘outsider’, becomes a part of the artwork through being captured by cameras within the installation. The work blurs the lines between reality and fiction and invites viewers to contemplate their role in this story.

La Biennale di Venezia was established in 1895 and is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions. It supports research and promotion of new contemporary art trends, and organises exhibitions and research activities across its departments: Arts (1895), Architecture (1980), Cinema (1932), Dance (1999), Music (1930) and Theatre (1934).